Architecture practices in the North the most confident about future workloads Practices now employing 5% more students than 12 months ago The RIBA Future Trends Workload Index was virtually unchanged in May 2015 (at +37, up from +36 in April). Practices in the north of England (balance figure
British investors are one of the largest group of investors in Dubai’s property markets but the decision by the UK to leave the European Union is unlikely to have much of an impact, according to experts. As the most open real estate market in the Middle East, Dubai has always
The latest research from Benham & Reeves Residential Lettings confirms that student rents have surged by 55.5% over the past 20 years, compared to 24% for non-student properties, as students turn away from traditional student digs for more luxurious flats and private halls of residences. Despite the advent of university
The mayor of London has paved the way for 10,000 new homes in east London, with the aim of half of these being affordable. Source link
Employees and others behaving badly – when are you liable for their misdeeds? Solicitor Mark Clinton reports. Above: Mark Clinton is a partner at Thomas Eggar, recently merged with Irwin Mitchell LLP Vicarious liability is the term used to describe a situation where someone is held responsible for the actions
Anglian Water Business has confirmed it is likely to rebrand in preparation for the opening up of the non-household retail market, given its existing prominence in the competitive business retail market in Scotland. As well as Anglian, which currently holds nearly a quarter of Scottish market share,
Shareholders rose up against the pay of Britain’s bosses on Thursday in the most dramatic day of protests against chief executive rewards in four years. From London to Glasgow and Dublin, investors rebelled against remuneration packages at some of the UK’s largest listed companies. More On this topic IN UK
There is a constant need for the construction of infrastructure. However, there are numerous kinds of hazards associated with the building work. The prominent among them is injuries to the workers working at the construction site. Recently, the injuries and illness endured by the employees working at the site has
Inspirational new housing the stand-out trend for 2015 The Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) is pleased to announce the winners of the 2015 RIBA National Awards, the most rigorous and prestigious awards for new buildings in the UK. RIBA National Award-winning buildings set the standard for good architecture.
APHC raises awareness of water efficiency following heatwave Published: 24 August, 2016 Following the heatwave conditions experienced across parts of the UK this week, the Association of Plumbing & Heating Contractors (APHC) is emphasising the importance of saving water all year round and the vital role quality plumbing and heating
Architecture practices in the North the most confident about future workloads Practices now employing 5% more students than 12 months ago The RIBA Future Trends Workload Index was virtually unchanged in May 2015 (at +37, up from +36 in April). Practices in the north of England (balance figure +50), Wales and the West (+44) and London (+40) are the most optimistic about future workloads. Medium-sized practices (11–50 staff), with a balance figure of +54, continue to be the most optimistic about future growth; small practices (1–10 staff) and large practices (51+ staff) also remain positive about the outlook for future workloads (balance figures +35 and +33 respectively). The private housing sector forecast fell slightly in May (to +34 from +38 in April). This month also saw the public sector forecast move into negative territory for the first time since July 2014 (down to -1 in May 2015, from +3 in April). Our respondents anticipate public sector spending on building projects to be flat at best over the coming quarter. More positively, the commercial sector forecast increased to +21 (from +15 in April), while the community sector forecast made a recovery from its recent decline (rising to +4 in May from -3 in April). The RIBA Future Trends Staffing Index fell slightly to +16 (from +18 in April 2015), with medium-sized practices the most confident about increasing their staff over the next quarter (+55). For large practices, the balance figure for May was a healthy +50; small practices remain significantly more cautious at +8. Overall, 17% of participating practices expect to see an increase in temporary staff over the next quarter whilst only 2% anticipate employing fewer permanent staff over the same period. Just 12% of respondents said that they had personally been under-employed in the last month. Practices also reported that they currently employ 5% more students (year out or post-Part 2) compared with the equivalent period last year. RIBA Director of Practice Adrian Dobson said: “Our employment index has been in very positive territory for some time and there is every indication that the employment market for salaried architects will remain strong over the coming quarter. “Our practices expect the commercial sector to perform well during 2015, led by the office and leisure markets. Despite a slight dip in the private housing sector forecast, possibly associated with decreased house building around the recent General Election, it remains the best performing of our sector