CEM

เปิดบันทึกส่วนตัว เอาไว้สะสม News Clipping ที่เอาไว้ใช้ได้ในการเรียนการสอน

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เว่อร์จริงๆ.. เอาไว้ให้เด็กดูได้ @10831 ที่นี่

Inhabitat

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June 9, 2008

Rotating Wind Power Tower to begin construction in Dubai

by Mahesh Basantani

Dubai has garnered much attention in recent years with a never-ending supply of architectural wonders being built, or proposed, at a head spinning pace. Mostly these towering structures are grand and tall, but some are also green. We’ve covered many an ambitious Dubai skyscraper scheme here at Inhabitat, including David Fisher’s Rotating Tower, but there is new news from Fisher’s Dynamic Architecture firm. This self-sufficient, sun and wind powered design is making headlines once again as the Italian-Israeli architect has just unveiled the latest design for his twirling tower, and construction is set to begin this month!

The Dynamic Architecture building has been aptly named Rotating Tower as the floors would be capable of rotating around a central axis. It will be continually in motion, changing shape and giving residents the ability to choose a new view at the touch of a button. The form of the building would constantly change as each floor rotates separately giving a new view of the building as it turns. According to Fisher, the building ensures a very high resistance to earthquakes as each floor rotates independently.

The new tower is the first building of its size to produced in a factory. Each floor, made up of 12 individual units, complete with plumbing, electric connections, air conditioning, etc., will be fabricated in a factory. These modular units will be fitted on the concrete core or spine of the building at the central tower.

The 59-floor building will be powered entirely by sun and wind energy. And, the architect claims that the building will generate 10 times more energy than required to power it, thus making it a positive energy building. Solar panels will be fitted on the roof to harness sunlight, and a total of 48 wind turbines will be sandwiched between the rotating floors, placed so that they are practically invisible. Each wind turbine could produce up to 0.3 megawatt of electricity, and it is estimated that 1,200,000 kilowatt-hours of energy would be generated every year.

Construction is going to start soon, with an official launch later this month, and plans are also afoot to build a similar tower in Moscow.

+ Dynamic Architecture

Via BDOnline and GizMag

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@11180

Dubai in 2050

I remember, when I was in Dubai, in 1999 (not sure), an artisit designed a poster that had an envisioned image of Dubai in 2050. You can check it out below:

(Click to enlarge)

And me and my friends used to laugh at the poster, that it’s impossible for Dubai to look like that. But now.. I think that’s going to be possible in just another 10-15 years!

 

0-14 Tower

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Arabian Blade

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Burj Dubai

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Dancing Towers

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DubaiLand Snow Dome

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Falcon City Of Wonders

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Madinat Al Arab

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Dubai Marina

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Dubai Metro

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Dubai Old Town

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The Opus

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Dubai Pearl

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Dubai Renaissance

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Dubai Sports City

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Dubai Towers

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Dubai Waterfront

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Golden Dome

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Dubai Hydropolis

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Palm Islands

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Sports Science World

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The Cloud

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The World

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Da Vinci Tower

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Arch Bridge

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Updates (27-3-2008)

Dubai Mall

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Dubai World Central International Airport

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Aaaah, finally. That was the last one So, what do u say guys? Shouldn’t that poster be titled to Dubai in 2015? I would like to know our views about this post and will look forward to your comments.

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บ้านอเมริกัน หลังละเกิน 100ล้าน USD (asking price) คงได้ราคาไม่เต็มตามนี้ และคงขายได้สักหลังใน ๓ ปีจากนี้
้ราคาสูงสุดที่เคยขายได้คือ 103ล้าน

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ดูำำไบอีกแล้ว

Construction to Start on Rotating Wind-Power Tower in Dubai

Written by Jaymi Heimbuch    Friday, 13 June 2008

Remember way back last May when we talked about the twirling tower that seemed, well, off the wall? Surprise, surprise, it is set to start construction in Dubai this month.

