Category: Comment | netMAGmedia Ltd

Future watch – March

Wednesday, 23rd March 2016

Norman Hayden hears the case for more urban extensions put by LK2’s Tom Drew. All across the country there is a struggle going on to access facilities which support health, well-being, community and leisure. Developments in our industry have been... View Article

The Vinden Partnership reacts to the Budget 2016

Thursday, 17th March 2016

Peter Vinden, Managing Director of The Vinden Partnership – a leading multi-disciplinary consultant company to the built environment – said: “The Chancellor has talked of uncertain economic times ahead and it would seem that with this budget he doesn’t intend... View Article

Manchester’s regeneration neighbourhood calls for comprehensive housing plan

Thursday, 17th March 2016

The head of a large-scale development in Manchester has warned the UK’s cities need to take a comprehensive and integrated approach to housing to cater to the needs of future generations. Speaking at a RIBA event at MIPIM, David Pringle, director... View Article

Research reveals transport-related delays are causing problems for UK construction projects

Thursday, 17th March 2016

More than half (51 per cent) of UK construction firms say transport-related delays are frequently impacting upon projects, research has revealed. Of those, 9 per cent say all projects are affected and a further 42 per cent say they are... View Article

Landscape improvements and green spaces are vital to unlock millions in potential investment from HS2

Wednesday, 16th March 2016

Landscape improvements and green city spaces are vital if the West Midlands is to unlock millions in potential investment made possible by projects like HS2, a leading architectural expert has said. Kathryn Moore, Professor of Landscape Architecture at Birmingham City... View Article

The Landscape Institute: Healthy New Towns “just the start” to creating a healthy environment

Wednesday, 2nd March 2016

The Landscape Institute (LI) has expressed its encouragement with the NHS England announcement of the Heathy New Towns Programme. LI president Noel Farrer said: ‘ NHS England announcement on the Healthy New Towns programme is an important development for improving public health. Treating... View Article

Taking Passivhaus to the next level at Ecobuild 2016

Wednesday, 24th February 2016

The UK Passivhaus movement has strengthened its position versus other sustainability goals in the housing sector in recent months. Jon Bootland, Chief Executive of the Passivhaus Trust, explains how increasing numbers of housebuilders are embracing the gold standard of energy... View Article

RIBA responds to House of Lords ‘Building better places’ report

Monday, 22nd February 2016

The Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) has responded to the ‘Building better places’ report published today (Friday, 19 February 2016) by the House of Lords Select Committee on National Policy for the Built Environment. A number of key RIBA... View Article

RIBA President comments on Garden Bridge procurement row

Wednesday, 10th February 2016

The President of the Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA), Jane Duncan, has given the following comment to The Architects’ Journal regarding the procurement of the Garden Bridge. Mrs Duncan has also written directly to the Mayor regarding this issue.... View Article

Endo reaping the benefits of winning Ecobuild’s Big Innovation Pitch

Tuesday, 9th February 2016

Ben Sallon, Managing Director, Endo Enterprises Ltd, comments on the company’s involvement in Ecobuild’s Big Innovation Pitch. Inventiveness is part of our psyche. The only problem is turning that bright idea or great invention into a lucrative business can be an... View Article

Britain’s biggest construction bosses urge Government “of the builders” to expand Heathrow

Monday, 8th February 2016

Thirteen of Britain’s largest construction and development companies have written to the Chancellor George Osborne urging him to live up to approve Heathrow expansion. The letter, released on 5 February, stressed that in a time of global economic uncertainty the UK... View Article

GGF defends members and confirms industry position

Wednesday, 3rd February 2016

The Glass and Glazing Federation (GGF) has released a statement in defence against recent allegations made by Anthony Jones, Chairman of National Federation of Glaziers. Jones claimed GGF members had brought “consumer biased laws” upon the industry and also accused theFederation of being “afraid to... View Article

New bridges could be a boon for flood-hit areas

Thursday, 28th January 2016

In the wake of the recent flooding events, many district and local authorities have been faced with the challenge of replacing large numbers of damaged and broken bridges as soon as possible. ESC Engineering Services have recently installed new bridge technologies... View Article

Quality failure could be costing the construction industry £2 billion every year

Thursday, 28th January 2016

An in-depth report on the cost of quality in the UK’s construction industry could highlight the billions of pounds being lost to failures of governance, assurance and improvement. The CQI Cost of Quality working group are producing the report. Chair... View Article

Concrete Centre responds to the challenges and many enquiries about the sustainability performance of concrete

Thursday, 21st January 2016

Guy Thompson explains how The Concrete Centre responds to the challenges and many enquiries about the sustainability performance of concrete and how the industry is committed to a holistic measure of sustainability thus enabling designers and specifiers to produce evermore... View Article

Countdown continues for BIM

Tuesday, 19th January 2016

The deadline for the mandatory use of Building Information Modelling (BIM) Level 2 for all centrally procured projects is nearly upon us. It’s time for the final push, says Chris Meir, sales director at Andrews Water Heaters: “With the government’s... View Article

President of the Landscape Institute statement on PM’s announcement transforming estates

Tuesday, 12th January 2016

Noel Farrer, President of the Landscape Institute said: ‘The UK features many low-quality, poorly-designed housing estates and I wholeheartedly agree with the government’s announcement yesterday to transform them. I sincerely hope that Landscape Architects are included on the Estate Regeneration... View Article

RIBA President responds to Prime Minister pledge to transform Sink Estates

Monday, 11th January 2016

Prime Minister David Cameron has announced that some of the country’s most run-down housing estates will be replaced with attractive and safe homes. Country’s worst housing estates to be removed and replaced with safe and attractive homes for residents Comprehensive... View Article

The estate we’re in – only big thinking will get us out of this mess

Monday, 11th January 2016

What politicians have ignored for decades is that poor housing is the root cause of many of society’s ills, something the prime minister has today admitted. While Tony Blair’s government did much to address Britain’s inner-city problems, it failed to... View Article

ASSA ABLOY UK tips construction industry to respond after mixed 2015

Thursday, 7th January 2016

Despite the dip in the latter part of 2015, latest forecasts from the Construction Products Association (CPA) predict that construction output is expected to rise by 19.7% between 2015 and 2019, with 2016 enjoying a 3.8% increase. As expected growth... View Article