forecasts. “We continue to receive reports that clients remain resistant to increases in fee levels, leading to tight profit margins on many projects. However, as the employment market becomes more competitive, we would expect to see greater salary expectations along with more general economic growth bringing some upward momentum to fee levels.” ENDS Notes to editors: 1. For further press information contact Callum Reilly in the RIBA Press Office: 020 7307 3757 callum.reilly@riba.org 2. The Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) champions better buildings, communities and the environment through architecture and our members. www.architecture.com 3. Completed by a mix of small, medium and large firms based on a geographically representative sample, the RIBA Future Trends Survey was launched in January 2009 to monitor business and employment trends affecting the architects’ profession. 4. The RIBA Future Trends Survey is carried out by the RIBA in partnership with the Fees Bureau. Results of the survey, including a full graphical analysis, are published each month at: http://www.architecture.com/RIBA/Professionalsupport/FutureTrendsSurvey.aspx 5. To participate in the RIBA Future Trends Survey, please contact the RIBA Practice Department on 020 7307 3749 or email practice@riba.org. The survey takes approximately five minutes to complete each month, and all returns are independently processed in strict confidence 6. The definition for the workload balance figure is the difference between those expecting more work and those expecting less. A negative figure means more respondents expect less work than those expecting more work. This figure is used to represent the RIBA Future Trends Workload Index, which for May 2015 was +37 7. The definition for the staffing balance figure is the difference between those expecting to employ more permanent staff in the next three months and those expecting to employ fewer. A negative figure means more respondents expect to employ fewer permanent staff. This figure is used to represent the RIBA Future Trends Staffing Index, which for May 2015 was +16 Posted on Wednesday 24th June 2015 Source link
British investors are one of the largest group of investors in Dubai’s property markets but the decision by the UK to leave the European Union is unlikely to have much of an impact, according to experts. As the most open real estate market in the Middle East, Dubai has always found itself more susceptible to external factors. But, despite the interim uncertainty brought about as a result of Brexit the emirate unlikely to feel any long term effects, says a report from international real estate firm JLL. British citizens are the third largest investors into Dubai’s real estate market, potentially leaving them more susceptible to any negative impacts from Brexit, however, JLL’s Craig Plumb, head of research for The Middle East and North Africa, believes that any negative ramifications will only be temporary. ‘Even though it is too early to predict the long-term implications, overall there is a slight probability of British investors being negatively impacted by the devaluation of the British Pound following Britain’s decision to exit the European Union,’ he said. ‘However, we believe the effect of the decision will only have temporary repercussions as a substantial number of British investors who work and reside in the UAE avoid sourcing their income in sterling,’ he explained. ‘If we dissect the market further, particularly for residential, we notice that expatriates in Dubai are most likely to continue renting their homes instead of switching to ownership, resulting in sales being more negatively affected than the rental sector. If external factors stabilize over the rest of the year, we expect the Dubai residential market to easily recover in early 2017,’ he pointed out. During the second quarter of the year, office vacancy rates throughout Dubai showed a general downward trend. However, Plumb attributes this to a lack of supply, confirming that Dubai remains the largest and most active office market in MENA with many businesses still preferring to use the Emirate as their regional hub. Meanwhile, the retail and hotel sectors have fared less well in the immediate aftermath of the decision given the devaluation of the British pound. ‘Dubai and the MENA region as a whole has become an increasingly expensive destination for European visitors,’ Plumb added. Source link
The latest research from Benham & Reeves Residential Lettings confirms that student rents have surged by 55.5% over the past 20 years, compared to 24% for non-student properties, as students turn away from traditional student digs for more luxurious flats and private halls of residences. Despite the advent of university tuition fees, students are no longer prepared to live in substandard accommodation and are demanding well maintained and decorated properties with high speed internet, ensuite bathrooms and state-of-the-art kitchens. Benham & Reeves undertook a survey of its offices and their respective student properties and tenants. Over the course of two decades, the average monthly spend on rent has increased while the number of sharers has markedly decreased. Marc von Grundherr explains: “Part of the reason we see student’s expectations and therefore requirements changing is because of demographics. With the abolition of student grants and the