The number of asbestos claims filed annually, the number and types of firms named as defendants in asbestos litigation, and the costs of the litigation to those defendants have all risen sharply in recent years. These trends have led many individuals to question whether compensation for asbestos-related injuries is being divided among claimants fairly and in proportion to need, and whether responsibility for paying compensation is being allocated among defendants fairly and in proportion to culpability. In this briefing, the authors examine the dimensions of asbestos litigation today: How many claims have been filed? By whom? Against whom? For what kinds of conditions? At what cost and with what economic effects? If current trends continue, what will be the future costs of the litigation? To answer these questions, the authors describe the dimensions of the litigation through the year 2000, the changing composition of claims, the number of defendants and the spread of litigation across industries, the total costs of the litigation to insurers and defendants, and the potential effects of the litigation on the U.S. economy now and in the future. The briefing concludes by outlining various policy alternatives to the current litigation regime.

Building Law Encyclopaedia is a concise and authoritative reference, providing information in reasonable depth on an extensive number of legal terms, principles, phrases and issues that are commonly encountered in the construction industry. Most standard contracts are referred to, including the current suite of JCT Contracts, SBC, IC, ICD, MW, MWD, as well as ACA, PPC 2000, GC/Works/1 and NEC. In addition, some contracts which are theoretically out of date, but which are still in common use, are also covered. With over 1050 entries and numerous cross references, it will be an invaluable reference for architects, quantity surveyors, project managers and contractors. With detailed reference to appropriate case law and legislation, construction lawyers will also find it of considerable value in the course of their work.

"This book is a timely and important tool for the empowerment of communities facing housing deficits. The Red Feather project is extremely important; it is truly making a difference."—Jane Goodall For more than a decade the Red Feather Development Group, a volunteer-based organization, has built and repaired straw bale houses for Native Americans. Somewhere along the way—and this was certainly not the plan—they created an architectural phenomenon: This inexpensive, environmentally sound, easily constructed, and downright beautiful form of building has, for good reason, caught the public's imagination. Here, Red Feather provides a step-by-step, easy-to-follow manual for would-be strawbale builders—indeed, they supply everything you'll need but time, energy, and lots and lots of straw. Informative sections on safety, design, tools, and materials, and case studies picked from over thirty-five Red Feather projects give a comprehensive overview to straw-bale building. But this book is much more than a construction manual. It is also the inspiring story of Red Feather itself, a tale of community action and cooperation that suggests a can-do solution to the growing housing crisis on America's Native American reservations.

Liquidated damages and extensions of time frequently form the basis of contract claims made under the standard building and civil engineering contracts. This book, which was very well received in its first edition, covers the legal principles and examines in depth the relevant clauses of the standard construction contracts. The second edition includes a number of new contracts, including the New Engineering Contract, and takes account of recent decisions of the courts.

Solar Power in Building Design is a complete guide to designing, implementing, and auditing energy-efficient, cost-effective solar power systems for residential, commercial, and industrial buildings. From basic theory through project planning, cost estimating, and manufacturing methods, this vital resource offers you everything needed for solar power design success.

Your business must be connected in order to compete in the global marketplace. Employees need to know that their company's network is accessible at any time, from any place. A Virtual Private Network (VPN) accomplishes this by utilizing remote connectivity technologies that combine existing internal networks with the Internet to securely communicate information. Building a Virtual Private Network is your key to designing, implementing, and securing a fully connected network that meets your business needs.

The structural use of brick masonry has to some extent been hampered by its long history as a craft based material and some years ago its disappearance as a structural material was being predicted. The fact that this has not happened is a result of the inherent advantages of brickwork and the design of brick masonry structures has shown steady development, based on the results of continuing research in many countries. Nevertheless, structural brickwork is not used as widely as it could be and one reason for this lies in the fact that design in this medium is not taught in many engineering schools alongside steel and concrete. To help to improve this situation, the authors have written this book especially for students in university and polytechnic courses in structural engineering and for young graduates preparing for professional examination in structural design.

This book provides a consistent vocabulary and visual notation framework to describe large-scale integration solutions across many technologies. It also explores in detail the advantages and limitations of asynchronous messaging architectures. The authors present practical advice on designing code that connects an application to a messaging system, and provide extensive information to help you determine when to send a message, how to route it to the proper destination, and how to monitor the health of a messaging system. If you want to know how to manage, monitor, and maintain a messaging system once it is in use, get this book.

This highly readable guide explains the main features of contracts applicable to the design, construction and servicing of civil, building, electrical or mechanical works. The emphasis throughout is on practical guidance, with clear explanations of the essential elements including legality, uncertainty, undue influence, agencies, overseas works, sub-contracts and quality assurance. Numerous appendices give common terms used in contracts, typical sets of standard conditions and further useful information. The book is particularly suitable for those new to the subject who will find practical guidance on understanding contracts in a wide range of civil engineering and construction works.

Many societies use labor market coordination to maximize economic growth and equality, yet employers' willing cooperation with government and labor is something of a mystery. The Political Construction of Business Interests recounts employers' struggles to define their collective social identities at turning points in capitalist development. Employers are most likely to support social investments in countries with strong peak business associations, that help members form collective preferences and realize policy goals in labor market negotiations. Politicians, with incentives shaped by governmental structures, took the initiative in association-building and those that created the strongest associations were motivated to evade labor radicalism and to preempt parliamentary democratization. Sweeping in its historical and cross-national reach, the book builds on original archival data, interviews, and cross-national quantitative analyses. The research has important implications for the construction of business as a social class and powerful ramifications for equality, welfare state restructuring and social solidarity.

Can contractors and specialists add value to a project by their early involvement in design, pricing, risk management and programming? How can this be structured and what role do contracts have to play? What is the impact on procurement and project management? Commentators from Banwell to Egan have recommended earlier contractor appointments, and this has also been linked to successful project partnering. How are the two related? Early Contractor Involvement in Building Procurement considers the case for a two stage procurement approach based on a system of agreed project processes during the preconstruction phase. It examines the ways in which a contract can describe and support this model throughout its procurement, partnering and project management, and is illustrated with case studies taken from projects and programmes across the construction and engineering industry. The roles of the various parties involved, the obstacles they encounter and the benefits they can achieve are examined in detail. There is practical guidance on how to improve speed, economy, sustainability, change control, dispute avoidance, and client satisfaction. This book bridges the gap between contract law, partnering and project management and will be essential reading for middle and senior management at construction contractors, consultants and clients in both the public and private sectors.

Building Intelligent .NET Applications is an introduction to the world of Artificial Intelligence (AI) for .NET programmers. It is the first book to show professional .NET developers how to incorporate AI into their daily programming. In this accessible guide, developers will learn how to enhance both new and existing .NET applications with intelligent agents, data mining, rule-based systems, and speech processing.

Иллюстрированное издание по фасадным решениям в гражданском строительстве. Полезно для инженеров-конструкторов, архитекторов и искусствоведов.

This book shows programmers how to use the Microsoft .NET Framework, ASP.NET, and Microsoft Visual Studio .NET 2003 to create powerful, next generation applications that are available anywhere--on phones, Pocket PCs, and other mobile devices.