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... View full entry
A planned Los Angeles County subway extension could see the light of day six months ahead of schedule, as the social and economic shutdown put in place to limit the spread of the novel coronavirus strain prompts authorities to consider consolidating construction activities. A recent... View full entry
The state of Hawaii's Department of Accounting and General Services (DAGS) has issued a Request for Qualifications for contractors interested in bidding on the first phase of the New Aloha Stadium Entertainment District in Honolulu. The first five years of work will include a replacement stadium and ancillary commercial mixed-use development and will be delivered through a public-private partnership (P3). — Construction Dive
According to Construction Dive, Phase 1A of the project will include the demolition of the current 50,000-seat stadium; design, construction, financing and maintenance of a new 35,000-seat stadium, due to open August 2023. The work will also include necessary infrastructure, including... View full entry
Ma, who makes his home in Pacific Palisades, is in fact a superstar in his native country, China, where he has completed skyscrapers, opera houses, museums, apartments and entire neighborhoods. But both there and here, like a quiet, mysterious character in one of Lucas’ tales (Boba Fett comes to mind), he hovers in the background, nonetheless wielding enormous power. — Los Angeles Times
The Los Angeles Times today published a Sam Lubell profile of Ma Yansong, founder and creative mind of of Beijing- and LA-based MAD Architects. Rendering courtesy of Lucas Museum of Narrative Art. Yansong talks about his under-construction Lucas Museum of Narrative Art in Los Angeles, the... View full entry
Work on the giant Battersea Power Station redevelopment site will not restart until the end of April at the earliest.
Construction was paused last week on the scheme where Mace and Sir Robert McAlpine are main contractors on phase two and three.
But an update from Battersea Power Station Development Company boss Simon Murphy has clarified the client’s position.
— Construction Enquirer
As COVID-19 health precautions are being tightened in the UK, London's in-progress Battersea Power Station megadevelopment also just extended its temporary site closure through the end of April. The delay impacts construction progress on the $11 billion project master-planned by Rafael... View full entry
The constant cacophony that has trumpeted Philadelphia’s remarkable construction boom has quieted. Towering cranes are still, jackhammers are silent, and construction vehicles have stopped their beeping back-up warnings.
And thousands of people in construction-related jobs are out of work.
— Philadelphia Inquirer
The Philadelphia Inquirer’s Michaelle Bond reports on how Pennsylvania’s strict construction shutdown is impacting building professionals, in-process projects, and, by extension, the state’s regional economy. Unlike other states, including New Jersey and California, where certain types... View full entry
Located in the Bedford neighborhood of Toronto, 321 Davenport, developed by Alterra, is a nine-storey mid-rise building consisting of private penthouses, each with expansive views of the surrounding urban landscape. Exterior view into suite. "321 Davenport embraces the gentle density of the... View full entry
One Los Angeles city councilman, now out of office, admitted last week that he accepted envelopes of cash from a businessman in casino bathrooms. [...]
Yet another council member allegedly sought a $500,000 cash bribe from a real estate developer, according to a plea deal struck between federal investigators and a political fundraiser who admitted collecting much of the money in a paper bag.
— Los Angeles Times
Los Angeles Times reporters David Zahniser and Emily Alpert Reyes shed light on the growing number of municipal corruption scandals in Los Angeles. A probe by the Federal Bureau of Investigations has revealed the degree to which real estate development plays a role in feeding “pay-to-play”... View full entry
“I feel like I am atoning for some of what I did,” says Yasmeen Lari with an embarrassed chuckle. “I was a ‘starchitect’ for 36 years, but then my egotistical journey had to come to an end. It’s not only the right of the elite to have good design.” — Yasmeen Lari, in The Guardian
Oliver Wainwright talks with Yasmeen Lari, who was named the 2020 Jane Drew Prize laureate earlier this year. She looks back on her architectural career, which began with designing glitzy corporate monuments and then switched to humanitarian work after the devastating 2005 Pakistan... View full entry
Bay Area health officials issued a sweeping new order on Tuesday banning a range of commercial and residential construction that had previously been exempt from stay-at-home mandates. The move could swell the record number of Californians seeking unemployment by putting some construction workers out of jobs. — San Francisco Chronicle
After issuing a shelter-in-place order for six counties in the San Francisco Bay Area on March 16, health officials now increased the measure by also restricting construction activity on market-rate housing projects which was exempt until now. Related on Archinect: Not all construction projects... View full entry
Over the course of six years, OPEN Architecture transformed five decommissioned aviation fuel tanks into a vibrant contemporary art center and public park. Overlooking the banks of Shanghai's Huangpu River, the art center has attracted hoards of visitors and large cultural events since opening in... View full entry
It's been a tumultuous few weeks, no doubt. While you can always find the latest pandemic updates relevant to the architecture and design community in Archinect's news section and social media channels (Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn), it can be nice sometimes to take a little break and simply marvel... View full entry
The new Tupelo shelters are designed to be easily and strategically combined with additional rigid-walled Tupelo shelters as well as soft tent shelters. [...] the new shelter’s dynamic design can adapt to fit needs in healthcare for treatment and testing, and perhaps in the evolving classroom setting as well. The shelter can be “flat-packed,” meaning the shelter walls can be stacked on top of each other for high-volume, rapid transportation to affected areas. — Composites World
Rhode Island-based Core Composites, a leading company that has built and designed advanced composite-based, rigid-wall shelters for the U.S. military, is working to quickly develop an easily deployable shelter that can be used for COVID-19 testing and treatment, and to aid over-capacity hospitals. View full entry
The end of the semester is approaching and with many students preparing for their final reviews, the reality of presenting virtually has set in. I had the pleasure to attend my first digital mid-review this past week at Woodbury University. It was a fun and engaging experience and the projects... View full entry
Across the country, some state mandates have shut down all nonessential business and request that employees work remotely wherever possible, and shelter-in-place orders have kept people from leaving their homes aside from vital errands.
At the same time, even in some of the cities and states with the most stringent shutdowns, construction continues.
— Construction Dive
A number of US States have ordered all non-essential construction projects to halt in an effort to flatten the curve among workers. But of course, "essential" is a fluent term and interpretations vary from state to state. Construction Dive took a look at a few ongoing megaprojects and how they... View full entry