introduction of tuition fees, many young people from lower income backgrounds have eschewed university degrees and gone straight into the workforce. Those who have sought university degrees tend to be more affluent while simultaneously, universities have topped up student numbers by welcoming greater numbers of overseas students. These groups simply aren’t prepared to live in traditional “student houses” with 5 rooms to one toilet and a very basic kitchen. They want to continue to live at the same standard they have at home. Private halls of residence have increased in popularity in response, many with rents approaching £400 per week. Unsurprisingly, many students are also turning to studio and one bedroom apartments that command a similar rental value.” A five bedroom house in Pembroke Road in Earls Court which has been let through Benham & Reeves Lettings to a succession of Imperial College students for 20 years exemplifies the trend. Whereas initial groups of students moved in in year one and stayed for three years – sometimes even longer – today they only tend to stay one year and move out to smaller flats so they can be on their own or into a two bedroom flat. Officially, the length of tenancy has decreased from 2.6 years in 1996-2006 and is now averaging 1.1 years. Finer tastes are not the whole story, though. Increasing regulation by councils, including a clampdown on Houses in Multiple Occupation (HMOs) has meant that the larger homes that were traditionally shared by four or five students are now rare. More typically, students will live in a new build, two-bedroom flat with just one other person. Landlords for these properties do not need an HMO license provided they are let to no more than two unrelated or unmarried tenants. The consequence of fewer people sharing one home also means that rents are invariably higher as well as utilities and other associated costs. Overseas investment is another factor. Traditionally overseas clients bought for their children while studying – these properties were then retained as rental investments. Analysis conducted by Benham & Reeves Lettings found that 98.7% of clients who did this found that by the time their children finished their studies and left the UK, the increase in the property value had covered the total cost of the education and in 44% of cases, had also covered the costs of their living expenses including flights. Marc von Grundherr concluded: “I think there is also a greater social change, as well. Today’s students have grown up in an era of easy credit, cheap flights and mass luxury. The idea of slumming it is completely foreign to them. They would much rather go deeper into debt than shiver in an unheated house. Parents also have more concerns about their children’s safety and don’t want them living in a questionable part of town. The television series ‘Fresh Meat’ may have only recently gone off the air but the premise of six students sharing a run-down Victorian house already seems dated.” Source link
The mayor of London has paved the way for 10,000 new homes in east London, with the aim of half of these being affordable. Source link
Employees and others behaving badly – when are you liable for their misdeeds? Solicitor Mark Clinton reports. Above: Mark Clinton is a partner at Thomas Eggar, recently merged with Irwin Mitchell LLP Vicarious liability is the term used to describe a situation where someone is held responsible for the actions or omissions of another person. The Supreme Court handed down two complementary judgments in March that respectively address the two main questions that determine when this type of liability might arise. The first question, addressed by the Supreme Court in Cox v Ministry of Justice, relates to the nature of the relationship between the wrongdoer and the person who is vicariously liable for his wrongdoing. It is generally understood that an employer may be liable for the acts or omissions of his employees. However, vicarious liability can arise even where there is no employment contract. How then does one identify when a relationship can give rise to vicarious liability? The second question, addressed by the Supreme Court on the same day in Mohamed v WM Morrison Supermarkets plc, relates to the nature of the wrongful act. Where the relationship is one which gives rise to vicarious liability, it is also relatively well understood that the liability does not arise in respect of every conceivable act or omission of the wrongdoer. However, where does the law draw the line? The result in that case may have come as a surprise to some. Briefly the facts in Cox v Ministry of Justice were as follows. Mrs Cox was injured while working in the kitchens in Swansea Prison when a prisoner accidentally but negligently dropped a sack of rice on her back. She sued the Ministry of Justice for compensation. The court at first instance found that there was no vicarious liability because the relationship between the prisoner and the Ministry of Justice was not akin to that between an employer and an employee. The Court of Appeal overturned this decision and, on further appeal, the Supreme Court agreed that vicarious liability may extend beyond the traditional employer/employee relationship. In this case, the Ministry of Justice was vicariously liable. The court said: “A relationship other than one of employment is in principle capable of giving rise to vicarious liability