Delhi-based architects are promoting plans to build vast bubble-like enclosures to create urban havens in environmentally challenging cities such as the Indian capital and Beijing, China.
Image Courtesy of Exconw New Vltata River crossing features pedestrian, bike and vehicular lanes and light-rail lines. Related Links: Troja Bridge description New Troja Bridge renderings and construction photos Traffic is now flowing on Prague's new Troja Bridge following its much-delayed recent opening. Straddling the Vltata River, the steel-arch structure incorporates crisscrossing steel-rod hangers, giving it one of Europe's most slender bridge profiles.Despite the lower-than-normal arch height, the structure is "very stable concerning the dynamic response," says Vladimír Janata, chief technical officer and chairman of the bridge's steelwork design subcontractor Excon A.S.Opened in early October, the bridge was delayed by
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
Courtesy Foster and Partners Dubbed Boris Island, for leading booster London Mayor Boris Johnson, the Thames Estuary Scheme would require and investment of $200 billion by 2030, according to the airports commission. Related Links: New U.K. Airport Proposal Fuels Debate A Third Runway and New Terminal Are Approved for Heathrow An influential U.K. government commission on Sept. 2 excluded a vast scheme for a new four-runway hub airport in the Thames Estuary east of London from a shortlist of options to raise aviation capacity in southeast England.London Mayor Boris Johnson, the estuary airport’s biggest cheerleader, has vowed to continue championing
Bouygues is completing construction of the 2,400-seat Philharmonie de Paris, designed by French architect Jean Nouvel. It features over 10,000 sq ft of photovoltaic panels and a rainwater recovery system.
Related Links: A New Big UK Purchase Deal Proceeds as Another Ends Link to Nippon Koei Buyout Offer Details A Pause In the Bid War For U.K.s Scott Wilson Netherlands-based ARCADIS remains mum on a decision to counter a higher offer from Japan’s Nippon Koei to acquire Hyder Consulting plc., London.The Tokyo-based firm appears to have outbid its Dutch rival with an Aug. 8 offer that is 4.6% more than the ARCADIS bid and that Hyder recommended favorably to shareholders.That bid came eight days after Hyder had accepted Arcadis’s $430-million cash bid for all its shares. An ARCADIS spokesman told
Related Links: UK Contractors Balfour Beatty and Carillion Are in Merger Talks July ends with continued action in the global construction-sector acquisition arena, as one new U.K.-based deal is announced but another falls apart.ARCADIS N.V., Amsterdam, said on July 31 that it has agreed to buy London-based Hyder Consulting plc. for $430 million in cash.ARCADIS ranks at No. 10 on ENR's list of the Top 150 Global Design Firms, with $3.3-billion in total 2013 revenue, including $2.9 billion internationally.But British contractor Balfour Beatty plc has called off merger talks with Carillion, another large U.K. builder, after announcing the discussions only
Shedding its chief executive in May and reporting big profit shortfalls in Britain, Balfour Beatty plc, London, now is considering a merger proposal from Carillion PLC, a smaller, U.K.-based competitor.
