A London designer looking to transform polluted cities into enclosed environmental havens could have used the more proven geodesic dome as its technology.
Image Courtesy of InterBering LLC The proposed 64-mile long tunnel would intersect with two islands to allow for ventilation and construction access. Related Links: Dream Projects Dream Projects Test New Realities A rail crossing of the 51-mile-wide Bering Strait between Alaska and Russia is certainly not a new dream project—the idea dates back as far as the late 1800s. Since then, numerous railroad magnates, engineers and even heads of state have proposed bridge and tunnel schemes to link the Asian and North American continents. In recent years, a tunnel running underneath the 161-ft-deep channel has been the preferred option. In 2011,
Photo Courtesy of NASA Space-station-bound rocket exploded after launch, but pad is intact. Related Links: Orbital Sciences Corp. VIDEO: Antares explosion The explosion of an unmanned rocket carrying cargo to the International Space Station (ISS) on Oct. 28 has once again put the National Aeronautics and Space Administration's privatization program in the spotlight.Within seconds of liftoff, the first stage of Oribital Sciences Corp.'s Antares rocket self-destructed, scattering debris across the southern end of Wallops Island, Va. The Virginia Commercial Spaceflight Authority leases a flight facility from the National Aeronautical and Space Administration. Most of the debris fell within an 8,500-ft
Photo Courtesy of WAR Construction Inc. The city of Northport's Fire Station No. 3 was built by WAR Construction in 2009. The team used several ConsensusDocs contracts on the project. Related Links: Improved Digital Practice Documents Beware of Hidden Risks Buried in Contract Language Since its introduction in September 2007, the ConsensusDocs movement has struggled to become a serious contender in the arena of standardized design and construction forms. Developed by a coalition of more than 40 industry groups, ConsensusDocs—a catalog of 100-plus standardized contract documents—set out to become the industry standard, but early software challenges and other criticisms thwarted
Image Courtesy of ESA/Foster + Partners The European-designed lunar shelter is printed with rubble and binding agent. Related Links: Foster + Partners Space Shelter Design 3D Concrete Printing at Loughborough University in the U.K. Concrete printing in 3D has a future in the near term, with commercial applications coming in a couple of years, predict researchers in the U.K.Richard Buswell, senior lecturer in building-services engineering at Loughborough University, spent four years on a team developing a computer-controlled process for producing complicated concrete elements not possible by traditional means. The $2-million project, completed in 2011, produced a series of 1-meter-sq, curved
Photo Courtesy of Arup The particles are fused by a laser. Related Links: How To Print A 3-D Object With Laser Sintering 3D Printing Materials Survey Industries ranging from medical equipment manufacturers to aerospace are increasingly using 3D printing for the fabrication of intricate and costly objects. In Europe, designers are exploring the technology for use with construction-element production, as well.Dan Kirk, direct metals manager at 3D printing firm CRDM Ltd., High Wycombe, U.K., says printing is not going to replace traditional processes for steel work, but "it will give you the opportunity to create designs that you couldn't previously
Related Links: Video Backgrounder (YouTube) The Construction PDF Coalition is ramping up efforts to spread the word about adopting the file format as a standard for construction projects.The grassroots group, whose aim is to leverage digital information among design teams, constructors and every touchpoint group along the construction chain, is out with a new website to spread the word: CPCoalition.com."Though PDFs are the de facto format for digital construction documentation, national design standards haven’t yet been defined," the site explains. "This coalition aims to define standards to be implemented at project onset by the project team. Without standardization, professionals experience
Software firm Bentley Systems Inc. has acquired Blueridge Analytics Inc., the provider of SITEOPS, a cloud-based site development options analyzer. Subscribers upload digital terrain models and enter requirements in terms of square footage of finished floor space, parking needs, setbacks, roadway parameters and a host of other constraints, and then submit the project for analysis. The system weighs thousands of alternatives and “solves” for the most cost-efficient site design. The purchase comes four years after Bentley took an equity stake in the company. Says CEO Greg Bentley, “I’ve become convinced that site engineering should no longer be done any other
Related Links: Water Delivery System Analysis and Management Software Brings New Efficiencies to Utility Systems 2014 Black & Veatch Strategic Directions: U.S. Water Industry Report Bentley Systems Inc. has released enhanced versions of its information modeling software for water distribution systems that promise to improve visibility, forecasting and decision-making support for hydraulic modelers and system operators.The company says the SELECT Series 5 release of WaterCAD, WaterGEMS, and HAMMER V8i have improvements that extend the sharing of system performance data across the separate disciplines of water system planning, design, and operations. This should improve collaboration and decision making throughout the infrastructure
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