Maybe one of the strangest stories I've ever posted about. Essentially building an artificial mountain just outside of Berlin. The picture gives you an idea of the sheer size of the project:
"A German architect has already laid out plans to build the largest artificial mountain ever (3,280-feet tall) in Berlin, which "could sit on the spot currently occupied by Tempelhof airport, and provide a natural getaway for Berliners and tourists alike.
Berliners may soon get more to see on the horizon than just construction cranes, if a German architect realizes his massive vision."
To make their point, equipment dealers, manufacturing representatives, labor leaders and others will stage a rally of the Start Us Up USA! campaign on the National Mall against a backdrop of idle construction equipment and surrounded by a sea of 5,500 orange flags - each one representing 100 jobs already lost in this industry.To make their point, equipment dealers, manufacturing representatives, labor leaders... more
D-Build is creating an information rich interactive history of building deconstruction, where the reclaimed materials, buildings, people, and businesses are all equally important players in the story. D-Build.org acts as the central hub, where these connections are drawn, creating a vast intertwined network of information, along with a marketplace for users to exchange reclaimed materials, finished products made of these materials, as well as ideas and services. Users are encouraged to populate the network with information, from personal stories to historic records, preserving the past of buildings while creating a future for the materials.
D-Build, which will be both a blog and an online marketplace that sells material from dismantled houses and the products made from them, while illuminating some of the material's cultural history.
This will be done by carefully cataloging a house as it is dismantled, taking note of historical information alongside dimensional data, which will be uploaded to a central database. Additionally, each home will be scanned, preserving buildings that might otherwise have no blueprints or other documented history. Then, all of this information will be linked to the online marketplace, so buyers can access an information-rich history of the materials they are browsing.D-Build is creating an information rich interactive history of building... more
The extent of the massive waste and abuse surrounding the construction of the monstrous US embassy in Baghdad continues to expand. The State Department has just released another audit of the embassy’s construction and suggests that the Kuwaiti contractor hired by the Bush administration to do most of the construction work may have to repay more than $130 million to US taxpayers as a result of construction deficiencies, incomplete and undocumented design work, inadequate quality control and interest on unauthorized payments.
The Baghdad embassy—the largest of any nation on planet earth and ten times bigger than any other US embassy—is striking evidence indicating a continued US presence in the country for many years to come. The structure cost more than $700 million and is the size of 80 football fields. It is bigger than the Vatican, six times larger than the United Nations compound in New York and is about two thirds the size of the National Mall in Washington. It has space for 1,000 employees who are guarded by scores of paramilitary mercenary forces. In other words it is the perfect structure for a nation that claims to be leaving Iraq very soon.
Among the allegations against First Kuwaiti in the State Department audit are:
The company failed to follow contract specifications when it constructed “safe areas” in the embassy, which are “vital to protecting staff in emergency situations.”
Deficiencies at the embassy’s water treatment plant.
Using nonstandard wiring in the embassy’s power distribution system. The audit charges that First Kuwaiti “substituted a less reliable system.” The audit also says the company should repay $11 million because of the “additional operating costs” resulting from the installation of a “less efficient” system it installed.
Plumbing deficiencies at over 200 locations at the embassy.
The embassy’s fire protection systems are “not compliant with code,” while fire protection water mains were “improperly constructed.”
More @ linkThe extent of the massive waste and abuse surrounding the construction of the... more
The state of the construction and equipment industries is worse than most people realize. According to a new project just launched by Associated Equipment Distributors, the state of the construction and equipment industries is more like a depression than a recession.The state of the construction and equipment industries is worse than most people... more
Workers Defense Project and community supporters gathered outside Cobra Studios in Austin to protest COBALT COMPANIES for the $20,000.00 in unpaid wages owed to eleven workers who worked on their work site at Cobra Studios Apartments.
In the context of economic downturn, where low-wage workers bear the burden of hard times, Workers Defense Project is calling upon Cobalt Companies to take responsibility for the labor abuses on their work site.
In October and November of 2008, Antonio Melo, Antonio Olvera, Fausto Elias, and 8 other workers worked for a subcontractor of Cobalt Companies to perform masonry work on Cobra Studios Apartments in East Austin. The subcontractor never paid the eleven workers for their work and they are still owed nearly $20,000 in back wages.
