The proposed Next Tokyo 2045 in Japan will be twice the height of the Burj Khalifa and feature hexagonal-shaped structures in the bay to minimize the effects of intense waves from earthquakes and typhoons.
It was a really quiet and dark night when I stepped onto the ball and hook on the massive crane that would be delivering concrete mix for the spillway intake for the dam we were building. The spillway intake chamber was 400 feet in the ground and I had already been down there on a previous night to watch as the wooden forms and rebar cages were being put into place under the bright lights. Tonight, I was about to have the ride of my life, one that the safety engineer would frown upon, but which would make a life memory for me.The crane operator, I’ll call him Pete, was a massive man and was a master at his work for one of the major construction firms that today does major construction jobs around the globe. The other guys on the site had told stories about Pete that made him a legendary figure. He was able to drop a load almost 400 feet down the hole and stop it 18 inches from the floor with ease.
March 31, 2016
Early in my architectural career, the words “modular homes” were synonymous with “trailer” or “mobile” homes. No more. Today, the introduction of “tiny homes" and the use of factory built and assembled new homes or additions are making quite a difference in the housing market.The Washington Post recently posted an article about a family who almost doubled the size of their home using a modular or manufactured unit. The addition allowed them to remain in their existing house and to add new bedrooms, closets and space in a way meant to match the older house and to provide a sparkle on their new space.
March 24, 2016
Our friends over at Software Advice have produced an ebook titled the Construction Estimating Guide that provides information and a set of evaluation guidelines for the first time buyer of construction estimating software.Even if you are an estimating wizard or veteran and have been through the process before, this book can re-educate you on some of the key features you need to look for when you are making a buy of new software to improve your business, and hopefully, your bottom line.
March 21, 2016
ING is accused of fabricating documentation of materials purchases from a minority firm which was part of their bid for a major project, after which federal officials blew the fraud whistle on them.
March 14, 2016
On March 3, 2016, The Port Authority of New York opened the new transportation hub at the World Trade Center to the public and to the 100,000 riders who use the center daily.
March 07, 2016
When we talk with some of the folks in the construction industry, they laugh when we suggest that the convergence of the major labor shortages and the emergence of on-site robotics will come into play faster than they can imagine.They tell us that in some of the skilled trades, robots will never be able to replace humans. Well, they might be having second thoughts, especially if they have looked at some of the work being done by Boston Dynamics and their new droid robots – Atlas.Fast Company has just shown one of the Atlas robots standing after being knocked down. Makes me wonder whether that would be an OSHA reportable accident or whether that might be the end of the reportable accidents?Boston Dynamics was bought by Google several years ago making Google one of the major competitors in the development of robots that could be used in construction. We know that DARPA has companies working feverishly on bots that the military can use, so the conversion to the construction jobsite is not that large a leap. (Pun intended.)
March 01, 2016
This is truly the Age of Disruption and the 4th industrial revolution, and it holds the promise of a reduction of lanes of concrete highways and high-rise parking garages that provide 4 or 5 spaces per 1,000 square feet of office space.
February 23, 2016
"The best or nothing” is the global tagline for Mercedes cars, and it also applies to the new stadium being built for the Atlanta Falcons. Mercedes Benz Stadium in Atlanta is innovative and one of a new era of sports designs around the world.According to recent reporting in The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, the 71,000 seat stadium for the Falcons and the 32,000 configuration for the Atlanta soccer team is now scheduled to open in June of 2017 after delays for additional structural design for the “oculus” roof and the panoramic video screens.This drone video shows steel workers erecting the complex framework for the roof of the HOK designed structure. The stadium is being built by 1,400 construction craft professionals directed by Hunt Construction Group.
February 18, 2016
We have reported several times on the progress of the new Foster + Partners designed Apple Campus 2 and its planned schedule to open in early 2017. The dream of Steve Jobs that achieved council approval in 2011 is entering the final stages of construction, according to the latest Duncan Sinfield shot drone video featured in the Fast Company blog site.It is annotated so that you can begin to see the exterior finishes, the solar arrays on the parking garages and the roof of the underground auditorium.You can see the installation of the 84-foot long sections of glass that will enclose the perimeter of this outstanding structure and provide space for the 13,000 employees that will work there when it is completed.
February 10, 2016
