Rather than using cranes to take the building apart from the outside, they start from the inside, taking the structure apart floor by floor from the top down. A crane inside the building lowers materials harvested from each floor to ground level, generating electricity to power other equipment in the process. So with Tecorep, higher buildings are actually an advantage, since the crane can generate more electricity lowering materials over longer distances. — popsci.com
In construction or renovation of buildings you'll be able to identify poorly insulated areas and badly wired electrical outlets before you put the drywall up. You'll find places where water has penetrated the structure where it should not have. Identifying mold and moisture is a much easier task with the Mµ Thermal Imager. — indiegogo.com
Mµ Optics is currently seeking financial support on crowsourced-funding website Indiegogo. The iPhone attachment may offer steep competition to the existing thermal imaging cameras that range in prices from $2,000 to $22,000, according to Mµ Optics. The Mµ Thermal Imager is... View full entry
Facebook recently got a big blue thumbs up from the Menlo Park Planning Commission to build its sprawling Frank Gehry-designed headquarters. Along with the requisite rezoning for the design, the commission approved the project’s environmental impact report, an official statement concluding that the new development would have more positive than negative effects on the area, and a cartographical change that will create a private road in front of the property called “Facebook Way.” — blogs.artinfo.com
A new partnership with the National Aeronautics and Space Administration brings an out-of-this-world opportunity for Cal Poly Pomona architecture students. Over the past months, students have been constructing a massive 30 foot structure in the parking lot of the Interim Design Center. [...]
The scenario given by NASA was to build a vertical habitat facility for four astronauts that can go into deep space for 60 days.
— thepolypost.com
The idea behind the 3Doodler is that it takes the core functionality of a 3D printer, essentially an extruder and a heat source, and jams it into a pen-shaped handheld device. Loaded with either ABS or PLA plastic, common feedstock for traditional 3D printers, the 3Doodler "prints" plastic objects by letting you draw them in freehand in three-dimensional space. — reviews.cnet.com
With a funding goal of $30,000, the 3Doodler Kickstarter project has already raked in almost 1.2 million dollars from over 13,000 backers. And you're definitely not too late to get in on the funding party—the project has 31 more days to go. What are your immediate thoughts of architectural... View full entry
Technology being used in urban communities around the world hints at how we may live in the cities of the future — BBC News
Jane Wakefield reviews recent efforts by large technology firms such as IBM and Cisco, as well as more grass root projects, to harness the power of technology to build the "cities of the future now". The list of projects includes Songdo in South Korea, Masdar in Abu... View full entry
Nvidia CEO Jen-Hsun Huang today announced that his company has begun work on a new campus. The building, designed by renowned architecture firm Gensler, will be located "directly across the street" from Nvidia's current headquarters in Santa Clara, California. "The new NVIDIA building will capture the ambition and imagination of our people," says Huang. "It will be the symbol, the physical manifestation, of our vision for the company." — theverge.com
For the latest edition of the ShowCase feature, Archinect profiled 253 Pacific Street, a project designed James Cleary Architecture. It is a newly constructed building in Brooklyn, New York containing three duplex residences. News Planetizen covered Arup’s proposal for a "smart"... View full entry
Billionaire businessman, James Packer has shortlisted four of the world’s best architects (Adrian Smith + Gill Architecture, Kohn Pedersen Fox Associates, Renzo Piano and Wilkinson Eyre Architects) to bid to design and build the urban masterpiece that will be Crown Sydney.
The proposed $1 billion six-star Crown Sydney resort will be a dramatic addition to Sydney’s skyline and be built across a giant 6,000 square metre site in Barangaroo.
— DesignBuild Source
In case you haven't checked out Archinect's Pinterest boards in a while, we have compiled ten recently pinned images from outstanding projects on various Archinect Firm and People profiles. Today's top images (in no particular order) are from the board Installations. ↑ Emmy's After Party... View full entry
Interdisciplinary teams will focus on the planning, design, construction and retrofitting of urban environments for the 21st century. — cau.mit.edu
Already, the world is becoming predominantly urban. However, the dominant form of urban living will be very similar to our older suburban regions in the U.S. This places substantial pressure on American suburban models, the dominant model of urban development copied worldwide, to set a better... View full entry
The global engineering firm envisions a "smart" building that will plug into "smart" urban infrastructure and cater to an increasingly dense and technology-savvy urban population. — planetizen.com
Download Arup's January 2013 issue of Foresight [PDF] View full entry
Contrary to the unfortunately all too typical scenario that finds large western companies exploiting the inexpensive, and often unethical, labor practices in China, at Lafayette 148 the architects are dependent upon but also develop the local tradition. The product is not, however, exported for profit but rather stays on site. In fact, this mode of fabrication could only occur in a situation such as the one in Shantou. — Domus
Started in Italy in 1928 by Gio Ponti, Domus has established itself as one of the most respected, and longest-running architecture & design publications. It is refreshing to see that it has also been able to embrace new technology in such a graceful way, as seen in their new iPad app. An... View full entry
Scientists and engineers from the Faculty of Ocean Engineering and Ship Technology at Gdansk University in Poland have teamed up with other Polish scientific and R&D institutions to come up with a landmark underwater hotel.
The Water Discus Underwater Hotel, as it is called, may not be the first but plans for the Dubai venue call for the biggest site of its kind.
— DesignBuild Source