Each of the 59 floors of the tower will be able to rotate independently of each other, and in between them will be wind turbines to generate all the power needed to run the tower, plus, apparently, several others. The tower is expected to generate 10 times the power it needs through solar panels on the roof and 48 wind turbines, each of which are expected to generate as much as 0.3 megawatts of electricity, creating an estimated 1,200,000 kilowatt hours of energy annually. These are some seriously big numbers…and we’ll see how they pan out.

As for the construction, the floors will be made of 12 individual units all created in a factory and spit out fully complete, with plumbing, electrical, air conditioning and everything else in place. The floors will then be fitted to a concrete tower core According to architect David Fisher, designer of the building, this construction will make it highly earthquake resistant, as well as just plain neat to watch as folks push the button that makes their floor spin.

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Pictured: The state-of-the-art luxuries aboard the world's largest cruise ship

By Daily Mail Reporter
Last updated at 10:07 AM on 20th June 2008

Currently under construction, these pictures offer a first glimpse of the luxury that awaits passengers on the world's largest cruise liner.

The Oasis of the Seas will be a state-of-the-art travelling city complete with a shopping mall, numerous bars and restaurants, and an outdoor amphitheatre the size of a football field with its own micro-climate and rock-climbing walls.

The 220,000 tonne behemoth - which will be 1,081ft long and tower 213ft above the water line - will have a staggering 16 passenger decks.

Scroll down for more

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An artist's impression of how the Oasis of the Seas, complete with rock-climbing walls, will look once construction has been completed

 

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Hi-tech: A bar that moves between decks

She is currently being built at a cost of £610million in Aker Yards in Turku, Finland and is due to set sail next year.

Designed under the name Project Genesis, she was rechristened Oasis of the Seas last month, following a contest to name the ship.

The cruise liner is scheduled to hit the seas in late 2009, when she will operate Caribbean cruises out of Port Everglades in Florida.

Construction on a sister ship, Allure of the Seas, is due to begin shortly.

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The luxurious liner will come with its own shopping mall

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The ship's open-air amphitheatre that will come with its own micro climate

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World's longest cable-stayed bridge opens in China

Tue Jul 1, 12:05 PM ET

SHANGHAI (AFP) - The world's longest cable-stayed bridge has officially opened in eastern China, linking the two banks of the Yangtze river, state media reported Tuesday.

The Sutong bridge, which spans 1,088 metres (3,570 feet) over China's longest waterway and links the cities of Suzhou and Nantong, officially opened with a ceremony Monday after a month-long trial, the Shanghai Daily reported.

The six-lane bridge is expected to boost economic growth in the region and cut the travel time between Shanghai and Nantong to one hour from the previous four hours, the report said.

Up to 30,000 vehicles a day crossed the bridge during the trial, the Xinhua news agency reported.

"With the bridge, it takes just seven minutes to drive across the Yangtze," the agency quoted Jiangsu province's transportation director, You Qingzhong, as saying.

The 1.15-billion-dollar bridge, which overtakes Japan's 890-metre (2,900-foot) Tatara Bridge as the longest of its kind, is a feat of modern Chinese engineering, the project's chief engineer Wu Shouchang said.

"The bridge is a good demonstration of China's scientific achievements in bridge construction over the past years," Xinhua quoted Wu as saying.

The bridge, 108 kilometers (67 miles) upstream from the mouth of the Yangtze River, joins the national highway network on both banks, Xinhua said.

The bridge is supported by soaring steel and concrete towers that stand 300 meters tall.

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“สมัคร” ฉาวอีก! บ.ญี่ปุ่นสารภาพ จ่ายสินบน กทม.400 ล้านเยน อุโมงค์ระบายน้ำท่วม สมัยเป็นผู้ว่าฯ

โดย ผู้จัดการออนไลน์ 7 กรกฎาคม 2551 15:05 น.

