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3XN and Arcadis IBI release design for new University of Toronto Rotman Commerce Building

2024-07-12T19:09:00-04:00

3XN, in collaboration with Arcadis IBI, has revealed the design for a new, unified Rotman Commerce Building at the University of Toronto. The building aims to prepare students for professional life after university by fueling both learning and networking through open and interconnected spaces.

The current Rotman Commerce program is dispersed across four separate sites across the school’s St. George campus. The new 92,000-square-foot building will comprise five levels above ground and two levels below. It will host a variety of learning spaces, staff offices, and a 200-seat event space.

Image courtesy 3XN

The building’s design is guided by the principle that optimum learning is supported by flexibility, transparency, and interaction. As one moves through the building, the social levels shift, from the lower levels to the more private and quiet areas towards the top.

Image courtesy 3XN

The Rotman Commerce Building is designed in line with the University of Toronto’s Climate Positive ...

New York City announces the multibillion-dollar Financial District and Seaport Climate Resilience Master Plan

2021-12-30T17:54:00-05:00

The New York City Economic Development Corporation (NYCEDC) and the Mayor's Office of Climate Resiliency (MOCR) have released the Financial District and Seaport Climate Resilience Master Plan, a framework for comprehensive flood defense infrastructure to fortify Lower Manhattan in response to the increasing threat of climate change.

The plan is projected to cost $5 to $7 billion and will reimagine almost one mile of shoreline from The Battery to the Brooklyn Bridge with a resilient waterfront that can withstand severe coastal storms and rising sea levels. Based on the New York City Panel on Climate Change 90th percentile projections, noted in NYCEDC’s announcement, rising tides by the 2050s are expected to flood the Financial District and Seaport monthly and then daily by the 2080s. In addition, some level of frequent tidal flooding is likely to be seen as early as the 2040s.

The master plan features a multilevel waterfront that extends the shoreline of the East River by up to 200...

London, New York, Hong Kong are the most expensive cities in new International Construction Cost Index

2020-04-02T17:35:00-04:00

The latest International Construction Cost Index has just been released, and the top spots don't really come as a big surprise: London, New York, Hong Kong, Geneva, and San Francisco are the planet's most expensive cities for construction.

Compiled by design and consultancy organization Arcadis, the 2020 ICC Index surveyed construction costs, market conditions, and expert opinions in 100 large cities across six continents.

The top ten most expensive cities are:

1. London
2. New York
3. Hong Kong
4. Geneva
5. San Francisco
6. Copenhagen
7. Tokyo
8. Zurich
9. Dublin
10. Edinburgh

The ten cheapest surveyed cities are:

91. Hangzhou
92. Bangkok
93. Chengdu
94. Guangzhou
95. Wuhan
96. Shenzhen
97. Kuala Lumpur
98. Mumbai
99. New Delhi
100. Bengaluru

Arcadis 2020 International Construction Cost Index (Source)

The report also highlighted emerging industry trends associated with climate change, such as sustainable construction, decarbonization, climate resilience, and emission reduction goals.

New this year...

Shocker: New York tops list of most expensive cities for construction

2016-01-06T17:54:00-05:00

[The International Construction Costs Report 2016] found that New York, London and Hong Kong ranked as the world’s most expensive cities to build in, with strong currencies and significant resource constraints resulting in higher prices. Elsewhere, the gradual recovery in the Eurozone has meant that these markets have avoided this high construction inflation. While, in Asia, the Chinese economic slowdown and weakening demand in many cities means that overall growth in Asia is expected to ease