66
The total number of skyscrapers China is expected to add in the next six years, DOUBLING ITS COLLECTION FROM 75 TO 141. India, the world’s second most populous nation, currently has two skyscrapers but will ADD 14 MORE IN THE NEXT FIVE YEARS.
1.4 billion
An Irish artist built an apartment made of bricks that include the SHREDDED REMAINS OF €1.4 BILLION he borrowed from Ireland’s national mint. Frank Buckley built the apartment in the lobby of a Dublin office building, which has remained vacant since its completion four years ago. “People were pouring billions into buildings now worth nothing,” says Buckley. “I WANTED TO CREATE SOMETHING FROM NOTHING.”
3,654
In feet, the proposed height of a NEW BUSINESS TOWER ON THE KHAZAR ISLANDS, a chain of 41 artificial islands in the Caspian Sea that also will include hotels and apartment buildings. The tower would be 27% TALLER than the current skyscraper champ, the BURJ KHALIFA IN DUBAI. Construction on the islands is set to begin at the end of 2013.
21,000
Number of NEW CONSTRUCTION JOBS created in January 2012, according to the Labor Department.
12
In years, the PEAK-TO-PEAK RECOVERY period for the cement industry. BY 2017, CEMENT CONSUMPTION IS EXPECTED TO REACH LEVELS LAST RECORDED IN 2005, according to the Portland Cement Association. A number of factors, including a reduction in office vacancy rates and high unemployment, contribute to the lengthy recovery period.
5
Total number of TEMPORARY LOADING BAYS being constructed at ONE WORLD TRADE CENTER. The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey revealed that the loading dock under the trade center will not be accessible for tenants to move their equipment into the 104-story tower when it opens. A TEMPORARY TRAIN STATION for the Port Authority is blocking access to the underground loading area.
0
Amount being charged by FRANK GEHRY for his work on the Culver City, Calif., home for the Jazz Bakery. Plans call for a two-story building with the main 250-seat concert room upstairs and a small black-box theater on the ground floor. THE FOOTPRINT OF THE BUILDING MEASURES ONE-SEVENTH OF AN ACRE.
1.3
In trillions, the GLOBAL REVENUE predicted from the CONSTRUCTION OF ZERO-ENERGY BUILDINGS over the next 23 years. The figure will reach almost $690 MILLION BY 2020 and $1.3 TRILLION BY 2035, according to a report published by Pike Research.
2,000
Total number of PV panels to be installed on the FIRST NET-ZERO SCHOOL in the northeast U.S. Located in the Rossville neighborhood in Staten Island, N.Y., PS 62 is slated to cost between $55-58 million, and will open in September 2015.
35
Current percentage of CONTRACTORS THAT ARE CURRENTLY USING BIM, up 8% from 2011, according the 2012 Construction Industry Hiring and Business Outlook conducted by the Associated General Contractors. 47% of survey respondents expect BIM usage to increase in 2012, depending on the market segment. +
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Improvements add to Detroit convention center’s appeal
Interior and exterior renovations and updates will make the Detroit Cobo Center more appealing to conventioneers. A new 40,000-sf ballroom will take advantage of the center’s riverfront location, with views of the river and downtown.
| May 18, 2011
One of Delaware’s largest high schools seeks LEED for Schools designation
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Carnegie Hall vaults into the 21st century with a $200 million renovation
Historic Carnegie Hall in New York City is in the midst of a major $200 million renovation that will bring the building up to contemporary standards, increase educational and backstage space, and target LEED Silver.
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Redesigning, redefining the grocery shopping experience
The traditional 40,000- to 60,000-sf grocery store is disappearing and much of the change is happening in the city. Urban infill sites and mixed-use projects offer grocers a rare opportunity to repackage themselves into smaller, more efficient, and more convenient retail outlets. And the AEC community will have a hand in developing how these facilities will look and operate.
| May 17, 2011
Architecture billings index fell in April, hurt by tight financing for projects
The architecture billings index, a leading indicator of U.S. construction activity, fell in April, hurt by tight financing for projects. The architecture billings index fell 2.9 points last month to 47.6, a level that indicates declining demand for architecture services, according to the American Institute of Architects.
| May 17, 2011
Sustainability tops the syllabus at net-zero energy school in Texas
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| May 17, 2011
Gilbane partners with Steel Orca on ultra-green data center
Gilbane, along with Crabtree, Rohrbaugh & Associates, has been selected to partner with Steel Orca to design and build a 300,000-sf data center in Bucks County, Pa., that will be powered entirely through renewable energy sources--gas, solar, fuel cells, wind and geo-thermal. Completion is scheduled for 2013.
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Should Washington, D.C., allow taller buildings?
Suggestions are being made that Washington revise its restrictions on building heights. Architect Roger Lewis, who raised the topic in the Washington Post a few weeks ago, argues for a modest relaxation of the height limits, and thinks that concerns about ruining the city’s aesthetics are unfounded.
