Shimizu Corp. One of the construction challenges is mooring the platforms during constant swells and turbulence. Related Links: Maine To Launch Offshore Floating-Turbine Prototype U.S. Offshore Wind Energy Purveyors Gaining Ground A Japanese demonstration project is the largest yet examining the feasibility of placing floating wind farms in deep water.A government-backed consortium is building three floating platforms, each of a different design, 12 miles off Japan's Pacific shore, using two types of wind turbines with a total generating capacity of 16 megawatts.The first, a 2-MW turbine and a floating substation, began operating in November. Two more 7-MW turbines will be
In September, an illegally constructed five-story building collapsed in Mumbai, India, killing more than 60 people. It was the latest in a series of collapses this year alone, which included a section of a hospital and another three-story building. Though too late for this year's casualties, the Urban Development Ministry of Mumbai's Maharashtra state government recently rolled out a much-awaited cluster development program for new buildings in Mumbai. They will soon be taking bids from developers for commercial districts, including Crawford Market, Bhendi Bazaar and Mohammed Ali Road.Cluster development addresses zones where, due to certain traditional and conventional presence over a
Related Links: AECOM Takes a Charge Related to Libyan Uprising Libya has revived its $100-billion housing infrastructure development program and re-contracted US firm AECOM Technology Corp. to manage its implementation and offer advice to the ministry of housing and utilities. The revival of North Africa's region's largest home-building program by state-owned Housing and Infrastructure Board (HIB) come at a time when many foreign companies are returning to Libya. Many firms fled during the bloody revolution of 2011 that toppled strongman Muammar Gaddaffi. Companies are trooping back as the new government intensifies renegotiation of stalled contracts. AECOM announced last week it has signed
Related Links: Infrastructure Investors Are Willing To Pound the Pavement LBJ Work Progress To Excavation Phase The population of the Lone Star State passed the 26-million mark this year, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. The 3.6% year-over-year growth rate shows no sign of slowing. While new arrivals are welcomed, the problem, as Texas officials wryly note, is that they "don't bring new roads with them."(click here for slide show)The Texas A&M Texas Transportation Institute estimates the state faces a $4-billion funding gap to meet the transportation needs of the growing populace. To make ends meet, the Texas Dept. of
Photo and Map Courtesy of NCDOT Crews delivered repair components to bridge site in late November. The lawsuit aims to protect an adjoining wildlife refuge. The Herbert C. Bonner Bridge on North Carolina's Outer Banks has reopened after the discovery of excess scour around underwater pilings forced a two-week closure. The closure isolated more than 4,000 full-time residents on Hatteras Island and added fuel to the long-simmering debate over replacing the half-century-old, 2.5-mile structure spanning Oregon Inlet.Because of the highly volatile and dynamic nature of the inlet's currents between the Atlantic Ocean and Pamlico Sound, the North Carolina Dept. of
Photo Courtesy of DDOT Crews installed rail bed for the new streetcar system amid traffic, building construction and scores of underground utilities along H Street, which is undergoing a resurgence. Photo Courtesy of DDOT Washington, D.C.'s first streetcar in 50 years made its public debut this month, after crews installed track and catenary wires. Related Links: Long-Awaited Anacostia River Project Ramps Up Remodeling DC Streetcar Construction of a 2.4-mile starter line for Washington, D.C.'s first streetcar in 50 years symbolizes both the city's efforts to revitalize its Anacostia waterfront areas and a growing national transportation trend.Officials with the District Dept.
Photo Courtesy C.A. Rasmussen Inc. Repair crews blast fire-damaged concrete from tunnel sections, which are treated with shotcrete and epoxy. They skip the adjacent section to facilitate curing, then return to repeat the process. Related Links: Tanker Fire Closures on SR-2 and I-5 Tanker Fire Damaged Tunnel Tested Working on a tight, two-month time schedule, contractor C.A. Rasmussen, Valencia, Calif., is completing work on a major Interstate 5 connector tunnel near Los Angeles that was severely damaged last July 13, when a tanker truck carrying 8,500 gallons of fuel overturned and burst into flames."We're working double shifts night and day,
Photo by James S. Russell Two-year-old Dallas Museum Tower (above) wreaks havoc with daylighting design of the Nasher Sculpture Center (below). Photo Courtesy Nasar Sculpture Center Related Links: Another 'Death Ray' Building Heats Up Reflective Solar Rays Nasher Sculpture Center Dallas Police and Fire Pension System Museum Tower Renzo Piano Building Workshop Arup Johnson Fain Representatives of the decade-old Nasher Sculpture Center in Dallas and the neighboring 42-story Museum Tower condominium are at a standstill over a fix for a tower-triggered sun-glare problem that affects the museum and threatens to damage its contents. Last summer, the Dallas Police and Fire
Related Links: Overview of How NuScale SMR technology works US Dept. of Energy Moves Forward on Small Modular Nuclear Reactors The apparent winner of the second phase of a $452-million U.S. Dept. of Energy grant program to support the development and commercialization of small modular nuclear reactor (SMR) technology in the U.S. is NuScale Power, a Portland, Ore.-based firm whose majority owner is Fluor Corp.DOE announced on Dec. 12 that it would award a yet-to-be-negotiated amount—up to $226 million—to NuScale to cover up to half the costs of a new Oregon-based project to design, certify and help commercialize small nuclear
By Peter Reina Plaster ceiling failure in auditorium of historic Apollo Theatre in London called an isolated incident. Nearly 80 audience members at the 113-year-old Apollo Theatre in London's West End were injured, seven seriously, when part of the ornate plaster ceiling became detached from its supports on the evening of Dec. 19.On first inspection, city officials said the ceiling supporting structure appeared to be sound though detailed investigations had yet to start. The section of falling plaster, reportedly about 2 meters square, demolished parts of the balconies, according to the London Fire Brigade.The ceiling failure was "an isolated incident,"
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