ผู้จัดการออนไลน์ – อดีตผู้บริหารรับเหมาก่อสร้างญี่ปุ่นนิชิมัตซึ สารภาพกับอัยการโตเกียว เคยจ่ายสินบนกว่า 400 ล้านเยนให้กับ กทม. เพื่อให้ได้โครงการสร้างอุโมงค์ระบายน้ำคลองแสนแสบและคลองลาดพร้าวในปี 2546 สมัยที่นายสมัคร สุนทรเวช เป็นผู้ว่าราชการกรุงเทพมหานคร
       
       เมื่อวันเสาร์ที่ 5 ก.ค. ที่ผ่านมา สำนักข่าวเกียวโด นิวส์ ได้เผยแพร่รายงานข่าวระบุว่า อดีตผู้บริหารบริษัทก่อสร้าง นิชิมัตซึ คอนสตรัคชัน (Nishimatsu Construction) ได้เปิดเผยกับอัยการว่า ในปี 2546 (ค.ศ.2003) บริษัทเคยให้เงินสินบนแก่เจ้าหน้าที่ชาวไทยจำนวนมากกว่า 400 ล้านเยน หรือราว 125 ล้านบาท เพื่อแลกกับการได้งานในโครงการอุโมงค์ระบายน้ำท่วม แสนแสบ-ลาดพร้าว โดยรายละเอียดของข่าวมีดังนี้
       
       แหล่งข่าวกล่าวว่า อดีตผู้บริหารของ นิชิมัตซึ คอนสตรัคชัน ถูกสอบสวนโดยสำนักงานอัยการเขตโตเกียว กรณีต้องสงสัยว่าฝ่าฝืนกฎหมายการแลกเปลี่ยนเงินตราต่างประเทศ และ กฎหมายการค้าระหว่างประเทศโดยมีการนำเงินราว 100 ล้านเยนเข้ามาในประเทศโดยไม่ได้รายงานกับศุลกากร
       
       นอกจากนี้ด้วยสายสัมพันธ์ระหว่างนิชิมัตซึ คอนสตรัคชัน ซึ่งมีสำนักงานใหญ่อยู่ที่โตเกียวกับผู้รับเหมาท้องถิ่น ยังทำให้ในเดือนกันยายน 2546 บริษัทยังได้รับสัมปทานโครงการก่อสร้างอุโมงค์ผันน้ำให้ของทางกรุงเทพมหานคร โดยโครงการดังกล่าวมีมูลค่าราว 6,000 ล้านเยน
       
       หลังจากทำการปรึกษากับผู้บริหารของบริษัทรับเหมาของไทยที่เป็นคู่ ค้ากัน พนักงานของนิชิมัตซึที่อยู่ที่ประเทศไทยเป็นผู้เตรียมเงินสินบนแหล่งข่าว กล่าว โดยเงินสินบนดังกล่าวถูกนำไปจ่ายให้กับข้าราชการและเจ้าหน้าที่ที่ดูแลการ ประมูลโครงการในช่วงก่อนและหลังการประมูล
       
       ผู้บริหารของบริษัทนิชิมัตซึคนดังกล่าวยังกล่าวอ้างด้วยว่า ตัวเขาเองไม่ได้มีส่วนร่วมโดยตรงกับการติดสินบนเจ้าหน้าที่ของกรุงเทพมหานคร แต่ยืนยันว่า “เพื่อตอบแทนในการให้โครงการก่อสร้างอุโมงค์ บริษัทได้จ่ายเงินมากกว่า 400 ล้านเยนให้กับข้าราชการไทย” แหล่งข่าวระบุ
       
       “เงินค่าดำเนินการ (สินบน) ดังกล่าวจำเป็นอย่างมากเพื่อที่จะทำให้ได้โครงการจากหน่วยงานภาครัฐของไทย” เขากล่าว
       
       ก่อนหน้านี้ในเดือนมิถุนายนที่ผ่านมา อัยการได้ทำการตรวจสอบสำนักงานใหญ่ของนิชิมัตซึใน ตำบลมินาโตะ ในกรุงโตเกียว ที่มีความเกี่ยวพันกับอดีตผู้บริหารของบริษัทที่ต้องสงสัยว่าละเมิดกฎหมาย การแลกเปลี่ยนเงินตราต่างประเทศ โดยอัยการสงสัยว่าเงินจำนวน 100 ล้านเยนที่เขานำเข้ามาในญี่ปุ่นนั้นเกี่ยวข้องกับกรณีดังกล่าว
       
