Archinect - News

The New Yorker goes inside the architectural cadaver Kanye West made in Malibu

2024-06-11T17:45:00-04:00

Saxon had been hired to carve an oceanside Turrell out of an angular fifty-seven-million-dollar Ando. Ye revealed to Saxon—although not all at once—that he wanted no kitchen, bathrooms, A.C., windows, light fixtures, or heating. He was intent on cutting off the water and the power (and removing the house’s cable and wiring, which ran through the concrete in plastic tubes). He talked of clarity, simplicity, and a kind of self-reliance.

Former contractor Tony Saxson opens up to The New Yorker about his time working with Kanye West and Bianca Censori on the stripped-bare interiors of their Tadao Ando-designed home in Malibu. Some of the better quotes include Ando saying “my decision to accept [clients] projects depends mainly on their personality and aura” and Ye telling Saxson triumphantly “This is going to be my bomb shelter. This is going to be my Batcave.”

Saxson would later file a lawsuit against West for the alleged illegal termination of his services on the demolition project. The house (which appears in a state of decay and cinematic disrepair via a drone video) was re-listed for $39 million – $14 million less than the $57.3 million West purchased it for in September 2021 – in early April.

Kanye West sued by project manager at Tadao Ando-designed home who was fired for refusing to perform illegal work

2023-09-14T16:13:00-04:00

A project overseer and estate guardian for Ye, previously recognized as Kanye West, claims he was dismissed for declining to eliminate all windows and electricity from Ye's Malibu residence, as per a legal complaint submitted recently in the Los Angeles County Superior Court and reported by NBC.

The legal action points to breaches of several labor standards, encompassing hazardous work environments, unsettled salaries, and unjust retaliatory firing.

The suit stems from a comprehensive overhaul the controversial rapper was attempting at the $57.3 million property, allegedly with the intention of converting Tadao Ando’s 4-bed, 4.5-bath residence into a bunker-type structure that resembles “a bomb shelter from the 1910s.” Photos published in May appear to show nearly all of the home’s glass and interior fit-out has been removed, adding to the contractor’s claims that Ye was pursuing a design devoid of appliances, electrical power, or even light fixtures.

“He continues his pattern of ...

HdM's Tour Triangle: Contractor selected as construction is set to formally begin

2022-01-25T16:58:00-05:00

An update has come in one of the most controversial developments in recent Parisian history: The Belgian construction group Besix has been announced as the contractor for the Herzog & de Meuron-designed Tour Triangle in the 15th arrondissement’s Parc des Expositions.

Global Construction Review is now reporting that the Brussels-based concern has been tapped by developers Unibail-Rodamco-Westfield (URW) to lead the building and construction of the €670 million ($757 million) mixed-use tower. The company can now add the project to its list of high-profile developments that includes the Uptown Tower in Dubai and Pierre Fakhoury's record-setting F Tower development in the Ivory Coast.

Previously on Archinect: Herzog & de Meuron's Tour Triangle is set to break ground in Paris despite a last-minute effort to stop it

The news comes about two months after a final attempt by local politicians to halt groundbreaking on the fraught 42-story development. Detractors have been pushing for years to...

Colorado contractors sue Denver over alleged unconstitutional vaccine mandate

2021-10-06T17:10:00-04:00

Alleging that vaccine mandates for contractors are unconstitutional, the Colorado Contractors Association is suing the city of Denver for requiring workers on public contracts to get inoculated against COVID-19.

The Colorado Contractors Association, along with six other construction associations, believe the mandate violates the U.S. Constitution’s contracts clause because it substantially impairs their existing contract rights with the city. As reported by Construction Dive, the associations expect the city to fine companies up to $5,000 per day if they do not comply. The Colorado Contractors Association (CCA) argues that this is much stricter than President Joe Biden’s executive order that businesses with 100 or more employees must require vaccinations or have employees get regularly tested for COVID-19.

The CCA says its members aren’t anti-vaccine, but the city of Denver hasn’t given contractors enough time to comply because of the prevalence of vaccine hesitancy among construction workers. The CCA attributes this delay to the fact that the construction industry is largely composed of minority workers who are more reluctant to get vaccinated due to mistrust of the government.

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Construction workers are battling the heat in unexpected regions

2021-07-24T09:00:00-04:00

Late last month, however, the Pacific Northwest saw the temperature skyrocket and break multiple records. The thermometer soared to 115 in Portland and 108 in Seattle. The heatwave caused up to 100 deaths in Oregon [...]. The usual regional temperature in June is in the high 80s. For outdoor construction work, the heat posed an unusual challenge in the region.

The potential for disruptions due to extreme weather comes as the industry was beginning to pull away from materials shortages caused by the coronavirus pandemic. Oregon has joined several other states in adopting protective labor laws. An updated OSHA protection rule is expected soon.

Construction Drive has more on the industry's response attempts to beat the heat here.

Autodesk and the Associated General Contractors of America launch media library to boost diversity in the construction industry

2021-06-29T18:16:00-04:00

Autodesk and the Associated General Contractors of America (AGC) have launched the Construction Diversity Image Library, a joint initiative that aims to increase representation and attract a more diverse AEC workforce.

