Building & Design News

How are Japanese engineers solving the problem of paving their roadway tunnels without bringing the country's congested traffic to a standstill? Under traditional circumstances, tunnel paving is installed by hand on site in Japan. But technology is allowing the land of the Rising Sun to utilize slip-formed pavers which are "perfect for the tight working conditions inside a tunnel."

Sick and tired of boxy concrete forms that limit your design creativity to straight runs and hard angles? All that's about to change with a newly engineered forming system composed primarily of malleable PVC that not only provides the ability to "free form" your concrete, but encloses "the concrete to form a watertight protective shell." Ideal for intricate foundation work, parking garages, and more.

If you're a highway construction engineer in the market for an easy-to-use slab-rock drill that converts to a pneumatic core drill without a whole lot of backache, you're in luck. This on-site convertible drill requires only a few simple tools to transform its three-speed pneumatic motor into a vertical rock and core drill. Look for punching out holes from 5/8 in. diameter up to 2 1/2 in., with penetrations as deep as 18 in.

With Autumn rapidly approaching, designers and manufacturers of commercial construction tools are eager to launch their newest offerings. From a new line of affordable cordless circ saws, recip saws, and angle grinders, to the long awaited lithium-ion cordless combination drill and driver, these are the tools that are vying for space inside your gang box.

That non-slip adhesive tape not doing the job for your commercial project? Non-slip aluminum treads have been engineered and designed to prevent slippage on stairs constructed of concrete, masonry, steel, and more. These Green-friendly aluminum alloy stair treads are meant to last for the life of your building and eliminate the need for salt in the winter months.

How did lighting designers and engineers transform an existing New York City Contemporary Art Museum into a place as "provocative as the institution it houses?" Originally visualized as vertical walls that resemble "stacked volumes wrapped in aluminum mesh," the New Museum of Contemporary Art utilizes lighting, filtering, and custom-designed insulated glass to create a stunning silhouette against Manhattan's nighttime urban skyline.

What do you do with an offshore oil rig once it's been decommissioned? You try to provide it with a non-oil-related opportunity. This is precisely what a group of Green engineers are attempting to do with a North Sea Oil Platform which is due to be decommissioned in the very near future. One of the sustainable options contained in the group's feasibility study is to utilize the existing platform as piers for a bridge to be built "over deep water in Scotland." Another is to cut the structure up and use the parts in other maritime construction projects.

With school boards across the U.S. facing record breaking enrollment, the need to provide new and improved educational facilities is on the rise. So is the need to build these schools utilizing sustainable materials. When one Kentucky school decided to upgrade its existing facility they sought out green, energy-efficient products to work with. One product that not only provided the level of energy efficiency they desired, but also helped speed up the time of construction was insulated concrete forms.

Thor Construction, a major Las Vegas-based commercial construction company, has managed to take the guess work out of estimating, scheduling, and project management. How? By incorporating virtually all construction tasks — from project estimating, to job cost, to project closeout — into one efficient software system. Don't gamble with your construction future. Watch this informative video and see first-hand how Thor construction and other engineering professionals have achieved success by investing in the right project management software.

If your construction or engineering firm is like most around the world, then there probably seems to be no end to the amount of junk mail you receive on a daily basis. From heavy equipment catalogs to subcontractor introductory letters to construction trade magazines offering complimentary editions, you see it all, day in and day out. Chances are you're so overwhelmed with the workload you just don't have enough time in a day to read all the direct marketing snail mail that comes your way. Where's the stuff end up? In the trash heap, unread. But there's some real good that can come from all that paper. You can make an active effort to recycle it.

The Nuclear Plant Question: To Build or Not to Build?

As construction engineers and builders, should we be taking a long, hard renewed look at the construction of nuclear power plants? Can they be made safe?