The case for keeping Crossrail 2 alive
Those who think that too much infrastructure money is spent on rail projects, and that too much of that is spent in London, had better look away now. Because last week London business leaders heard the...
View ArticleViewpoint: Reforming government construction
We owe it to the taxpayer to procure public sector projects more efficiently.
View ArticleWater prepares for a new age of procurement
This year is set to be busy for contractors and consultants alike. The biggest year of capital spend in the £22bn AMP5 programme coincides with clients coming to market to start negotiations for AMP6,...
View ArticleGrowth business
Among a number of other indicators, a strong sign of the first stages of economic recovery is growth of recruitment of civil and structural engineers. Analysis of entries to this year’s Consultants...
View ArticlePicking through procurement perils
That guardian of taxpayer value for money, the Commons public accounts committee, added its voice last week to the growing hubbub questioning whether government departments are truly qualified to...
View ArticleWater is more precious than we think
The UK government must do more to understand the threats of water scarcity and the way we consume water directly and indirectly.
View ArticleAnalysis: Tolls: a road funding red herring
Rumblings in the press in the past few weeks have ruled in and then ruled out toll funding for a new relief road in South Wales.
View ArticleAnalysis: Which buildings deserve protection?
Preston’s visually striking bus station is facing an uncertain future as heritage experts and the local council debate its value. But perhaps there is another debate to be had between engineers and...
View ArticleA cure for the blame game
The effects of lingering economic doldrums will inevitably be felt in countless ways, but recent events suggest they may be triggering an increasingly aggressive and adversarial approach to doing...
View ArticleNCE News Hijack: Monday 15 July
Today’s news as it happens, brought to you today by guest editor and NCE deputy editor Mark Hansford
View ArticlePiper Alpha: the legacy remains
On 6 July 1988, several enormous gas explosions and a subsequent fire killed 167 men at the Piper Alpha oil platform in the North Sea, 200km east of Wick.
View ArticleHas the geotechnics market emerged into the sunlight?
This time last year many respondents to NCE sister magazine Ground Engineering’s annual Geotechnical Services File(GSF) raised concerns about what would happen to the market when demand from Crossrail...
View ArticleWhy don’t we share our innovative ideas?
Sharing innovations is vital if UK construction is going to take on the world. So why is everyone so afraid of it?
View ArticleJapanese railways: this is tomorrow calling
While the UK debates in great detail what it might and mightn’t like about High Speed 2 (HS2), there are grander visions being explored for high speed rail travel on the world stage. And they threaten...
View ArticleJolt for roads sector as recognition of environmental concerns grows
For anyone who may have thought that the Green Agenda had fallen by the wayside, a key decision earlier this month served as a stark reminder for why it shouldn’t be ignored.
View ArticleA bold new future for construction materials approaches
Building on the Moon, 4D printing, self-repairing bridges, movement monitoring quadrocopters, 3D printed concrete houses and generating electricity from unwanted noise may all sound like science...
View ArticleFlood relief: whoever shouts loudest gets the extra cash
As Britain continues to be battered by a seemingly endless cycle of winter storms, a cynicism is emerging about the reactions of Britain’s politicians. There are doubts about whether they care quite so...
View ArticleWhy are engineers too boring for TV?
With a looming skills crisis and an almost complete lack of public awareness of what civil engineers do, is the industry in dire straits? Max Thompson examines what can be done to tackle our dismal...
View ArticleLafarge Tarmac’s Cyrille Ragoucy sets out his strategy
Lafarge Tarmac chief executive Cyrille Ragoucy is in an ebullient mood. Having been at the helm for just over a year - the giant joint venture between the UK operations of Lafarge and Anglo American...
View ArticleHow engineers can attract media interest
Long after the floodwaters have receded and the insurance claims have been settled, what will be the abiding memories of the 2014 winter storms?
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