where harm is wrongfully done by an individual who carries on activities as an integral part of the business activities carried on by a defendant and for its benefit (rather than his activities being entirely attributable to the conduct of a recognisably independent business of his own or a third party.” In reaching its conclusion, the Supreme Court recognised that workers may be part of the workforce of an organisation even though they are not employees of that organisation. This can arise, for example, where agency staff are used or where one organisation borrows a worker from another organisation (thus relevance for construction here). In this case, by assigning activities to the prisoner, the Ministry of Justice had created the risk of a tort being committed, and it made no difference that it had a statutory duty to provide this work to the prisoner. In the Morrisons case (discussed below) it was said that the development of the law as to the type of relationships that give rise to vicarious liability is ‘A response to changes in the legal relationships between enterprises and members of their workforces and the increasing complexity and sophistication of the organisation of enterprises in the modern world’. It is certainly true that there have been tremendous changes in how enterprises are organised and it would be well worth considering where vicarious liability might arise in your organisation and whether the insurances you have in place will cover you in all such instances. The rather shocking facts in Mohamed v WM Morrison Supermarkets plc were as follows. Mr Mohamed went into the kiosk at a petrol station owned by Morrison Supermarkets and enquired as to whether some documents on a USB stick could be printed there. He received a curt and rude response to the effect that they could not. He objected to the way he had been spoken to and was ordered to leave. He returned to his car and was followed by the employee who proceeded to assault him violently. The question for the court was how one defines the boundary between actions for which an employer is vicariously liable and those for which he cannot be held liable. The Supreme Court held that there are two matters to be considered. The first is what functions or field of activities have been entrusted by the employer to the employee, in other words, ‘what was the nature of his job?’. This question is to be addressed broadly. It is then necessary to decide whether there is a sufficiently close connection between the wrongful conduct and the nature of the employee’s job to make it right for the employer to be held liable under the principle of social justice. In this case, the employee’s job was to attend to customers and respond to their queries. Was there a sufficiently close connection between those duties and what happened on the forecourt? The short answer is ‘yes’. Inside the kiosk he was carrying out those duties, although not in a way his employer would have wanted. It was within the field of activities assigned to him. There was then an unbroken sequence of events ending with the assault. Notwithstanding the fact that the employee left the kiosk, followed the customer contrary to express instructions and then acted in a way that the employer would obviously not condone, the employer was liable. Aside from defining clearly the extent of workers’ roles, it is difficult to see what employers can do to reduce the risk of liability where employees discharge their duties negligently or otherwise in a manner which might give rise to liability. It is perhaps just one of the hazards of employing people. About the author: Mark Clinton is a
Anglian Water Business has confirmed it is likely to rebrand in preparation for the opening up of the non-household retail market, given its existing prominence in the competitive business retail market in Scotland. As well as Anglian, which currently holds nearly a quarter of Scottish market share, Utility Week understands that at least one other water and sewerage company (WASC) is in the process of rebranding its business retail arm. The news follows an announcement by Northumbrian Water that it would rebrand its non-household retail business as ‘Wave’, which it hopes to establish as a “major player in the market”. Northumbrian’s new brand will be led by managing director of business retail Lucy Darch. It retains the company’s corporate colours, and its hexagonal shape is inspired by Northumberland’s castles. From 1 April 2017 all non-household customers in England will be able to choose their water and sewerage retailer. Currently only businesses that are supplied with more than five mega-litres of water a year can choose their water retailer. Of the water-only companies (WOCS), Affinity Water, Bristol Water, Essex and Suffolk Water, Sutton and East Surrey Water and Cholderton and District Water all tell Utility Week they plan to remain in the market, with South East Water and Cambridge/South Staffordshire Water refusing to comment. And of the WASCs, eight of nine say they will not exit the retail market, with Southern Water saying it is “undecided”. In January Portsmouth Water became the first to reveal that it would exit the business retail market when competition is introduced, handing the baton to Scottish supplier Castle Water. And, earlier this month, Severn Trent Water and United Utilities (UU) stated their intention to team up and create a new, separate, and yet-to-be-named retail business. Read Utility Week’s analysis: Severn Trent and United Utilities ally: the dawn of a new era? Source link
