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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Biomedical research center in Texas to foster scientific collaboration
The new Health and Biomedical Sciences Center at the University of Houston will facilitate interaction between scientists in a 167,000-sf, six-story research facility. The center will bring together researchers from many of the school’s departments to collaborate on interdisciplinary projects. The facility also will feature an ambulatory surgery center for the College of Optometry, the first of its kind for an optometry school. Boston-based firms Shepley Bulfinch and Bailey Architects designed the project.
| Jan 19, 2011
San Diego casino renovations upgrade gaming and entertainment
The Sycuan Casino in San Diego will get an update with a $27 million, 245,000-sf renovation. Hnedak Bobo Group, Memphis, Tenn., and Cleo Design, Las Vegas, drew design inspiration from the historic culture of the Sycuan tribe and the desert landscape, creating a more open space with better circulation. Renovation highlights include a new “waterless” water entry feature and new sports bar and grill, plus updates to gaming, poker, off-track-betting, retail, and bingo areas. The local office of San Francisco-based Swinerton Builders will provide construction services.
| Jan 19, 2011
Extended stay hotel aims to provide comfort of home
Housing development company Campus Apartments broke ground on a new extended stay hotel that will serve the medical and academic facilities in Philadelphia’s University City, including the University of Pennsylvania and the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia. The 11,000-sf hotel will operate under Hilton’s Homewood Suites brand, with 136 suites with full kitchens and dining and work areas. A part of the city’s EnergyWorks loan program, the project aims for LEED with a green roof, low-flow fixtures, and onsite stormwater management. Local firms Alesker & Dundon Architects and GC L.F. Driscoll Co. complete the Building Team.
| Jan 19, 2011
New Fort Hood hospital will replace aging medical center
The Army Corps of Engineers selected London-based Balfour Beatty and St. Louis-based McCarthy to provide design-build services for the Fort Hood Replacement Hospital in Texas, a $503 million, 944,000-sf complex partially funded by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. The firm plans to use BIM for the project, which will include outpatient clinics, an ambulance garage, a central utility plant, and three parking structures. Texas firms HKS Architects and Wingler & Sharp will participate as design partners. The project seeks LEED Gold.
| Jan 19, 2011
Museum design integrates Greek history and architecture
Construction is under way in Chicago on the National Hellenic Museum, the nation’s first museum devoted to Greek history and culture. RTKL designed the 40,000-sf limestone and glass building to include such historic references as the covered walkway of classical architecture and the natural wood accents of Byzantine monasteries. The museum will include a research library and oral history center, plus a 3,600-sf rooftop terrace featuring three gardens. The project seeks LEED Silver.
| Jan 19, 2011
Architecture Billings Index jumped more than 2 points in December
On the heels of its highest mark since 2007, the Architecture Billings Index jumped more than two points in December. The American Institute of Architects reported the December ABI score was 54.2, up from a reading of 52.0 the previous month.
| Jan 19, 2011
Large-Scale Concrete Reconstruction Solid Thinking
Driven by both current economic conditions and sustainable building trends, Building Teams are looking more and more to retrofits and reconstruction as the most viable alternative to new construction. In that context, large-scale concrete restoration projects are playing an important role within this growing specialty.
| Jan 10, 2011
Architect Jean Nouvel designs an island near Paris
Abandoned by carmaker Renault almost 20 years ago, Seguin Island in Boulogne-Billancourt, France, is being renewed by architect Jean Nouvel. Plans for the 300,000-square-meter project includes a mix of culture, commerce, urban parks, and gardens, which officials hope will attract both Parisians and tourists.
| Jan 10, 2011
Michael J. Alter, president of The Alter Group: ‘There’s a significant pent-up demand for projects’
Michael J. Alter, president of The Alter Group, a national corporate real estate development firm headquartered in Skokie, Ill., on the growth of urban centers, project financing, and what clients are saying about sustainability.