The Workers Defense Project has tried to resolve the issue directly with Cobalt Companies and their subcontractors. Cobalt Companies negotiated with PDL and agreed to a payment plan where they would pay $15,000 of wages owed now and $5,000 later. The agreement was drafted, the terms were all agreed upon, and then Cobalt Companies backed out.
Workers, advocates and community supporters urged Cobalt Companies to ensure that Austin development occurs in a way that benefits everyone in the community, including the workers who are building our city.
Cobalt Companies is a local residential and commercial building company that has 30 years of experience working on construction projects in Austin. They specialize in high-end homes, town-homes, and commercial properties that range from half-million to multi-million dollar projects, such as the Cobra Studios.
After much effort and long hours on the part of the Workers Defense Project, ultimately Cobalt Co. lived up to their legal responsibility and made sure the workers were paid their due in a check for $18,000!
This is a Z Graphix Production, Directed by Jason Cato and
Produced by Jeffry Zavala.
Gov. Rick Perry and employees within the state insurance building did not meet the typical sound of 5 p.m. traffic Wednesday.
Instead, some encountered signs adorned with criticism of Perrys policies, drums keeping protestors in rhythm and the voices of construction workers along with members of Austins Workers Defense Project and Californias Laborers International Union of North America chanting, Workers rights are under attack! What do we do? Stand up, fight back!
Project Director Cristina Tzintzún said the defense group organized the event in response to a television interview Perry had at a Construction Expo in late June, in which he stated that [Texas] has enough oversight to keep our citizens safe.
Catherine Frazier, a spokeswoman for the governors office, said the issues scope is wider than Texas alone.
This issue falls under federal jurisdiction and Governor Perry expects the federal government will fulfill its role to keep Texas construction workers safe without burdening Texas employers with duplicative regulations, Frazier said.
According to a recent report by the project titled Building Austin, Building Injustice, 142 construction workers died in Texas in 2007, which is more than any other state in the country. The report also states that 50 percent of workers do not receive overtime pay and that 41 percent go without a rest break.
Tzintzún said that only 77 Occupational Safety and Health Administration investigators cover the 10 million workers in Texas. The project states that the International Labor Organization recommended 1,023 investigators be responsible for Texas workers.
Elizabeth Todd, OSHA acting regional director, said the administration will be increasing the number of inspectors in Texas.
We want to raise awareness and reduce the number of construction-related fatalities in the state because we do have a high number of construction-related fatalities, Todd said. If there are unsafe working conditions, we are going to try and go out there and find out.
Tzintzún said the problem lies in construction oversight.
We believe there is a larger problem in Texas of contractors not being held accountable for safe working conditions on the job site, Tzintzún said. Its important that [the Legislature] steps up to the plate by ensuring people dont die needlessly on the job.
The protest also focused on the West Campus construction accident in June at the 21 Rio apartment complex where three construction workers fell to their deaths as a result of a scaffold failure.
Austin Police Department Lt. Mark Spangler said APD obtained a search warrant to investigate the incident.
The areas we are looking at are, Did this accident have a genesis? Spangler said. What caused that equipment to fail? Was it mechanical? Was it human error? Was it an oversight? Thats the full spectrum of what we are looking at.
The cause of the accident is still under investigation and APD will conduct interviews as well as an examination of all equipment used in the scaffolding. The warrant stated negligent homicide as a possibility.
Randy Harris, a member of a laborers union from Illinois, said he was protesting to make the construction worker case a national issue.
Nobody deserves to be hurt or killed at work, Harris said. We want people to be able to go to work, feed their families and go home.
This is a Z Graphix Production, Produced by Jeffry Zavala and Directed by Jason Cato.
The economy is on the road to recovery, and while our financial system is rehabbing, its time to prepare ourselves and our savings. People are more confident in the credit markets, and that less involvement and intervening is necessary. So continue saving your money, and hopefully things will keep heading in the right direction.
The housing market seems to be looking up. Construction on new U.S. homes was at a nine month high in August, and housing starts rose 1.5% from July.
