Building & Construction Industry News & Analysis

Ford Testing Exoskeleton Vest That Could Help Assembly Line Workers

With a number of daily tasks requiring workers to raise their hands above their heads in a prolonged stance that mimics changing a light bulb, the impact on workers can range from sore arms and shoulders to overall workplace dissatisfaction.

New Ventilated Façade Design Boosts Building Energy Efficiency

A proposed double chamber system reduces energy gains and losses as well as energy consumption due to air flow.

Green Roof Initiative Passes in Denver

Denver voters approved an ordinance requiring that any building greater than 25,000 square feet have a percentage of its roof covered with green, vegetative space or solar.

Watch: AI System for Safer Nuclear Reactors

A new system uses artificial intelligence to analyze videos of nuclear reactors, representing a future inspection technology that can be used to detect cracks, reduce accidents and lower maintenance costs.

Alaska LNG Export Project Gets Chinese Backing

Alaska LNG would include a Prudhoe Bay gas complex, an 800-mile-long pipeline, and a three-train liquefaction plant in south central Alaska near Anchorage.

Watch: StuyTown Rooftop Project to Triple New York City Solar Energy Capacity

StuyTown is one of the largest rental apartment complexes in the U.S., with more than 11,200 multifamily units in 56 buildings across 80 acres in Manhattan's East Village.

Work Starts on Petrochem Plant in the Heart of Shale Gas Country

Work is starting on four processing units, including an ethane cracker and three polyethylene units, plus a 250 MW natural gas-fired power plant.

MIT Study: Cities Can’t Fight Climate Change Just by Controlling Local Transportation Systems

David Hsu, an assistant professor in MIT’s Department of Urban Studies and Planning, co-authored a study that proves in order to combat climate change, it is easier for cities to reduce emissions coming from residences rather than control energy emissions from local transportation.

Robotic Exploration and Settlement of Lunar Caves

Now that the existence of lunar caves has been confirmed, the caves need to be explored, mapped and characterized. Before human astronauts are sent to explore the caves, robotic explorers will be designed and sent to the moon cave because there are too many unknown factors.

China Introduces Massive Island-building Vessel

The boat is expected to be operational in June 2018 after completing a final round of tests.

Here's Why Wind Farm Repowerings Are Becoming More Popular

The four-year extension and legislated phase-out of the PTC is expected to encourage many asset owners to repower existing wind facilities to requalify them for another 10 years of tax credits.

More Crews Head to Puerto Rico for Grid Repair Work

The deployment of technical crews from New York builds on an earlier deployment. And Fluor won a $240 million contract to oversee grid restoration work.

Scientists Discover a “Big Void” Inside the Great Pyramid — With the Help of Muons

A team of international researchers, using a muon detection technique called muography, has discovered a “large empty space” inside the Great Pyramid on the Giza Plateau in Egypt that had remained hidden behind the thick walls of the building for more than 4,500 years.

Using Deep Learning to Assess Storm-Damaged Buildings

During Hurricane Harvey, ORNL analyzed nearly 2,000 images covering nearly 26,000 square miles of building structures in Texas’ coastal counties in 24 hours.

Newly Developed Filters Use Nanoparticles to Prevent Slime Buildup

Researchers at the University of Pennsylvania’s School of Engineering and Applied Science have a new way of making membranes that could address this problem. Their method allows them to add in a host of new abilities via functional nanoparticles that adhere to the surface of the mesh.

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