Archive for August, 2009
Commercial Real Estate Portends Crisis
August 31st, 2009 | 
Author: By LINGLING WEI and PETER GRANT
Federal Reserve and Treasury officials are scrambling to prevent the commercial-real-estate sector from delivering a roundhouse punch to the U.S. economy just as it struggles to get up off the mat.
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How lower rental income will hit build programmes
Housing associations’ rental income may be about to drop by up to £260m
Housing Association rents are governed by a formula that limits annual increases to the retail price index plus 0.5%. With news reports widely indicating that the Treasury is predicting September’s RPI at –3%, the sector is potentially facing a government-limited rent reduction of 2%, a decrease in annual income for the sector estimated by various bodies at £175m-260m. According to the National Housing Federation, this means that, until the economic situation improves, 4,000 fewer new affordable homes would be built every year.
Turnover drops at Rok
R&M firm Rok’s turnover fell by a third in the first half of the year after it scaled back new-build work
Chief executive Garvis Snook said it had not been prepared for the speed of the recession.
Kindly provided to the Architecture News by: www.building.co.uk
£2.75m Lewisham job
Hexagon Housing Association has permission to build 15 homes for affordable rent in Lewisham, south-east London
The £2.75m scheme has been designed by Alan Camp Architects.
Kindly provided to the Architecture News by: www.building.co.uk
Good neighbours
Eco-towns should help neighbouring settlements become more green, the government says
It says they should share innovations to gain a share of £60m of government funding.
Kindly provided to the Architecture News by: www.building.co.uk
Number of active sites plummets to new low
Home Builders Federation survey reveals 18% drop since last year, despite rise in homes sales
The number of active housebuilding sites has hit a new low, according to figures seen by Building.
The Home Builders Federation’s weekly survey of 30 to 40 of the UK’s largest housebuilders shows that 18% fewer sites were being worked on in the 33rd week of this year than the same week in 2008. This is one of the largest falls ever recorded.
Making Strides: Strident Treglown student accomodation in Liverpool
This Stride Treglown scheme for a £45m halls of residence for the University of Liverpool was this week submitted for planning permission
It includes 700 study-bedrooms, a restaurant, a cafe-bar, retail and office space and is split over two blocks. The halls rise to seven storeys and are on a brownfield site to the south of the campus.
Profit falls 74% at Persimmon
Housebuilder points to signs of stabilisation as it writes back £27.9m on the value of its landbank
Pre-tax profit at Persimmon has fallen 74% from £36.9m to £9.8m, despite a write back of £27.9m on the value of its assets.
Teacher sculpts totem pole from aircrete building blocks
H+H UK supplies aircrete to help GCSE technology pupils in Kent develop design skills
A secondary school teacher in Kent has used aircrete building blocks to create intricately designed totem pole sculptures and to help GCSE pupils with their technology studies.
UK’s deepest ever energy piles installed for London flats
Cementation Skanska is installing 52m-deep foundation piles for low energy heating and cooling system
The UK’s deepest ever energy piles are being installed at NEO Bankside, a luxury residential development next to the Tate Modern in London.