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Roxul, a producer of stone wool insulation products and part of the Rockwool Group, has unveiled its plan to build a new manufacturing facility in West Virginia, US.
Australian construction firm Multiplex has bagged a contract to build a new science and engineering building (SEB) for the University of New South Wales (UNSW) in Australia.
Siemens has broken ground on a $300m expansion of Siemens Healthineers manufacturing and R&D facility for laboratory diagnostics in Walpole, Massachusetts.
Waterfront Toronto has secured CAD1.25bn ($962m) in funding from the governments of Canada, Ontario and Toronto for the Port Lands Flood Protection project.
US-based pharmaceutical firm Pfizer has started construction on its new research and development (R&D) and process development facility in Missouri, US.
Petrochemical company Braskem is set to move forward with the construction of a new polypropylene factory next to its existing production facilities in La Porte, Texas.
Airbus Helicopters, the helicopter manufacturing division of Airbus Group, has started construction on its H135 Final Assembly Line in China.
Telecommunications provider Vocus Group has announced the execution of a binding agreement with Alcatel Submarine Networks (ASN), referred to as contract-in-force (CIF), for the construction of the Australia-Singapore Cable (ASC) system.
Wacker Neuson has introduced the ET16 mini tracked excavator, designed particularly for excavation work in confined spaces.
John Deere has launched its 470G LC excavator, featuring an EPA Final Tier 4/EU Stage IV diesel engine.
Collins Earthworks has taken delivery of the first 75t Volvo EC750E excavator to reach the UK market, after the machine was launched at Bauma 2016 earlier this year.
Grosvenor Britain & Ireland and Arup have installed a new type of ‘living wall’ in the UK for the first time, with the technology fitted to scaffolding in Mayfair, London.The 80sq m ‘Living Wall Lite’ comprises a mixture of grasses, flowers and strawberries. According to Arup, the structure has been installed on scaffolding at the St Mark’s building on North Audley Street. Grosvenor is transforming the property into retail and community space, due to be completed in 2017.Besides the potential to reduce air pollution, Arup’s ‘Cities Alive: Green Building Envelope’ report has also shown that ‘living walls’ can reduce noise pollution by up to 10 decibels. Grosvenor development director Mark Tredwell said: “This is a great initiative and is in line with our long-term ambition to improve the environmental sustainability of the buildings across our London estate, reducing emissions by 50% by 2030. As the estate continues to adapt and evolve we want to ensure that the impact on the community is positive. As well as reducing air pollution, we hope the ‘living wall’ will introduce a rich biodiversity to Mayfair and encourage people to linger in the area.” Alistair Law, Arup façade engineer and the ‘Living Wall Lite’ developer said: “Living Wall Lite has the potential to transform scaffolding and hoardings into much more than just a cover-up. By introducing plants and flowers, we can create a more attractive and healthier environment for local residents, businesses and workers on site.”The ‘living wall’, designed by Arup and manufactured by Swedish ‘living wall’ specialist Green Fortune, will be fitted with sensors to monitor its impact on noise, temperature and air pollution.Find more information on ‘living walls’ here.
German researchers are developing a virtual reality (VR) technology to help prevent accidents on construction sites.
Morocco’s mosques are set to receive a ‘green makeover’ in a government-led initiative to improve efficiency and promote renewable energy.
Crane manufacturer Comansa CM has introduced a new series of flat-top tower cranes, with load capacities of 10–12t.
The International Organisation for Standardization (ISO) has laid down the design principles to create earthquake-resistant cranes. The new ISO 11031 can be used to calculate seismic loads, and sets out the design principles for cranes destined to work in seismically-active regions and for cranes required to be seismically-resistant.Klaus Pokorny, secretary of the ISO subcommittee working on design principles and requirements for cranes, said: “To make sure that cranes are safe, we first need to calculate the seismic loads that show how a crane will respond in moderate to severe earthquakes. Then you can use design limit states provided in two forms: serviceability limit and ultimate limit. “The serviceability limit state (SLS) ensures that the crane can withstand the effects of moderate earthquake ground motions throughout its service lifetime and continue to operate as intended. The ultimate limit state (ULS) requires that the crane structure should not collapse during severe earthquake ground motions, and that the suspended load or any other part of the crane should not fall or harm the public, operators and workers.” Pokorny added: “Any evaluation should take into account the regional seismic conditions as well as the ground surface conditions at the crane location. It’s also important to consider how the crane will be used and any risks that could result from seismic damage.“Not only will ISO 11031 add a layer of confidence to the industry, it also provides a common technical language so that manufacturers, users and owners understand each other clearly, no matter where they are — a boost for global trade.” The need of a standard to ensure seismic-resistant cranes was first highlighted by Japan, after the 1995 earthquake in Kobe.
