S/A/28. Town Planning as Social Engineering has rarely lived up to its aspirations.

The paper examines the development of town planning and social engineering in Britain from the 1950s onwards. The history of town planning in the country is reviewed discussing architectural genres, building materials, etc. The utopian-modernist design of Cumbernauld Town Centre, the high-rise Ronan Point and Edmonton in London are discussed.

C/A/13. UK construction industry

The paper looks at ten research questions concerning aspects of the UK construction industry: site investigation, buildability, prefabrication, plant; equipment; site operation; health and safety; temporary work; quality; rehabilitation; finishes and innovation within the UK construction industry as a whole. It is found that site and soil investigation are fundamental for construction projects prior to commencement, as are health and safety and quality considerations. The construction industry is found to be lacking in programmes supporting research and development in the industry.

S/A/10. Traditional Building Techniques Should Yield for Modern Methods of Construction

Starting with an historical look at the development of UK residential construction, this paper investigates what led to the mass use of brick and block construction with little change since Georgian times. It investigates new methods and materials suited to residential building, and it considers ways in which homes can be more functional. It asks the question, would it be more beneficial to environment and population if newer methods were embraced? Research has been carried out through journal articles, books, data available from studies and a directly related television programme.

E/A/10. Construction Management. Companys structure and policies in UK.

The paper examines the general issues of organization structure, health and safety policies, environmental management and contracting arrangements typical of and advisable for a UK company.

E/EN/10. Designing communication tower: engineering and economic considerations

The paper looks at the construction of communication towers in various parts of the world examining environmental conditions of each location to make engineering and economic suggestions about the building material, protection against corrosion, height, price, etc.

P/A/12. Testing ignitability of building products: Euro classification

The paper examines the framework of testing products under the Euro classification system focusing on the individual test BS EN ISO 11925-2:2002. The objectives of the test, its effectiveness and failures in identifying the ignitability of building products/elements are discussed.

P/A/11. The use of collaboration technology in construction

The paper examines the use of collaborative technology in the construction industry. The existing types of procurement models are outlined in various construction processes. The key vendors of the technology are identified. The paper offers a case study of an architectural construction company evaluating the performance of its collaborative services. Direct research methods (interviews and questionnaires) are used in combination with the observations based on the review of literature and Internet sources. The conclusion is made about the benefits of collaborative technology and its future applications in the construction industry.