Photo Courtesy Benjamin Johnson/Shawmut Design and Construction The gossamer-like net appears airy, but the sculpture is actually a highly engineered network of ropes weighing 2,000 pounds and hanging from nearby high-rise buildings at just four attachment points. Photo Courtesy Benjamin Johnson/Shawmut Design and Construction Related Links: The Crest at Galvez Plaza Boston Begins Reaping Benefits Of Big Dig Construction workers on May 3 engaged in a carefully choreographed dance of machine and muscle to erect a 2,000-lb net sculpture 365 ft over Boston's Rose Kennedy Greenway, a 1.5-mile stretch of park created after the city's Big Dig.Designed by artist Janet
Photo Courtesy of RWDI Wind-tunnel tests revealed high wind loads and motion at the supertower's top, so the design team added horizontal wind slots. Related Links: Team Building 1,397-ft 432 Park Avenue Tower Went to Extremes to Make It White RWDI WSP USA Building Structures The structural engineer for Manhattan's 1,397-ft-tall 432 Park Avenue is pleased with the modifications to Rafael Viñoly Architects' design. The spaghetti-box shape performed poorly in wind-tunnel tests, especially regarding high wind loads and motion at the tower's top.The design solution was to remove windows and create five horizontal slots in the building at the double-height
Rendering Courtesy of ThyssenKrupp The Multi elevator system would allow for both horizontal and vertical travel. Video Courtesy ThyssenKrupp Looking to expand versatility in building designs, Essen, Germany-based ThyssenKrupp Elevator AG has announced Multi, a cable-less elevator system propelled by magnetic induction. Multi will allow multiple elevator cabs in a single shaft and be able to travel horizontally as well as vertically within a building.According to ThyssenKrupp, the system will reduce the overall footprint of elevator shafts, increasing the usable space in high-rise buildings. "As the nature of building construction evolves, it is also necessary to adapt elevator systems to
Photo by Pat Cashin / MTA A Signature Station Debuts After 12 years of planning and construction, one of New York City's megaprojects is officially open. The Arup-led design features a 53-ft-dia glass oculus that rises 108 ft over an atrium and a stainless-steel "sky net." Measuring 144 ft x 140 ft at street level, the three-floor complex required nine construction contracts with the Metropolitan Transportation Authority Capital Construction division, with Parsons Brinckerhoff and Bovis Lend Lease LLC also managing.Chemical Maker Picks Illinois To Build $1.4B Fertilizer Plant Cronus Chemicals has selected a 235-acre site in Tuscola, Ill., over a
Related Links: American Concrete Institute Concrete Standard Reworked to be More Designer-Friendly Structural engineers are welcoming the 2014 update of the 519-page "American Concrete Institute's Building Code Requirements for Structural Concrete (ACI 318-14)," released late last month. The reorganized and reformatted standard, designed to be simpler and more intuitive for users, represents the first major overhaul since 1969."It was a Herculean effort on the part of the ACI 318 committee to do this," says Randall W. Poston, an Austin, Texas-based structural consultant and the committee chairman. "We think [the new code] is a huge improvement," he adds.Over the six years
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