Reinforced Concrete Sculpture of smoke breathing Blaze the Dragon, 9 ft tall 7 ft wide 18 ft long 3 tons 4 months to complete. Now lives in front of Bartow Arena at the University of Alabama at Birmingham. www.tjneil.comReinforced Concrete Sculpture of smoke breathing Blaze the Dragon, 9 ft tall 7 ft wide... more
If you reside in an earthquake-prone area, this next bit of information may interest you. A research team comprised of experts from five universities is currently working on a way to build earthquake-poof structures from wood. So far, their results appear promising. On July 14th at Japan’s Hyogo Earthquake Engineering Research Center (that’s a mouthful) researchers performed a test on a seven-story wood condominium weighing one million pounds. The condo was placed on an E-Defense Shake Table, the largest in the world, and survived a simulated quake measuring 7.5 on the Richter scale.If you reside in an earthquake-prone area, this next bit of information may interest... more
Clipper Windpower Development Video explains the steps it takes to complete a wind energy project. During our Corporate Video class at Brooks Institute this summer, Janine Stengel, Beatriz Barragan Horn and Blake Lewis worked on this project with the help and support of Clipper Windpower Inc.
Alternative Energy will become more and more important. We need to be involved and learn about the new technologies and support it in the best way we can.
For do-it-yourself-er homeowners to construction pros, this list of the top 50 construction blogs is broken up into construction businesses, green construction, landscape, architecture, and more.For do-it-yourself-er homeowners to construction pros, this list of the top 50... more
G.O. Logic of Belfast, Maine is building a green house that has virtually no heating system. In Maine. That is unheard of. The house features passive solar design and innovative systems such as the air exchange and foundation. While still not accessible by all income levels, this design is bringing the cost of green building, way down. $225,000 plus land. No heat or hot water bills. Adaptations can be made to increase electricity production as well.
This house is the model home not only for new contracts with G.O. Logic, but also for the planned ecovillage in Belfast. Another great idea.G.O. Logic of Belfast, Maine is building a green house that has virtually no heating... more
Building a breakfast machine is the ultimate in sentimental satisfaction, and it's a project that Japanese designer Yuri Suzuki has created a concpet for.
Inspired by movies such as Pee Wee Herman's Big Adventure and Flubber, Suzuki aims to build a fully functional breakfast machine, which will provide visitors of the Dutch Design Double Events with breakfast on the 25 and 26 of September.
Yuri Suzuki has already begun building the machine at the Platform21 gallery in Amsterdam -- one of the many events of the Ductch Design Double Events -- but will give visitors the opportunity to help complete the design from 16-24 September.Building a breakfast machine is the ultimate in sentimental satisfaction, and it's a... more
This morning media were allowed to visit a couple places inside Ground Zero. Check out the progress of construction.This morning media were allowed to visit a couple places inside Ground Zero. Check out... more
Industrial hemp varieties of Cannabis, also referred to as industrial hemp, fiber, or non-drug hemp, should not be confused with marijuana. Industrial hemp and marijuana are genetically distinct varieties of Cannabis, much like a St. Bernard and a Chihuahua are very different breeds of dogs. Despite easily discernible and widely accepted differences between the two distinct plant varieties, serious misconceptions continue to persist.Industrial hemp varieties of Cannabis, also referred to as industrial hemp, fiber, or... more
You can eat it, wear it, use it but not grow it in America. Why? Hemp is the fastest growing agricultural crop, gentle on the land, requiring no chemicals in its cultivation. Most countries around the world allow their farmers to grow and process Hemp - and America is falling behind.You can eat it, wear it, use it but not grow it in America. Why? Hemp is the fastest... more
Humans continue burning the midnight oil working out complex algorithms that will give us viable sustainability solutions for our future dwellings, but it turns out that the tiny winged insects had it right all along.
Thanks to the power of high-tech 3D imagery, scientists have finally figured out the ins and outs of termites' eco-friendly architectural skills in the hope that they will soon be able to apply the simple yet sophisticated systems to human structures that work with Mother Nature rather than against her.Believe it or not, termites are the answer!
Humans continue burning the midnight... more
Creating "living zones" smack dab in the middle of vast expanses of sand is nothing new -- gangster Bugsy Siegel launched the trend with his then-crazy Las Vegas plan, and look at how well that's taken hold. Typically, such marvels of planning, development and execution are a bane to the Earth since they require so many resources to sustain. Not so with Masdar City, the world's first entirely contained zero footprint microcosm of green technology, architecture and sheer innovation.Creating "living zones" smack dab in the middle of vast expanses of sand is nothing... more
Not only for math students, professionals also need to work with and create graphs. Below are the 50 best graphing sites. They will show you the basics, give you online tools, free downloads, software recommendations, and more.Not only for math students, professionals also need to work with and create graphs.... more