Contractor A-one+ is resurfacing over 1.6km of the A1 at Brownieside in Northumberland using cold paving technology — a first for the UK.The company is using a bespoke Wirtgen CR 3200 machine to recycle the underlying layers of the road. The old surface material is churning up with new material within the machine, before laying it down immediately on the road behind. With the new method, 500 to 1,000t of road surface can be laid per hour — a significant increase when compared with the 100t per hour of conventional techniques.Additionally, it reduces the quarried stone used by 75%, the waste taken to landfill by 66%, and requires 70% fewer lorry trips to and from site. Steve Bishop, Highways England’s project manager, said: “This new technology is brilliant news for the thousands of drivers that use motorways and major A roads in the North East, who will benefit from smoother and safer journeys.“The road surface is designed to last for at least 10 years, meaning that we shouldn’t need to go back to carry out further repairs any time soon meaning less disruption for drivers.“This is the first machine of its type in the UK but the process is already successfully used in the USA, France and China. We are always working with our partners to trial new technologies that will help us to minimise disruption to drivers while we carry out essential road maintenance.”Work started at the beginning of August and is now finished.* More on cold paving technology in the UK and beyond here.
John Deere has entered into a partnership with HCSS to enhance its construction machinery data communication and analysis system WorkSight.The partnership will also focus on the incorporation of Deere’s JDLink machine monitoring system into HCSS’s software.The partnership was one of the results of the Association of Equipment Management Professionals (AEMP) working with major machine manufacturers to standardise the telematics data available for integration into other applications, known as the Application Programming Interface (API).Liz Quinn, John Deere WorkSight product marketing manager, said: “Our partnership with HCSS empowers customers to leverage the existing telematics connection on their John Deere equipment and see their JDLink machine data in the powerful HCSS tool suite in conjunction with other telematic brands. “In addition, customers will be able to easily link from the HCSS application to the MyJohnDeere.com environment when they need to order parts, manuals, or have a closer look at a John Deere machine in the JDLink Dashboard. Seeing all brands of telematics data in one application optimizes a customer’s fleet management decisions and eliminates manual data entry and jumping from one manufacturer’s portal to the next.”Matthew DiTarando, John Deere customer and IT manager at Comanco Environmental Corporation, said: “We look forward to utilizing the open JDLink Machine Data API and integrating that vital telematics data into our HCSS products. Combining these two into one cohesive system will enable us to thrust our fleet department forward into a future of advanced planning of scheduled maintenance utilizing real-time telematics.”HCSS has been testing the JDLink Machine Data API, which is scheduled to launch later this year.WorkSight incorporates five technologies: the JDLink Telematics, Machine Health Prognostics, Remote Diagnostics and ProgrammingPayload Weighing and Grade Control.
Kobelco Construction Machinery Europe (KCME) has introduced its new SK45SRX-6 mini excavator in Europe.The 4.5t mini excavator has been jointly launched with the latest version of the SK55SRX-6.Both machines feature the Yanmar engine, which reduces fuel consumption by 23% when used in S-mode, for normal work. Further fuel savings can be achieved through the integrated hydraulic circuitry of the three on-board hydraulic pumps, which reduces the overall engine/hydraulic workload.A decelerator button can also now be found on the operation lever as well as the dashboard. Additionally, the excavators’ on-site noise is reduced with the dust cooling system together with a front-facing air inlet and an under-slung exhausting system. Bluetooth and ports for USB can also be found in the machines.In the SK45SRX-6, the operator’s chair now reclines and features mechanical suspension, and both models feature improved operator visibility from the cab.Kobelco’s KCME product marketing manager Marcel van der Winden said: “The introduction of SK45SRX-6 fulfils KCME’s ideal of providing specialist earth moving machines within all popular classes. “As with all Kobelco Short Radius excavators, SK45SRX-6 delivers exceptional working performance while maintaining reduced operating costs. Minor updates to the SK55SRX-6 underline just how effective and efficient this machine has and always will be.”
Australia-based company Fastbrick Robotics has developed a giant truck-mounted robot that can construct an entire house in two days. Hadrian X can lay up 1,000 bricks an hour using a 28ft arm. The robot uses 3D scans to work out where to lay down the bricks, which are fed to the machine’s conveyor, then passed along the arm into a laser-guided claw. The claw grabs and lays them down using construction glue instead of cement.The smart machine cuts bricks to size and leaves spaces between them for wiring and plumbing.Fastbrick Robotics’ founder Mark Pivac told Perth Now: "People have been laying bricks for about 6,000 years and ever since the industrial revolution, they have tried to automate the bricklaying process."We're at a technological nexus where a few different technologies have got to the level where it's now possible to do it, and that's what we've done."It is estimated that the robot can build between 100-300 houses a year — without needing tea breaks, holidays or weekends off.Hadrian X took ten years to be developed and $4.5M in research and development. According to Fastbrick Robotics, it will take about a year before the machine will be launched onto the market.
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