       นอกจากกรณีข้างต้นแล้ว อัยการโตเกียวจะดำเนินการสืบสวนกรณีบริษัทที่ปรึกษาการก่อสร้างยักษ์ใหญ่ ชื่อ แปซิฟิก คอนซัลแตนท์ส อินเตอร์เนชันแนล (Pacific Consultants International) ที่ต้องสงสัยว่าจะทำการติดสินบนกับโครงการในประเทศเวียดนาม โดยโครงการดังกล่าวนั้นได้รับการสนับสนุนจากรัฐบาลญี่ปุ่น
       
       สำหรับนายสมัคร สุนทรเวช นายกรัฐมนตรีคนปัจจุบันนั้นเคยดำรงตำแหน่งผู้ว่าราชการกรุงเทพมหานคร ระหว่างปี พ.ศ. 2543-2547 ขณะที่ปลัดกรุงเทพมหานครคือ นางณฐนนท ทวีสิน
       
       ย้อนรอยโครงการอุโมงค์ส่งน้ำแสนแสบ-ลาดพร้าว
       
       การประกาศผลการประกวดราคาโครงการสร้างอุโมงค์ระบายน้ำคลองแสนแสบ และคลองลาดพร้าว ซึ่งมีนายชาญชัย วิทูรปัญญากิจ รองผู้อำนวยการสำนักการระบายน้ำ กรุงเทพมหานคร (กทม.) เป็นประธาน เมื่อวันที่ 3 กรกฎาคม 2546 มีรายละเอียดดังนี้คือ
       
       มีการยื่นซองการประกวดราคาจากบริษัทที่ผ่านการพิจารณาด้านเทคนิค 3 บริษัท ทั้งนี้ กิจการร่วมค้าไอเอ็น หรือ บริษัทมหาชนจำกัด อิตาเลียนไทย และนิชิมัสซึเป็นบริษัทที่เสนอราคาต่ำสุดในการก่อสร้างโครงการนี้ โดยเสนอที่ราคา 2,115,134,912 บาท ขณะที่ บริษัท ช.การช่าง จำกัดเสนอราคา 2,150,868,846 บาท และบริษัทเนาวรัตน์พัฒนาการ จำกัด เสนอราคา 2,238,994,474 บาท
       
       จากนั้นประธานคณะกรรมการฯได้ใช้เวลาเจรจาต่อรองกับผู้แทนกิจการร่วม ค้า ไอเอ็นเพื่อให้ลดราคาลง โดยกทม.ขอต่อราคาลง 49 ล้านบาทเพราะเห็นว่าบริษัทน่าจะไปลดราคา ในส่วนของปั้มน้ำลงได้อีก แต่กิจการร่วมค้า ไอเอ็นไม่ยอม หลังจากใช้เวลาต่อรองกันนานถึง 1 ชั่วโมงครึ่ง กิจการร่วมค้า ไอเอ็น ตกลงยอมลดให้ 20ล้านบาท เหลือที่ ราคา 2,094,995,500 บาท (อ่านข่าว : กทม.เปิดซองให้ “ไอเอ็น” รับเหมาสร้างอุโมงค์ส่งน้ำแสนแสบ-ลาดพร้าว (4 ก.ค. 2546) )
       
       สำหรับ โครงการอุโมงค์ระบายน้ำคลองแสนแสบและคลองลาดพร้าวนี้ เป็นโครงการแก้ปัญหาและป้องกันน้ำท่วมในพื้นที่เขตห้วยขวาง บางกะปิ บึงกุ่ม ลาดพร้าว สวนหลวง และสะพานสูง ครอบคลุมพื้นที่ทั้งหมด 150 ตารางกิโลเมตร โดยเป็นโครงการส่งน้ำจากพื้นที่ข้างต้นซึ่งเป็นพื้นที่ต่ำกว่าระดับน้ำทะเล ให้ระบายออกสู่แม่น้ำเจ้าพระยาได้รวดเร็ว ทั้งนี้ หากผู้ว่าฯกทม.อนุมัติลงนามว่าจ้างกิจการร่วมค้าฯดำเนินการ ก็สามารถเริ่มก่อสร้างได้ทันที โดยระยะเวลาก่อสร้าง โครงการ 1,440 วัน ใช้งบประมาณกทม.ปี 2544-2549
       
