Construction

ICON builds 3D-printed houses from disaster-proof concrete in Texas Developer 3Strands and construction technology company ICON have built four 3D-printed houses in Austin, Texas, from concrete that's designed to cope with extreme weather. Named East 17th Street Residences, the houses are made from ICON's Portland cement-based material Lavacrete. The Vulcan is ICON's own 3D-printer Lavacrete is designed to withstand extreme weather conditions and is also mould-resistant. "ICON's proven 3D-printing technology provides safer, more resilient homes that are designed to withstand fire, flood, wind and other natural disasters better than conventionally built homes," the company told Dezeen. In 2019, ICON produced...

Foster + Partners presents idea for double-decker Hammersmith Bridge Architecture firm Foster + Partners has developed a proposal for repairing London's Hammersmith Bridge while reopening it by inserting a separate double-decker road raised over the original structure. An extra deck would allow vehicle traffic to drive over the top of a pedestrian and cycle path, freeing up space for workmen to carry out essential repairs. The temporary crossing, which wouldn't rest on the bridge, could be built in two parts and inserted across the bridge from both sides to meet in the middle. Supported by truss structures on both sides,...

"World's first full-scale ship tunnel" gets go ahead to be built in Norway The 1.7-kilometre Stad Ship Tunnel, which will have a pair of stone entrances designed by Snøhetta, has been given the green light and construction is now set to begin in 2022. The Norwegian Coastal Administration (NCA) received an assignment letter from the Ministry of Transport and Communications to begin preparing for the construction of the project. Designed to make shipping safer along the west coast of Norway, the  Stad Ship Tunnel will connect the Kjødepollen bay and Vanylvsfjorden so that cargo and passenger ships of up to 16,000...

Marriott International Boosts Modular Construction Initiative The next time you stay at a Marriott, there’s a possibility that your hotel room was put together many miles away from your actual location. That’s because Marriott International has launched a plan to adopt more modular construction in its properties. The company is aiming to use prefabricated structures on roughly 13 percent of its hotels in North America through 2017, amounting to 50 new structures. A Solution To New Construction Obstacles Driven by a need to reduce building costs and help franchisees cope with U.S. construction labor shortages, Marriott has embraced the advantages...

Bahrain’s Transportation and Telecommunications Ministry HQ on track for completion in H2 The facility is expected to enhance the level of productivity and ensure the smooth flow of work More than 58% of works have been completed on the headquarters building of the Ministry of Transportation and Telecommunications, Bahraini officials have announced. The building is taking shape in Muharraq, Bahrain and is on track for completion in the second half of this year, the officials said. Works, Municipalities Affairs and Urban Planning Minister Essam bin Abdulla Khalaf and Transportation and Telecommunications Minister Kamal bin Ahmed Mohammed visited the site to...