A Lower Manhattan community board in late May approved a planned mosque and Muslim cultural center near the site of the 9/11 attacks. The center would require demolition of a 153-year-old building two blocks from the World Trade Center site. The plan has drawn criticism from families of 9/11 victims. It must still be approved by New York’s Landmark Preservation Commission.
Photo: Controled Demolition Inc. Before Photo: Controled Demolition Inc. After With cracks as sharp as the frozen Arctic air, a 1,375-ft-tall steel communications tower in Port Clarence, Alaska, was demolished on April 28, the first step in the decommissioning of the U.S. Coast Guard’s network of LORAN radio navigation facilities. The 400-ton, 45-segment triangular tower is the tallest structure to be felled by explosives, says Controlled Demolition Inc., Phoenix, Md., which performed the operation as a subcontractor to Jacobs Field Services North America. The remote installation, located 75 miles north of Nome, was one of 24 land-based LORAN stations in
Getting energy-efficient design into school construction can be tough, but the Gen7 modular-classroom building from American Modular Systems, Manteca, Calif., fits many of the latest energy-efficiency advances into one package, bringing the cutting edge of green technologies to modular school construction. Photo: American Modular Systems Gen7 modular classrooms are showcases of sustainable technologies. Introduced at the Green California Schools Summit 2009 in Pasadena, Calif., in December, Gen7 is being touted as a “grid-neutral” modular-classroom solution for California school districts. “Gen7 is a loaded model, with every possible option,” says Tony Sarich, vice president of operations for AMS. “It’s not the
The 2010 World Cup begins on June 10, when Mexico challenges South Africa in Soccer City Stadium in southwest Johannesburg, near the historic Soweto township. Thirty-two teams from around the world that have survived the qualifying rounds will contend for a share of the $17.6 million in prize money. However, even as the soccer stadiums project the image of a “new” South Africa, questions remain about the considerable infrastructure upgrades needed to raise the standard of living for millions of people. More importantly, the players will compete for bragging rights in the world’s most popular sport. Where the championship trophy
The hospital that served as the model for television’s long-running medical drama “ER” will soon get a new lease on life. Chicago’s 96-year-old Cook County Hospital, vacant since 2002, is about to receive a $108-million renovation that will turn the historic building into administrative offices for the local health-care sector. Photo: Cook County Renovation will turn century-old hospital into administrative offices for medical staff. The two-block-long building has been idle since 2002, when it was replaced by the new John H. Stroger Jr. Hospital, located nearby on the same grounds. After the planned renovation, the old building will house administrative
What is not a movie studio but occupies 35 acres and, when completed, will look like a small city with five-story buildings, a subway station, and one- and two-story houses on a suburban-style street? Answer: the future 2.4-million-sq-ft New York City Police Academy. The $1.5-billion-plus project’s $656-million first phase is expected to start construction in a few months. Photo: Perkins+Will / Consulting Architect: Michael Fieldman Architects Thirty-five-acre New York City site has rotten soil, security restrictions, height limits. For the designer, the sprawling site is confined relative to an extensive overall program, which includes 20 buildings, and many constraints. “Lots
For many firms that focus on buildings, much of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act’s promise still hasn’t turned into contracts. Several federal agencies each have obligated less than half of their stimulus funding for building-related construction. Some projects for which contracts have been awarded haven’t seen a shovel move yet. Facing heavy workloads and looming legislative deadlines, agencies will be scrambling to get work out the door in coming months, including some huge projects. Some GSA projects tapping the stimulus are large, including the $435-million Coast Guard headquarters, rendered above, in Washington, D.C. Funding total includes $162 million from
A bell tower in St. Mark’s Square dating back to 12th-Century Venice is getting a new lease on life through a two-year project to stabilize the ill-fated monument standing on tricky soil. In January, workers began drilling cement-reinforced micro-piles to provide watertight enclosures around seven chambers so a girdle of titanium rods can be threaded through the ground around the tower’s faulty foundation block. Photo: Peter Reina / ENR The most prominent monument in St. Mark’s Square in Venice is a 20th-Century reconstruction Related Links: Stabilizing Venice Monument During most of this year, subcontractor Trevi SpA, Cesena, will drill about
There is at least one superlative associated with the world’s tallest structure that few know about: The 828-meter Burj Dubai, renamed Burj Khalifa on its opening day, Jan. 4, is likely the most monitored skyscraper in the world, from its foundation to the top of its pinnacle. Data collected from the building’s permanent sensors will be used to refine design and construction methods for future supertall towers, say sources. + Image Photo: Emaar Properties Taipei 101, by 320 meters Photo: Emaar Properties Burj Khalifa, formerly called the Burj Dubai, dwarfs the world’s next-tallest building The burj’s lead contractor, Samsung C&T
The developer of the world’s tallest building, which opened on Jan. 4 in Dubai after more than a year’s delay, has announced the height at 828 meters. The announcement ends years of speculation, fueled by developer Emaar Properties. Members of the design and construction team, including architect-engineer Skidmore, Owings & Merrill and lead contractor Samsung Corp., were contractually obligated to keep the height a secret. The 828-m height makes the building 320 m taller than the previous world’s tallest building, the 508-m Taipei 101. The difference is equivalent to an 80-story-plus tower. The Burj Khalifa, which is the Burj Dubai’s
RSS
