JCT Interviews…Peter Barnes

/ Interviews

In this series we shed some light on some of the key people who are involved with or give their time to support JCT, to ensure that all areas of the construction industry are represented and can contribute to the development of our contracts. We will look at how our interviewees contribute to JCT specifically, and gain their views on JCT’s wider role within the industry. Director, Blue Sky ADR Ltd Member of the JCT Council Member of the JCT Drafting Sub-Committee Member of the…

Professional Futures

/ Chairman's Blog

Blog Author: Richard Saxon CBE, JCT Chairman Every part of the construction industry is challenged by rapidly evolving threats: stagnant productivity, falling human resources, failing business models, climate change, globalisation, advancing computer power, to name some of them. Most attention is paid to the plight of contractors and specialists, but the world of consultancy also faces these same issues. Professionals additionally face falling credibility and authority as respect for expertise declines. Their professional institutions seem powerless to communicate the value of the professional contribution to…

Dudley Advance II – The Fruit of Change

/ General

Blog Author: Kevin Thomas – IPInitiatives We all know it is possible to deliver great projects using traditional construction methods. Yet we also recognise that many struggle to use these methods to their best effect. Through time our industry has suffered from fragmentation, misaligned objectives, separation, and an inconsistency of satisfactory outcome for all parties; challenges that mean fresh approaches need to be explored and existing processes need rethinking to achieve progress. The desired outcome, of course, is to create an integrated team so well…

UTC Global Academy, London

/ Case Studies

The UK’s first University Technical College to use offsite construction methods Completed in 2016, the Global Academy in Hayes, West London, is a state-of-the-art school for 14-19-year-olds, aimed at students pursuing careers in the media and broadcast industries. It is one of the UK’s most efficient modular buildings, and the first education establishment of its kind to use offsite construction. Mixing traditional construction methods with a state-of-the-art modular approach enabled the entire 8,700m² , £16m project to be completed within a year. A JCT Design…

JCT Training

/ General

JCT Training is a new initiative from JCT, offering a range of training courses on JCT contracts, directly from the construction professionals involved in creating the JCT 2016 Edition. The new courses cover a range of topics, from an introduction to the JCT suite and choosing the appropriate JCT 2016 contract, to courses covering specific contract families and documents, to courses covering contractual and legal issues. We have gathered a range of JCT experts to provide an unprecedented level of knowledge and expertise for JCT…

Joint Names Clauses Create Own Problems

/ Contractual Issues, Insurance Provisions, JCT 2016 Edition

Blog Author: John D Wright  – JD Risk Associates Summary Standard contract forms such as JCT have a long history of words and phrases being adjusted to meet the evolving demands of business and to develop more compatibility with associated businesses such as insurance. The latest adjustments under JCT 2016 provide further clarity but the fundamental question of who bears the risks in any given situation continues to exercise the minds of all who advise on such contracts. JCT 2016: the final touches? The move…

JCT Interviews… Ben Patton

/ Interviews

In this series we shed some light on some of the key people who are involved with or give their time to support JCT, to ensure that all areas of the construction industry are represented and can contribute to the development of our contracts. We will look at how our interviewees contribute to JCT specifically, and gain their views on JCT’s wider role within the industry. Member of the JCT Drafting Sub-Committee Ben Patton is a Partner and co-practice head of Ashurst’s Real Estate Construction…

Lucky 13?

/ Chairman's Blog

Blog Author: Richard Saxon CBE, JCT Chairman Construction is many industries within one classification. It stretches from the mammoth to the minute, from infrastructure work like HS2 to household repair tasks. Any critique of construction therefore needs to recognise the part of the industry to which it refers. The statistical classification of the industry also fails to include its clients and consultants, essential parts of the cultural and economic system of the built environment. All that having been said, new initiatives at one end of…

‘Re-integration’

/ Chairman's Blog

  Blog Author: Richard Saxon CBE, JCT Chairman The collapse of Carillion is probably another nail in the coffin of the current UK model of main  contracting where virtually all the trade work is subcontracted. Over fifty years in the industry, I have seen the change from traditional contractors with their main trades in-house to the current, insustainable pattern. The vertically integrated contractor was brought down by recurrent business cycles which punish employers. Once the idea spread that trade specialists could be hired in just…

Goldsmith Street

/ Case Studies

When completed later this year, the new terraces of flats and houses at Goldsmith Street, Norwich will be the UK’s largest Passivhaus development. If that wasn’t ambitious enough, it is also commissioned by Norwich Council as a 100% social housing scheme. A JCT Standard Building Contract provided the contract solution. Goldsmith Street is the pinnacle of a recent series of developments which is seeing Norfolk become a hub in the UK for Passivhaus projects. Designed by Mikhail Riches Architects and built by RG Carter, it…