Photo Courtesy of DBOX Big Apple's Superslim, 1,396-Ft-Tall Supertower Tops OutWhen complete, the topped-out 432 Park Avenue in New York City will be the tallest residential tower in the Western Hemisphere. At 96 stories, the $1.3-billion building, designed by Rafael Vinoly Architects with architect-of-record SLCE Architects and structural engineer WSP Cantor Seinuk, stands 146 ft taller than the 1,250-ft Empire State Building. Its rooftop exceeds the height of the flat roof of the 1,776-ft, spire-topped One World Trade Center by 28 ft. The project, managed by Lend Lease Corp., is on schedule to be completed in 2016. The tower will

Rendering by Arquitectonica With voters' approval of Miami's SkyRise Miami project, Berkowtiz Development Group Inc. is moving ahead with construction of the estimated $430-million tower, designed by Arquitectonica International Corp., with structural engineer Magnusson Klemencic Associates and consulting engineer Cosentini Associates.The site, which juts into the bay, is going to make the tower especially challenging to build, says Coastal Construction, which is teamed with Tishman Construction Corp., Florida. The tower will include an observation deck, a restaurant, a ballroom, a bungee jump, a chair-drop ride and more.

ABC's 'Construction Backlog Indicator' Hits Record High The Associated Builders and Contractors measure of its members' backlogs for new work reached a record high during the second quarter of this year, when its Construction Backlog Indicator (CBI) hit 8.5. That was up 5.6% from the previous quarter and 3.6% above a year ago. "The long-awaited, brisk non-residential building recovery may be upon us," says Anirban Basu, ABC chief economist. "Backlog gains were nearly ubiquitous during the second quarter, with gains registered in every industry segment in nearly all geographies and for firms of virtually all sizes," he says. Further increases

Photo Courtesy of Bentley Systems The integrated analyzer runs grillage, or line-girder analysis, and then performs comprehensive design code checks and load ratings based on results. Analysis in 3D is expected in a later release. Related Links: Bentley LEAP Bridge Steel Bentley LEAP Bridge Enterprise V81 Bentley Systems Inc. has produced new software for the design, analysis, load rating and 3D modeling of "everyday" steel bridges. It complements another Bentley product for designing similar bridges in concrete. One early user of the new tool for steel says her firm already has used the pair to create a bridge proposal using

Photo courtesy of Hoberman's Associates Chuck Hoberman's kinetic creation for 360 Tour for the band U2 in 2009 used aperture-like motion to open and close. For a large-scale operable roof, sliding is better than rotating, he says. Related Links: Main Story: New Atlanta Falcons Stadium Design More Than a Box With a Lid Hoberman Associates Adaptive Building Initiative All of Chuck Hoberman's work is about transformation, which is why Bill Johnson, the New Atlanta Stadium's architect, was so eager to have him on his team when vying for the stadium job."Chuck helped us craft an approach that eliminated the rotation

+ Image Elevation Courtesy of Sewell and Sewell architects Crews installed 30 micro piles around the perimeter of the cavern that opened in February and swallowed eight vintage automobiles. That sinkhole that swallowed eight cars at the National Corvette Museum in Bowling Green, Ky., will continue to be on view to visitors, along with a couple of the vehicles.Scott, Murphy & Daniel LLC, Bowling Green, will start work in September to construct a 35-ft wall on one side of the sinkhole and foundation slab near the bottom, then partially refill the hole, leaving the other side open to the remaining

Courtesy of BIG Museum's double-spiral form lets in daylight. The clock started ticking for Bjarke Ingels Group when Swiss watchmaker, Audemars Piguet, selected the design firm, called BIG, for a 2,400-sq-m watchmaking museum, called Maison des Fondateurs, in the Vallee de Joux.The intertwined, double-spiral-shaped pavilion, also an expansion of the Audemars Piguet facility, will contain a succession of galleries and three workshops.The roof and celing of the low-lying pavilion are cut from a single sheet of metal, clad in brass, that is continuous in plan but undulates in section to create a series of openings that allow in daylight and

Each year in the U.S., more people are killed by tornadoes than by earthquakes and hurricanes combined.

Photo by Alejandro Faribay Protective glass pane shattered, frightening sightseers, buy underlying structure remained intact. Related Links: Sears Tower To Lose Its Name But Add Breathtaking View Study Claims Correlation Between Supertower Construction and Economic Busts A group of tourists won't soon forget it, but a glass pane that shattered beneath them on a ledge atop Chicago's Willis Tower, the nation's second-tallest structure, posed no structural damage to the all-glass attraction, according to its fabricator and installer.Designed "to prevent structural glass beneath it from being scratched, [the pane] allows visitors to walk out on the ledge in shoes rather than