Even without the spire that will make London’s Shard the tallest building in Western Europe, its recently topped-out core, reaching 72 floors above ground, already dominates the city. With the structural steelwork frame ending at level 40, concrete columns and post-tension floors will complete the rest of the 310-meter-tall building’s frame next to the River Thames. Now looming 244 m over the London Bridge railroad hub, the Shard’s stump has become a temporarily unattractive city landmark. But from ground level, the rising curtain wall gives a foretaste of the final building, designed by architect Renzo Piano Building Workshop, Genoa, Italy.
With a winning bid more than 10% below the lowest official estimate, a consortium including American Bridge Co., Coraopolis, Pa., has been named preferred bidder for a $1.3-billion contract to design and build Scotland’s new Forth highway bridge.
The U.K. government in late February announced a plan for an estimated $52-billion project to extend the country's only high-speed railroad northward to Birmingham and beyond. It aims to start construction of the line, dubbed HS2, later this decade, and hopes to see trains start running by 2026. “Countries across Europe and Asia are already pressing ahead with ambitious plans for high-speed rail,” said Transport Secretary Philip Hammond, launching the five-month public information process. “We cannot afford to be left behind.” In a first phase of the proposed Y-shaped system, the line would be extended from London by 225 km
China overtook the U.S. last year to become the world’s largest construction market, according to a March 3 report that forecasts market trends to 2020. However, the report suggests that, in the coming decade, the U.S. will be almost alone among developed nations in achieving significant expansion, with an expected annual construction growth exceeding 6%, which will still lag behind the predicted construction growth of emerging economies. China grew its global share to 15%, which was 1% ahead of the U.S., as a result of an increased volume of work, rising prices and currency exchange fluctuations, says Graham Robinson, director
Numerous structures are on course for completion in time for the London 2012 Summer Olympics, including a few that are uniquely shaped. Perhaps the strangest is a steelwork monument that will rise 114.5 meters, serving as an icon for the Olympic Park. Image: Arup The ArcelorMittal Orbit will be ready to greet crowds at London’s 2012 Summer Olympics. Image: Arup Related Links: Olympic Orbit Takes Off The red steelwork being built just outside the main stadium’s entrance, so far around 40 m tall, is the diagrid stem of the fantastic 15,000-tonne sculpture known as the Orbit. The structure is the
Kuwait’s public-works ministry in February signed an $870-million design-bid-build contract with a European-led consortium to upgrade more than 15 kilometers of Jamal Abdul Nasser Street. Photo: Courtesy of Louis Berger and PACE Upgraded Kuwaiti road will bypass local streets with viaducts. div id="articleExtrasA" div id="articleExtrasB" div id="articleExtras" Nasser Street links to a $950-million Jahra Road project that started last September. The two highways will relieve a congested corridor linking Kuwait City with its western suburbs and provide access to major government facilities and other centers, says an official with Louis Berger Group Inc., Morristown, N.J., which is handling design and
A 1.24-mile-long aerial cable-car system could be operational in time for the 2012 London Olympic Games if Mayor Boris Johnson signs off on the plan. The $65-million project would be the U.K.’s first urban cable car and would cross the River Thames. Last month, councils for the two boroughs affected—Greenwich and Newham—approved the plan that links Greenwich Peninsula and the Royal Docks. + Image Image: TFL A map shows the cable-car system that has been approved by London’s Greenwich and Newham boroughs. The system would cross the River Thames. Photo: TFL Cables Will Run Between 295-ft-tall Towers. The system, designed
As European offshore wind power development accelerates, a series of costly failures has undermined confidence in turbine tower foundations. Now, a leading risk management company has produced new design guidance in a bid to prevent tower settlement that can cause potentially costly stresses in support structures. Photo: courtesy of Scira Sheringham farm designers had time to alter the monopiles while they were still in fabrication. + Image Image: courtesy of DNV Norway’s Det Norske Veritas A/S, H�vik, began reviewing its seemingly faulty design guidance in the fall of 2009 following reports of support failures in some completed turbine installations. DNV
Five European energy companies this month announced a joint-venture agreement to develop and build an electricity link under the North Sea between the U.K. and Norway. The NorthConnect joint venture aims to have the 1,200-MW to 2,000-MW power cable operational by 2020. The total length of the high-voltage, direct-current interconnector could measure from 350 miles to more than 400 miles, depending on the choice of the landing points. For the shortest link, Scotland is likely to be the preferred U.K. landfall, though other options will be studied during the next 12 to 18 months. The non-profit Scottish European Green Energy
The European Wind Energy Association is forecasting that up to 1,500 MW of offshore wind power will be connected to European national grids this year, continuing the region’s growth trend in offshore wind-power installations. + Image The association says offshore wind-power installations grew 51% to 883 MW last year from 582 MW in 2009, even though onshore wind-power installations (8.4 GW) were down 13.9% compared to the same kind of installations (9.7 GW) in 2009. However, monopiles are considered suitable in water depths up to about 30 meters. As wind farms are sited farther from shore, new styles of foundations