[Saben]

Actualy, all construction rate boosts only apply to space yards. You build a space yard, and it has a built in construction rate of 2000 or 2500. 2000 for a planet with no yard. If you don't build a yard, you don't get any bonus for Hardy Industrialists or racial construction points. you will, however, be affected by population and morale. If you take signifigant bonus points or the hardy industrialists special, it is vital that you put a space yard up on just about every colony.

Here are a few sample construction rates, with the turns to build a computer noted.

< 100 pop, no yard, no bonus = 2000 (6)
> 2000 pop, no yard, no bonus = 2600 (5)
> 2000 pop, no yard, +20% and hardy = 2600 (5)
> 2000 pop, yard 1, +20% and hardy = 3500 (4)
> 2000 pop, yard 2, +20% and hardy = 4375 (3)

Level one research facilites take 1500 points. You can see that any colony with a yard will be able to build them every turn even under slow build, given you have production boosts.

Lastly, rush / slow doesn't hurt morale, and there is every reason to use it all the time. x*2.5 > x*2. Your total possible construction rate goes up if you use rapid build all the time. Personaly, I'd like to see slow build be reduced to zero. That would certainly make it somthing used only occasionaly.