Blogs
Blog: Estimates – Beware!
Providing clients with estimates is an established practice in the industry. This is for good reason. It can be difficult to price works accurately from the outset, but clients are unlikely to instruct works without some idea of the price. Therefore, contractors have long been providing estimates on the assumption they are not bound to provide the works for this price and they have the flexibility to increase (or decrease) the price once they have a better idea of the works involved. However, we would advise contractors to be cautious of this practice as without appropriate protection, they could find themselves entering into a contract which binds them to the price in their estimate.
Published 25 April 2016
Blog: Commercial property implications of new energy efficiency measures
By Mark Friars, interior designer at Ryden
Published 21 April 2016
Blog: A busy few weeks for property
Scottish Property Federation director David Melhuish summarises the latest developments in Scottish real estate policy, and explains what is being done to attract investment into Scotland’s cities.
Published 14 April 2016
Blog: Scottish property owners face double whammy over differences in Energy Certificates
Scotland and England, though joined in union, have always had differing legal structures and, even in legislation which has common aims across the UK, there are key differences.
Published 13 April 2016
Blog: The red tape strangling Scotland's property and construction sector
In 2009, Scotland's property and construction sector faced a crisis. The industry was one of the worst affected by the global economic downturn. Thousands of workers were laid off as businesses were forced to scale back their operations or face the risk of administration.
Published 11 April 2016
Blog: Tax changes will harm rental market in rural areas
The current combination of tax changes will hurt small investors, leading to an insufficient supply of suitable rental accommodation to meet demand in Angus, says Amanda Wiewiorka, company director at Wardhaugh Property.
Published 3 March 2016
Blog: New advice: Will Scotland get the homes it needs?
Marc Giles, planning consultant at Ryden, on the part planning plays in delivering housing and infrastructure.
Published 1 March 2016
Blog: The importance of apprenticeships
Gavin Hay, training manager at City Building and chair of the Scottish Building Apprenticeship Council, says Scottish Apprenticeship Week (29 February – 4 March) is a timely reminder for us to look more closely at the important role young people play in securing the future of our industry and the next generation of talent.
Published 29 February 2016
Blog: Why professionalism is as important to the built environment as it is to medicine
CITB chairman, James Wates, on improving the image of construction.
Published 22 February 2016
Blog: Changing the way we work to become more valuable to the industry
Steve Radley, CITB director of policy, discusses the organisation's business plan for the next three years.
Published 15 February 2016
Gareth Hoskins: a tribute from his team
Gareth made a difference in the way he established his company; he created a collegiate studio atmosphere, where many of the traditional cultures that bedevil architectural practice were actively discouraged. As the company grew from a tiny operation from his family’s back bedroom, to an established practice with offices in Glasgow and Berlin, he remained accessible and approachable – listening to everyone, and encouraging everyone to have an opinion. Excessive work hours were discouraged, with family life outside work supported. Simply put, he cared about his team and their families. His own family were never far from his thoughts and the gentle, fair, delightful person that he was could never be seen more clearly than when he was talking with, or about, his children, which he did often.
Published 22 January 2016
Gareth Hoskins: April 1967 - January 2016, by Sunand Prasad
Gareth Hoskins was a gifted architect, a natural leader, and a tireless ambassador for design through its power to improve our lives. He died on 9th January 2016 following a heart attack while attending a fencing match, having been an accomplished fencer himself.
Published 22 January 2016
Blog: Planning in the next Parliament: Building a successful and sustainable Scotland
RTPI Scotland planning policy & practice officer, Nikola Miller, sets out the Institute’s manifesto for the Scottish Parliamentary Elections in May 2016.
Published 20 January 2016
Blog: Time for a rethink on designing flood defences?
As northern England and many parts of Scotland count the huge cost of recent flooding, Richard Steel, technical director at independent environmental consultancy practice Atmos Consulting, asks if we need to give the way we design flood defences a fundamental rethink?
Published 8 January 2016
Blog: Busy year ahead for Joint Housing Policy and Delivery Group
Tom Barclay, co-chair of the Joint Housing Policy and Delivery Group reflects on 2015 and looks ahead to the next 12 months.
Published 8 January 2016
