Oculus Rift As head of Boston-based Suffolk Construction's 18-month-old national R&D group, Jason Seaburg leads a team searching for new technologies that may become standard tools on company jobsites. His excitement is infectious, says Corren Collura, chief information officer. "Colleagues really buy into it and want to partner with him," she says.Recent explorations include drones, thermal imaging cameras, Google Glass, and still and video cameras on extenders to examine hard-to-reach locations.The 12-member R&D group investigates and recommends the most promising proposals for testing during biweekly conference calls. It works to keep costs within an R&D budget set at the start
Related Links: Ball and Taper Technology Fukushima Disaster Fukushima Forward First Subsea, based in the U.K., has supplied an innovative cable-connector system in preparation for linking to the first of two 7-MW floating wind turbines for the second phase of the Fukushima offshore floating pilot wind test project this summer.After a magnitude-9.0 earthquake on March 11, 2011, triggered a tsunami and knocked a nuclear powerplant off line, the Japanese government was quick to seek alternative means of generating electricity.The test project, commissioned in 2012 by the Japan Ministry of Trade, Economy and Industry, is laying the foundation to build the
Courtesy Canton, Mass., PD Youth hockey team evacuated Canton, Mass., rink 15 seconds before section of roof collapsed. The harsh winter of 2015 is taking a toll on the roofs of New England.At about 7:15 a.m. on Feb. 28, the Norwood Nuggets youth hockey team were filing onto the Metropolis Ice Hockey Rink in Canton, Mass., for practice when they heard a snap, followed by another. Immediately, a coach yelled for everyone to leave the ice and exit the building. About 15 seconds later, a portion of the roof fell.A blast of air pressure propelled a coach across the rink,
Beverly A. Scott, general manager of the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority, announced her resignation on Feb. 11 following criticism by Gov. Charlie Baker (R) of “T” transit performance that left thousands stranded during two system-wide shutdowns in a string of epic snow storms.Gov. Baker and Lt. Gov. Karyn Polito (R) said in a statement the same day, they were “surprised” to learn of Scott's resignation. She will stay on until April 11 while a search for a successor is conducted. ScottFrustrated by the second system-wide shutdown on Feb. 10 and with another storm brewing, Baker reportedly said that whatever
SunEdison Alternative energy developer SunEdison's $2.4-billion purchase of First Wind provides 21 MW of solar assets but moves firm into wind sector for the first time. Missouri-based solar-power developer SunEdison aims to become one of the country's leading alternative-energy providers with its $2.4-billion acquisition of Boston wind-energy giant First Wind, completed on Jan. 29. The deal is SunEdison's first involving wind energy. In the transaction, the firm and one of its operating units, TerraForm Power, purchased 500 MW of operating wind powerplants and 21 MW of operating solar powerplants from First Wind. "With the acquisition of First Wind, SunEdison becomes the leading
Rendering courtesy of Alstom Five Alstom 6-MW turbines will be installed at the Deepwater Wind's offshore power project near Block Island, R.I. Related Links: Deepwater Winds Plans Two Northeast Offshore Networks Utilities Pull Out of Cape Wind In Major Blow to Offshore Wind Project While Cape Wind’s 468-MW offshore wind-farm development appears to be dead in the water, Deepwater Wind is moving full steam into early-stage construction of a $225-million wind farm, three miles southeast of Block Island in Rhode Island. “The response from the financial markets to the project has been extremely positive,” says Jeffrey Grybowski, chief executive officer
Rendering Courtesy of Ostara Nutrient Recovery Reactor Reactor unit, as in this rendering, will produce more plant fertilizer from wastewater biosolids. Related Links: Ostara Nutrient Management Solutions Pile driving is underway for construction of Canada's largest-ever nutrient-recovery facility, which will remove phosphorus from sewage solids in Edmonton, Alberta, and use it to make 10,000 kilograms per day of plant fertilizer. The facility will scale up by 20 times a demonstration plant installed in 2007."We are constructing a standard reinforced-concrete slab foundation on top of driven steel piles," says Gavin Post, project manager at Epcor Water Services, Edmonton. The firm and
Related Links: Transportation Expert Manages With Tenacity Massachusetts Delays $1-billion Boston Line Extension to 2018 The Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority has received a tentative federal funding commitment for nearly $1 billion, almost half the cost of constructing the Green Line extension project. Congress must approve the grant.In a Dec. 1 letter to Congress, Therese McMillan, acting administrator of the Federal Transportation Administration, announced plans to "execute a full funding grant agreement," totaling $996 million for design and construction of the 4.7-mile Green Line extension. The grant would include the construction of six new stations to carry trains into Somerville and,
Photo by Johanna Knapschaefer for ENR A mill fashions old-school rivets from hot-rolled steel for the century-old bridge. Photo Courtesy of MassDOT The Longfellow Bridge is nicknamed the Salt and Pepper Bridge for its shaker-like towers. Related Links: Salt and Pepper Bridge Slated For Major Rehab in Boston Boston's Callahan Tunnel Set for Three-Month Rehab Closure Restoration of the 106-year-old Longfellow Bridge, which spans the Charles River between Boston and Cambridge, evokes Rosie the Riveter's World War II era, when hot metal pins connected structural steel on bridges, skyscrapers and ship hulls.A joint venture of J.F. White, Skanska and Consigli