The library is a collection of photographs, for use by media outlets, featuring diverse individuals in the construction workforce. Photos are of real construction teams on real job sites. The library launched with an established collection of photos provided by several AGC member firms. Autodesk and AGC hope to attract and encourage more organizations across the design and building industry to submit their own workforce photos.

This photo was sourced from the Construction Diversity Image Library. Photo: James Kim Photography + PC Construction in Accokeek, Maryland.

As noted in a press announcement, in 2019 and 2020, the annual workforce survey conducted by the AGC and Autodesk highlighted a growing demand for more talent. Eighty percent of contractors reported that th...

Balfour Beatty uses augmented reality eyeglasses on construction sites

2020-10-12T14:19:00-04:00

The company recently purchased three pairs of Vuzix Blade smart AR glasses that have a built-in camera that provides a view of jobsite walkthroughs or inspections, a boon during a time when travel restrictions can keep stakeholders away from a project. The smart glasses connect to hot spots on tablets or smartphones.

According to Construction Dive, Balfour Beatty US is using augmented reality (AR) eyeglasses on jobsites for safety and other inspections, meetings with clients and to work with drones. Cameron Wahl, the senior technology specialist with the company, has already seen "immediate benefits on RFIs and inspections" on Texas jobsites.

Katerra acquires two general contractors to bolster nationwide presence

2019-09-13T16:50:00-04:00

US prefab specialist Katerra has added two contractors to its stable of companies: UEB Builders and Fortune-Johnson General Contractors. The acquisitions allow the Silicon Valley company to expand its coverage of the US market. UEB Builders is a general contractor in Arizona that constructs commercial and residential projects. Georgia-based Fortune-Johnson specialises in multi-family residential projects. Both companies will adopt the Katerra brand.

According to Bim+, the acquisition will add 320 employees to Katerra's payroll, pushing the company's workforce to 8,500 individuals. In January 2019, the end-to-end building services provider also received an infusion of investment from Japan's SoftBank that raised Katerra's valuation to over $4 billion.

As U.S. construction industry struggles to attract new workers with record-high wages, contractors call for education and immigration reforms

2019-07-15T17:54:00-04:00

Earnings for US construction workers now outstrip the private sector average as contractors face what’s being called one of the tightest labour markets they’ve ever experienced. The situation has led a contractors’ group there to slam an education system that produces “too many over-qualified baristas and not enough bricklayers” as employers are forced to increase pay to attract skilled workers from a diminishing pool.

Global Construction Review reports on the recent response by the Associated General Contractors of America to June's construction jobs numbers, which signaled a continued struggle for the industry to attract enough skilled workers — despite higher-than-average hourly earnings of now $30.73.

"The association urged the federal government to help attract more people into high-paying construction careers by boosting funding for career and technical programs in schools and enacting immigration reform that allows more people with construction skills to legally enter the country," writes GCR.

In a recent statement, AGC’s chief executive officer, Stephen E. Sandherr, pointed out what his organization sees as reason for the now dried-up recruiting pipeline: "The nation’s education system continues to produce too many over-qualified baristas and not enough qualified bricklayers and other craft construction professionals. As a result of these educational imbalances, too many young adults are ...

Contractor of collapsed FIU bridge in Miami files for bankruptcy

2019-03-04T17:59:00-05:00

Facing lawsuits from a collapsed bridge it helped build, Munilla Construction Management is asking a bankruptcy judge to protect it from creditors while borrowing millions of dollars to make payroll, continue building and not shut its doors after decades as one of South Florida’s largest government contractors.

The bankruptcy proceedings come on the eve of the first anniversary of the tragic Florida International University pedestrian bridge collapse on March 15, 2018. Six people were killed in the accident.

South Korean construction companies expect big business in the north

2018-06-15T16:07:00-04:00

In the wake of the Singapore summit between Donald Trump and Kim Jong-un, South Korean builders are planning for a flood of infrastructure projects in the northern half of the peninsula. The Construction Association of Korea plans to hold a forum for construction companies, research institutes and public entities on 25 June to discuss possible projects and funding arrangements.

While Koreans on both sides of the Military Demarcation Line appear increasingly hopeful in the wake of recent friendly diplomatic exchanges, it's the deep-pocketed South Korean industrial conglomerates that have started to map out the north's opportunities for development. Shares in Hyundai Asan, Daewoo Engineering & Construction, Samsung C&T, and retail giant Lotte are trending up.

Connecticut contractor ordered to pay $3M for racial discrimination, harassment

2016-04-04T13:06:00-04:00

A painting contractor based in New England has been ordered to pay two former employees more than $1.5m each by a court in New Haven, Connecticut. The court ruled that the company had discriminated against the men on racial grounds.

The lawsuit alleged that a Sudanese-American employee, Yosif Bakhit, and an African-American employee, Kiyada Miles, of the firm Safety Marking faced a "pattern of abuse," racist harassment including insults and slurs, and racial discrimination, including being passed over for promotions that were instead given to less qualified white employees.

According to allegations, a caucasian colleague painted Miles' arm white and said to him, "That’s the only way you are going to move up in the company.” Bakhit reported an incident in which a foreman asked him to open an aspirin bottle then said, “I just wanted to see a black man pick cotton.”

Following a two-week trial, a federal jury ordered Safety Marking to give $1.4M in punitive damages to each man, as well as compensation from former colleagues named in the lawsuit.

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