Shareholders rose up against the pay of Britain’s bosses on Thursday in the most dramatic day of protests against chief executive rewards in four years. From London to Glasgow and Dublin, investors rebelled against remuneration packages at some of the UK’s largest listed companies. More On this topic IN UK Companies Engineering group Weir, pharmaceutical company Shire and building materials business CRH all suffered large protests. FTSE 250 company Weir experienced the biggest setback at its annual meeting in Glasgow as 72 per cent of voting investors rejected its pay policy — the biggest reverse on a binding vote on executive pay since they were introduced in 2013. The decision means the group will have to keep its existing pay structure and offer investors another vote on its pay policy at its annual meeting next year. Charles Berry, Weir chairman, said: “It is obviously disappointing. It is a big no vote. We consulted extensively but our pay proposals were rejected because they do not follow UK guidelines.” Melanie Gee, chair of the company’s remuneration committee, said: “We will have to go back to our shareholders to discuss this to assess what is the correct next step.” Investors voted against Weir’s plans because they offered restricted share awards, which are not subject to performance targets. This deviates from market guidelines, say some investors and advisory groups. With FTSE 100 drugmaker Shire suffering a 49 per cent vote against its pay plans at its meeting in Dublin and CRH a 40 per cent protest, also in Dublin, some investors warned that growing resentment could spark protests in the US and continental Europe. Paul Lee, head of corporate governance at Aberdeen Asset Management, said: “It is a year when people have toughened their views in the UK and against UK-listed companies. It is getting noticed overseas. We have had some big protests here and we might see more overseas too.” In the case of Weir, investor anger was soothed to a degree as the group had offered a restricted shares scheme that has been floated as a possible alternative to long-term incentive plans by a working group of the Investment Association, which represents UK shareholders. Shire said it was pleased to have won backing for its remuneration report, albeit by the slenderest of margins with 50.55 per cent in favour. Responding to the vote, Shire said: “We remain firmly committed to a constructive and appropriate dialogue to fully understand shareholder views as we compete in a global market place.” We will have to go back to our shareholders to discuss this to assess what is the correct next step – Melanie Gee, Weir remuneration committee Shareholder dissent at Shire was focused on the 25 per cent pay increase granted last year to Flemming Ornskov, chief executive, taking his fixed salary to $1.69m. His overall pay rose fivefold to $21.6m in 2015. This led two big shareholder advisory groups, Institutional Shareholder Services and Glass Lewis, representing 25 per cent of investors, to recommend a vote against the remuneration report. Hans Hirt, a director at Hermes Investment Management, said: “We do not support the increase in salary of 25 per cent for the CEO, particularly given that his overall bonus potential is more than 10 times his basic salary and his total remuneration was over $21m (£14m) last year. You need JavaScript active on your browser in order to see this video. “We believe that an incremental approach to salary rises is more appropriate and should reflect shareholder value creation over the longer term.” CRH also narrowly secured shareholder approval for its remuneration package for its top executives. Just over 40 per cent of the votes cast by shareholders at the company’s annual meeting opposed the new pay package, which included a big rise in the bonus being paid to chief executive Albert Manifold. In London, FTSE 100 groups Barclays and Schroders saw small protests with the bank registering 6.4 per cent of votes cast against its remuneration report, while Schroders saw 4.3 per cent oppose its plans. In the case of Schroders, the bigger rebellion was against the elevation of Michael Dobson to chairman from chief executive with 14.9 per cent of voting investors opposing his appointment. Schroders has a big family investor base that controls 47 per cent of its shares and was supportive of Mr Dobson’s appointment as chairman. Additional reporting by Vincent Boland, Madison Marriage and Martin Arnold Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2016. You may share using our article tools. Please don’t cut articles from FT.com and redistribute by email or post to the web. Source link
