‘Going Soft’

/ Chairman's Blog

We need to be harder on ourselves as an industry and admit that most of our new buildings reach the end of their defects liability period without ever delivering the performance that they promised. BREEAM ratings at design stage do not predict carbon emissions commensurate with the grading. Sometimes, the certificated building burns several times the expected energy consumption. And typically, we don’t go back to analyse the performance, nor the workability of the design for the purpose intended. We move on to the next…

JCT Student Competition 2018 – What Inspires You About Construction?

/ Education, Skills and Students

JCT’s annual Student Competition will be running for 2018, with a number of new features to make the competition more open, creative and easier to enter. The competition will be open for entry in October 2017 and will close in March 2018. As with previous years, the overall winner’s prize will be £1,000, with two runner-up prizes of £250 also available. There will be two aspects to this year’s competition. For the main competition, the topic is “What Inspires You About Construction?”. Candidates may wish…

JCT Interviews…Paul Cowan

/ 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. Paul Cowan Member of the JCT Council Chair of the Construction Dispute Resolution Group Paul is a barrister and…

Battersea Dogs & Cats Home, London

/ Case Studies

Since its founding in 1860, Battersea Dogs & Cats Home (BDCH) has cared for more than 3.1 million dogs and cats. Starting in 2014, a major redevelopment of the BDCH site, which sits adjacent to Battersea Power Station, adds not only a new assessment centre and intake kennels, but an eye-catching eight-storey veterinary hospital, training and administration building – creating a landmark facility for the organisation. For a building that needed to house a number of specialist services, and overcome a number of structural and…

JCT Payment Notices: Welcome Guidance from the Court of Appeal

/ Contractual Issues

Construction standard form contracts have a great deal to recommend them. Parties to a contract can save time and cost by starting negotiations with an industry recognised set of terms which deals with all the matters that the parties may have to agree. But while a standard form provides a good starting point, it needs to be adapted to meet specific project needs. Parties should take great care when doing this because, as the case of Balfour Beatty Regional Construction Limited v Grove Developments Limited…

JCT Student Competition 2017: Addressing Skills Shortage the Top Priority

/ Education, Skills and Students

Skills shortages was the overwhelming category of choice for students taking part in the JCT Student Competition 2017, with the overall winner and both runners-up providing unique and interesting takes on the topic. Creativity, original tone of voice, and clarity of ideas were all on show, whether using the written word, photography, visual graphics or designs, highlighting the depth of talent and broad range of skills of the students who enter each year. The 2017 competition ran from September 2016 to March 2017 with judging…

JCT Interviews…Jane Paddy

/ 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. Jane Paddy YPO Member of the JCT Council Member of the JCT Drafting Sub-Committee I qualified as a Fellow of…

JCT Design and Build Contract 2016: Simply Fair

/ Contractual Issues, JCT 2016 Edition

At the time of the government’s consultation on Building a Responsible Payment Culture I commented on the balance between legislative intervention and the freedom to contract. At that time it was debatable whether further legislative intervention in contractual payment was desirable. Other commentators also expressed doubts. However the driver then, which still prevails, was that the payment process still needs improving. Therefore, it is not wholly surprising that we have seen further legislative change and government guidance as regards fair payment, albeit not as extensive…

Is there a blockchain in our future?

/ Chairman's Blog

The digital transformation of construction rolls onwards, adding yet more ideas. After BIM, GIS, IoT and 3D Printing comes Blockchain. This financial technology (fintech) concept is the power behind Bitcoin, the shadowy cryptocurrency that currently oils the wheels of nefarious businesses across the world. So, why would this be a relevant idea for our industry? I’m not going to attempt to explain how blockchain works, but it essentially allows all parties to a trade to access an incorruptible record of transactions. It allows trust in…

Le Petit Fort, Jersey

/ Case Studies

Le Petit Fort is a private family residence located on the shoreline of St Ouen’s Bay in Jersey. The house has been developed and constructed within the walls of a 20th century fort which has had, along with the surrounding landscape, existing materials, and history, a significant influence on the new building’s design. A winner of the RIBA South East Regional Award 2016 and shortlisted for the 2016 Building Awards, a JCT Intermediate Building Contract was the contract solution. Despite Le Petit Fort’s prominent location…