Sep27th
Thursday, September 27th, 2007
Gordon Brown’s first Party Conference speech in Bournemouth last week included more plans to help first time buyers and to increase house-building to 240,000 new homes a year so that by 2010 we will have two million more homeowners than in 1997. He wants to see new ‘eco-towns’ with low and zero carbon homes - upping a previous pledge from 5 of these to 10. So, it’s more affordable and social housing - and apparently not a blade of green belt grass will be harmed. Yes, it sounds like an election is in the air. (more…)
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Sep24th
Monday, September 24th, 2007
Buildingtalk’s first quarterly review of sustainability news provides a few examples of what’s been happening on the sustainability front in the construction industry during the summer. (more…)
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Sep21st
Friday, September 21st, 2007
Channel 4 contacted Buildingtalk this week about a new documentary series which explores the relationship between builders and their clients with the working title ‘Dont Blame the Builder’. The series is about the problems that can often arise on domestic building projects as a result of a breakdown of communication between clients and their builders. They are looking for builders in the Greater London area who have run into problems on a current project and need some help to get it back on track. So if you are locked in a stand off with a client or just having a bit of a nightmare with constantly changing demands, get in touch Fiona Wilson on 0207 290 0660. Your 15 minutes of fame beckons. (more…)
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Sep14th
Friday, September 14th, 2007
Buildingtalk had a warning from the HSE this week about safety issues around refurbishment projects. The latest fatal injury statistics confirm that the construction industry still has the highest total of fatalities accounting for 31% of the 241 fatal injuries to workers. Last year 39 people died on refurbishment, repair and maintenance sites alone and there is currently a crack-down with inspectors visiting sites. They report having to shut-down work immediately on 1 in 6 refurbishment projects visited because of immediate dangers. There is more guidance and advice available on the HSE website. (more…)
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Sep7th
Friday, September 7th, 2007
‘Green’ procurement has become a hot topic in the building industry. Roger Morton, of Axion Recycling, said recently that ”Given the UK construction industry’s commitment to improve sustainability across the whole sector, sourcing 100% recycled products that can truly demonstrate ‘closed-loop recycling’ can make a significant contribution to providing environmentally-friendly solutions.’ There is a growing debate among window manufacturers about which material is the ‘greenest’. The latest contribution is from the Steel Window Association, reminding us that steel used by their members comes from 100% recycled steel and laying claim to producing the lowest carbon emissions. However, we have had recent conflicting claims from timber, aluminium and uPVC window manufacturers. Like many of these environmental and sustainability issues, it is not always as straight forward as it seems. If any reader has a good white paper that has reviewed the issue in depth and from an impartial standpoint we would keen to give it space on Buildingtalk. (more…)
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