There is a constant need for the construction of infrastructure. However, there are numerous kinds of hazards associated with the building work. The prominent among them is injuries to the workers working at the construction site. Recently, the injuries and illness endured by the employees working at the site has increased. There are multiple reasons this. To know the causes and the legal remedies for it, you need to know the kinds of construction injuries. Few prominent types of injuries likely to occur in construction sites: Falls – This is one of the most common mishaps that can occur on building sites. It can be falling of heavy equipment from great heights or of people falling. People working on the site will always face the risk of falling from cranes, lifts, ladders, roofs or from the floors of the building. If injured, you can claim the compensation from your employer legally. The falling objects have great chances of hitting any person working there. Thus, the employer needs to provide safety equipment like helmets and jackets to the workers. Equipment related accidents -Sometimes some devices or machines stop working resulting in grave accidents. Even if a forklift could malfunction or nail gun misfires, there are chances of people getting hurt. In such incidents, you can get compensation in terms of ‘product liability’. The person or company responsible for the equipment supply need to pay fine or compensation amount. Can be crushed under – Often there are incidents happening on construction sites where working people get crushed due to failure of the lift. Accidents happen when heavy vehicles run over the working labors due to some reason. Sometimes unfortunately they get crushed between concrete walls and heavy locomotive vehicles. There are chances of the collapse of walls leading to massive disaster as people get crushed under the collapsed structure. Negligence at the building site leads to such incidents. The victims can claim compensation as it is a legal crime and the person directly involved in the happenings of the incidents can even be sent to the jail. Fire and explosions: Leaking pipes, wires hanging out exposed to rain, storage of explosive chemicals and even leaving behind flammable materials leads to explosion. Unluckily if a person working on the site gets seriously injured, he can claim huge compensation. People working in the building grounds are subject to unhealthy conditions leading to illness like rise in blood pressure, respiratory disorders, partial deafness due to hearing loud noise constantly, skin infection, red eyes and body ache. If you are victim of such dreadful incidents, it will be helpful to contact expert construction accident attorney. The legal advisor will help you to get the compensation amount and prepare all the legal documents to produce in the court to protect your rights legally. One should be careful about the construction site owner, contractors of any division, the manufacturers or suppliers of equipment for providing faulty machines, as well as engineers and architects. To know the rules about the lawsuits, gain compensation and to know ways used to save yourself while working on dangerous construction & worksites log on to informative web links.
Inspirational new housing the stand-out trend for 2015 The Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) is pleased to announce the winners of the 2015 RIBA National Awards, the most rigorous and prestigious awards for new buildings in the UK. RIBA National Award-winning buildings set the standard for good architecture. The shortlist for the coveted RIBA Stirling Prize for the UK’s best building of the year will be drawn from the 37 award-winning buildings announced today. Award winners include a beautifully-crafted wooden fishing hut on a small new estate in Hampshire (Fishing Hut), a crisp, modern malt whisky distillery inspired by the shape of a barley sheaf (Dalmunach Distillery), a patterned red-brick church centre and apartments surrounding a listed church in Hackney (St Mary of Eton) and a modest and calm cancer care centre (Maggie’s Lanarkshire). The stand-out trend of the 2015 RIBA National Awards is the prevalence of high quality new housing developments. One quarter (8) of the 37 award winners are housing projects by developers ranging from large housebuilders and housing associations to smaller bespoke schemes by private investors. At a time when the lack of decent housing dominates the political agenda, amongst the winning projects are some exceptional examples of well-designed affordable and sustainable new developments. Great examples include the regeneration of over 200 homes on the Gorbals district of Glasgow (Laurieston Transformational Area) and, at the other end of the size scale, an elegant five-storey, 13-home affordable housing block for Peabody in East London (Darbishire Place). Private housing developments include Richard Rogers’ housing towers on prime London real estate (Neo Bankside), a 45 home canal-side development in west London (Brentford Lock West) and 14 distinctive homes stepping down through a gap in the heart of St Andrews’ old town conservation area (West Burn Lane). Exceptional education buildings also feature strongly on the winners list. From a small delightful nursery school for the University of Edinburgh (Arcadia Nursery), new state schools (Burntwood School, Ashmount Primary School), an independent school building (Uppingham School Science Centre) and a special needs school building (Alfriston School pool building) to major university buildings (University of Greenwich library building, Manchester Met Student Union), these projects will benefit generations of children, students and staff. One quarter (9) of the RIBA National Award winners are private homes and garden buildings. Ranging from a stone and copper-clad tiny retreat buried in a Wiltshire garden (Myrtle Cottage Garden Studio), to an architect-owned low-energy house on the edge of a Somerset village (Dundon Passivhaus) and a strikingly