Photo by Jeff Rubenstone / ENR Disruption: One of two floating concrete batch plants (above, in a September photo) at the New NY Bridge site partially collapsed on Dec. 16. Related Links: Tight Squeeze: Left Coast Lifter Clears Tappan Zee Bridge New Tappan Zee Bridge Passes Milestone With Pile Cap Installation A barge-mounted concrete batch plant at the new Tappan Zee Bridge jobsite in New York partially collapsed on Dec. 16. Project representatives reported no injuries and say project concrete placement operations have been halted until an investigation is complete.State Thruway Authority engineers and safety experts "are monitoring the situation
French-based building-materials manufacturer Saint-Gobain Group announced plans on Dec. 8 to acquire a controlling interest in Swiss-based construction-chemical maker Sika AG. One of the largest makers of building products in the world, Saint-Gobain arranged the purchase of 16.1% of Sika's shares and 52.4% of its voting rights from the family of the company's founder.Both companies have North American subsidiaries, and the merger is expected to combine their broad portfolios of building products. "The complementary synergies [of the acquisition] also apply to North America," says Susanne Trabitzsch, spokeswoman for Saint-Gobain. "We expect to have a stronger presence in the U.S. that
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
Related Links: Collaboration Technology for Construction Sees Rapid Improvements Arid Lands Institute In drought-wracked California, efforts to conserve every bit of available water are prompting ambitious solutions. But while the state looks to major infrastructure projects to meet future demand, researchers at the Arid Lands Institute are working on a software mapping tool, Divining LA, to give urban planners, architects and engineers a better view of a region's water profile to maximize use.Combining information gleaned from digital terrain models, geotechnical data sets, multi-spectral satellite imagery and historical surveys, Divining LA may one day provide a model of a region's stormwater