Apr25th
Friday, April 25th, 2008
The tide of migration is turning and the construction industry could lose many of its Polish workers following the launch of a Polish government campaign to encourage builders to return home. Newspaper adverts and a glossy brochure at Polish cultural centres is talking up the opportunities in Poland which is experiencing a building boom and the current weakness in Britain’s currency means they are also getting fewer zlotys for their pounds. (more…)
Posted in Uncategorized | No Comments »
Apr19th
Saturday, April 19th, 2008
Following one of the largest ever Competition Act investigations, the OFT last week issued a Statement of Objections against 112 firms in the construction sector in England. The OFT alleges companies have engaged in bid rigging activities, and in particular cover pricing. It said the firms colluded among themselves while bidding for contracts, leading to customers, such as local authorities, having to pay too much. (more…)
Posted in Uncategorized | No Comments »
Apr11th
Friday, April 11th, 2008
The world’s first wind-powered mega structure has just been completed. The Bahrain World Trade Center is the first commercial development with integrated large-scale wind turbines within its design. Three massive blades, 29 meters in diameter, are supported by bridges spanning between the two 50-story sail-shaped towers. The wind turbines will deliver 15% of the energy needs of the building. Some say it is just symbolistic kitch but it is still an eye-catching example of the use of renewable energy in new buildings. We have a link to a video of the building via the Buildingtalk blog. (more…)
Posted in Uncategorized | No Comments »
Apr4th
Friday, April 4th, 2008
The Olympics featured in the news last week with the Olympic torch relay through London on Sunday. There was also a survey which found that almost three out of four people in the UK believe the 2012 Olympics will bring no real benefit to their area. Even in London, host city of the Olympics, six out of 10 people said there was nothing really in the Games for them. However they will certainly be of benefit to the construction industry. In fact in recent years there have been scores of new sports facilities built in the including major projects such as the Wembley and Emerites stadiums and the new Cardiff International Pool. (more…)
Posted in Uncategorized | No Comments »