modern family house in County Down (House at Maghera). Speaking today, RIBA President Stephen Hodder said: “The RIBA National Awards provide a unique insight into UK construction, investment and design trends. “The UK is blighted by poor-quality new housing and dilapidated school buildings, so I am delighted that the notable trends amongst this year’s RIBA National Award-winners are the volume of inspiring new housing and education projects. “I am particularly pleased to award an unprecedented number of housing developments. The innovative spirit of these projects sets them apart from the ubiquitous, uninspiring housing developments being built all over the country. Our award winners show it is possible to build exceptional new housing developments that are profitable, sustainable and desirable places to live. “Well-designed school buildings have the power to inspire students and teachers. This doesn’t mean every new school needs to be a show-stopper – like Burntwood or Ashmount – but we must ensure that value for money and the best possible design go hand in hand. “One intriguing design trend is the use of brick, in all its hues (British, Danish), patterns and textures, as the dominant material for many of the award winners. Brick is firmly established in the British psyche as a safe, long-lasting, familiar material. Our award winners have used bricks to great effect – whether to respond contextually, or to imbue their buildings with humanist qualities. “The admirable aspect shared by every one of our winners is ambition. The combination of ambitious clients, architects, local leaders and a supportive local community leads to great new buildings. All 37 of our RIBA National Award winners should provide inspiration for developers, local authorities and architects alike and will delight generations to come.” The 37 buildings that have won a 2015 RIBA National Award are: LONDON 1. University of Greenwich Stockwell Street Building, SE10 by Heneghan Peng architectsLocated in the UNESCO World Heritage Site, this delightful building houses the main university library and the departments of Architecture, Landscape and Arts. 2. Burntwood School, Wandsworth by Allford Hall Monaghan MorrisBold, characterful new campus buildings with light-filled rooms and corridors add to a sense of this being a very collegiate school. 3. St Mary of Eton Church, Apartments and Community Rooms, Hackney Wick E9 by Matthew Lloyd Architects LLPThree new buildings, including 26 new apartments, in patterned red brick that responds to the original Grade II* listed church. 4. The Foundry, SE11 by Architecture 00 LtdRefurbishment of an old shoe polish factory into a flexible building for ethical organisations; the expressive language of the architecture appropriately suggests informality, openness and the idea of a collective of individuals. 5. NEO Bankside, SE1 by Rogers Stirk Harbour + PartnersNew housing towers with exo-skeleton and external lifts on London’s South Bank – a well-mannered example of a structurally expressive architecture. 6. University campus for Hult International Business School, E1 by Sergison Bates architectsNew undergraduate campus in a converted Grade II-listed brewery with a clear architectural identity and strong aesthetic sense. 7. Bonhams, W1 by Lifschutz Davidson SandilandsExemplary urban infill on an extremely complicated site. Grand new entrance and refurbished Deco facades. 8. Ashmount Primary School, N8 by Penoyre & PrasadExemplary zero-carbon school and nursery which carefully manipulates its plan and cross-section to draw in natural light and reveal woodland views. 9. Levring House, north London by Jamie Fobert Architects LtdSpacious and luxurious Danish-brick-clad house on the corner plot of a typical London mews. 10. Foyles,
APHC raises awareness of water efficiency following heatwave Published: 24 August, 2016 Following the heatwave conditions experienced across parts of the UK this week, the Association of Plumbing & Heating Contractors (APHC) is emphasising the importance of saving water all year round and the vital role quality plumbing and heating installers play in providing members of the public with water efficiency advice. The end of August has seen temperatures soar to 27°C across certain areas of England and Wales. In light of the hot conditions, APHC is reminding plumbers and heating engineers that, while heatwaves are often cited as a reason for saving water, installers should be encouraging consumers to be water efficient all year round. APHC believes advising members of the public on how to be more water efficient through techniques such as grey water usage and the installation of water efficient devices could also help customers on water meters to make significant savings on their water bills. More information and useful water efficiency tips are available online at www.waterwise.org.uk. John Thompson, chief executive at APHC, said: “In hot weather consumers are often advised to be sparing with their water usage in order to prevent against potential droughts, however, it’s only by adopting water efficient habits all year round that we will ensure we continue to have access to supplies of fresh, clean water in the years to come. “Quality plumbing installers play an essential part in this and should be regularly providing water efficiency advice to members of the public as part of their customer service package.” Source link