Follow this tag to curate your own personalized Activity Stream and email alerts.
In the near-future, Dubai Civil Defence officers may be zooming in on to the scene of building fires using futuristic personal jetpacks.
Designed by New Zealand-based Martin Aircraft Company, the jet-packs can be operated by a single pilot for 30 minutes at ranges of between 30 and 50 kilometres at altitudes of up to 3,000 feet.
The pilot stands on a platform in a 'pilot module' between two propeller engines, which look like large versions of those commonly found on civilian drones.
— Khaleej Times
I'm not sure when or how it happened, but apparently jet packs are a real thing now. On Tuesday, the Dubai Civil Defense service signed a deal with Martin Aircraft for the future delivery of jetpacks, training material, and spare parts. Dubai's towering skyline necessitates a degree of vertical... View full entry
“I was a little disappointed in the fire service,” said Belles, standing on the charred hillside next to the dome in his semi-rural neighbourhood on the edge of town. — theguardian.com
Wildfires currently blazing in Okanogan County, Washington, have just broken the record for the biggest in the state’s history. With fire season just getting underway and September looking hot and dry, the so-called Okanogan Complex fires will likely persist for months.In Omak, a small town in... View full entry
High-rise buildings and apartments are crowding small alleyways and residential areas, investors ignoring the huge pressure they are putting on already weak infrastructure. [...]
Hai, a resident of Thanh Xuan District, said locals are most worried about the danger of fire [...]
High-rise developments also put a huge strain on local power and water supplies, struggling sewage systems and storm-water drainage, creating more hazards for neighbouring residents.
— vietnamnet.vn
A 56-year-old man has been arrested on suspicion of arson in connection with a fire that destroyed a downtown Los Angeles apartment complex last year, causing tens of millions of dollars in damage to the unfinished structure and a nearby city-owned building [...].
Abdulwali’s arrest followed an intense investigation that began even before firefighters fully extinguished the Dec. 8 blaze at the seven-story Da Vinci complex.
— latimes.com
Previously:Bad news for good taste - burnt Da Vinci apartments expected to be rebuilt in 10 monthsL.A. fire officials reveal new details about potential suspect in Da Vinci arson caseDowntown LA fire determined to be arson... Architecture hate crime?Huge downtown Los Angeles fire burns towering... View full entry
A rise from the ashes had always been in [developer Geoff] Palmer's mind for this charred housing project; he'd said in a statement back in December that the devastation at the building on the south side of Temple Street was just a 'temporary loss.' Now that all the wreckage from the fire has been cleared off the site, construction can begin. — la.curbed.com
The kind of "renaissance" (sorry) that many locals are probably not very thrilled about...Previously:L.A. fire officials reveal new details about potential suspect in Da Vinci arson caseDowntown LA fire determined to be arson... Architecture hate crime?Huge downtown Los Angeles fire burns towering... View full entry
Officials have offered a $170,000 reward for information leading to an arrest and conviction of the arsonist behind the blaze that consumed a seven-story building in the Da Vinci apartment complex and damaged the freeway and neighboring buildings. Investigators believe the suspect 'torched that building up from the freeway side and then escaped'... — Los Angeles Times
Well, L.A. fire officials are revealing some details. The L.A. Times reports that L.A. Fire Department Battalion Chief Steve Ruda informed Echo Park neighborhood council members last week that authorities have surveillance footage allegedly showing the suspect of the fire that engulfed a 7-story... View full entry
Glasgow-based Page\Park Architects have been appointed from a shortlist of five companies who bid for the role.
They will now start work on a detailed plan for restoration. Work is expected to begin in spring 2016 with hopes for academic access from 2017/2018.
The art school is continuing efforts to raise £20m to pay for the restoration of the Mackintosh and its contents. [...]
They were lead designers for the Mackintosh Conservation and Access Project from 2007-2009.
— bbc.com
If all goes to plan, the library that was damaged by a fire in May of last year will reopen for the 2017-2018 academic year. The Glasgow School of Art has provided additional information regarding Page\Park's restoration and working relationship with the School in a press release, presented here... View full entry
Glasgow-based Page\Park Architects have been appointed from a shortlist of five companies who bid for the role.
They will now start work on a detailed plan for restoration. Work is expected to begin in spring 2016 with hopes for academic access from 2017/2018.
The art school is continuing efforts to raise £20m to pay for the restoration of the Mackintosh and its contents. [...]
They were lead designers for the Mackintosh Conservation and Access Project from 2007-2009.
— bbc.com
If all goes to plan, the library that was damaged by a fire in May of last year will reopen for the 2017-2018 academic year. The Glasgow School of Art has provided additional information regarding Page\Park's restoration and working relationship with the School in a press release, presented here... View full entry
The Fire, Buildings and City Planning Departments are writing rules to govern what are called occupant-evacuation elevators — cars that can, in special circumstances, be used to move people down in an emergency. [...]
Experts who have spent years studying building evacuations believe that approach has become outmoded and is in itself potentially dangerous as extremely tall skyscrapers increasingly pierce the New York skyline.
— nytimes.com
After almost a year of impassioned debate, the Glasgow School of Art’s Director has announced that its Library will be restored to its original state. [...]
In response to Professor Inns' statement, Professor of Architecture Alan Dunlop asserts below that Mackintosh himself sought new forms in architecture and that there are architects capable of designing a new Library to live within his original masterpiece.
— bbc.co.uk
Previously: Five firms shortlisted for Mackintosh Library renovation after devastating fire View full entry
Residents affected by the fire that broke out in The Torch tower in Dubai Marina at the weekend have been moved to a nearby hotel while the extent of the damage is assessed. [...]
More than 1,000 people fled after a fire broke out at around 2am on Saturday in one of the tallest residential buildings in the world. [...]
The exact cause of the fire is yet to be determined.
— thenational.ae
Now millions of pounds are being raised towards returning the Mackintosh to its former glory, with the five shortlisted firms now being invited to detail their plans and make presentations in mid March. A winner will be selected later that month. [...]
The five firms are: Avanti Architects, John McAslan + Partners, LDN Architects LLP, Page \ Park Architects and Purcell.
— dailyrecord.co.uk
The fire that broke out in May of 2014 destroyed much of the Glasgow School of Art's historic library, designed by Scottish architect Charles Mackintosh. Around 70% of the building's contents were saved by firefighters, but the library itself was drastically damaged. Restoration discussions and... View full entry
The ATF national response team, at the end of its investigation, reaches one of three conclusions – incendiary, accidental, or undetermined. Given Thursday’s conclusion that the fire was determined to be "incendiary," or deliberately set, local authorities will probably launch an arson investigation to identify those responsible for the blaze. — latimes.com
Previously: Huge downtown Los Angeles fire burns towering apartment project View full entry
“When they came out of the quarters they could see it was fully engulfed,” fire department spokeswoman Katherine Main told the paper. “It was a building under construction in the framing phase. Almost 1 million square feet and a city block.” — RT
Freeway signs melt and windows in adjacent buildings burst in the intense heat. Two buildings near the burning construction site are damaged and freeways are closed for hours.The fire which burned down an unpopular (among the architects) apartment complex a 7 storey wood construction in its final... View full entry
Architectural experts are to meet in Venice to discuss the restoration of Glasgow School of Art's (GSA) Mackintosh library, which was destroyed in a fire in May.
The art school will host two meetings to explore key questions around the rebuilding of the unique library, one in the Italian city in October and the second in Glasgow next spring.
— telegraph.co.uk
Previously: Glasgow School of Art fire View full entry