       ทั้งนี้ก่อนหน้าที่จะมีการประกาศผลการประกวดราคาโครงการอุโมงค์ ระบายน้ำคลองแสนแสบและลาดพร้าวได้ถูกร้องเรียนจากบริษัทสี่แสงการโยธา (1979) จำกัด และคณะ ซึ่งเป็นบริษัทที่เสนอเข้าประกวดราคาโครงการนี้แต่ไม่ผ่านการพิจารณาด้าน เทคนิค ว่าการประกวดราคาครั้งนี้ไม่โปร่งใส

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Collapse of WTC7: Controlled demolition?

 

 

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US crisis over $5 trillion loans liability

By OBSERVER NEWS SERVICE
James Doran
New York

White House scrambles for options to rescue mortgage companies Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac

President Bush and US Treasury Secretary Hank Paulson were locked in high-level talks with regulators this weekend to decide the fate of more than $5 trillion-worth of American home loans and the future of the country's two biggest mortgage guarantee companies.

Shares in Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, which between them own or guarantee some $5.2 trillion-worth of US mortgages, fell sharply on Friday as the companies teetered on the brink of collapse.

Speculation mounted last week that a government bailout was on the cards as the housing market crisis continues to worsen. Both Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac operate under US government charter to buy mortgages and repackage them into securities, as a means of providing liquidity and stability to the housing market. But as the value of US homes and the market for mortgage-backed securities continue to freefall, both are struggling to maintain adequate capitalisation.

The biggest problem is the huge increase in foreclosures that has followed the sub-prime mortgage crisis. Fannie and Freddie guarantee some 40 per cent of all mortgages in the US, but the value of the homes used to underwrite those mortgages has in many cases fallen well below the value of the loans.

Fears that either Fannie, Freddie or both could collapse prompted Bush to call an emergency meeting with Paulson and other officials last week.

One plan under discussion was to put the two companies into so-called 'conservatorship' - a halfway house between privatisation and nationalisation. Such a plan would render their shares worthless and effectively heap responsibility for their loan books onto the federal government. This could prove disastrous for US Treasury bonds, the market for which is only $4.6 trillion.

Sources close to the US Treasury suggested, however, that it was more likely the Federal Reserve would intervene to help the two companies shore up their finances. The Fed could extend them 10-year loans on favourable terms. Alternatively, it could buy shares in each company in the event of a cash call. 'Both of these routes would seem less drastic and more favourable than any direct government control,' the source said.

Paulson seemed to echo that view in a statement on Friday: 'Today our primary focus is supporting Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac in their current form as they carry out their important mission.'

Wall Street is also braced for a fresh round of bad news from troubled investment bank Merrill Lynch. Chief executive John Thain is expected to announce as much as $5bn more in write-downs related to the credit crunch. He is also expected to answer calls to sell off stakes in Bloomberg, the financial information company, and Blackstone Group, the asset manager.

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TAMING TYPHOONS: Incredible Storm Water Sewer System

by Evelyn Lee

๋ีJuly 17, 2008

If you think that’s a computer rendering, guess again. The incredible engineering masterpiece pictured above is a massive stormwater management solution for the metropolitan area of the city of Saitama, Japan. While it looks like the set of the next action blockbuster or music video, the structure is real and will leave you washed away if you overstay your welcome when a typhoon hits. Coming in at 25.4 meters tall (83 feet) and 78 meters (255 feet) wide and running 177 meters long (580 feet), the massive underground system started construction in 1992, and is open for tourists interested in exploring a vast concrete landscape.

The Metropolitan Area Outer Discharge Channel was designed to alleviate the rainfall that has caused six major floods to occur in the region since 1979, two from typhoons, providing an underground response to an above ground occurrence. According to engineers, the gargantuan sewer water discharge channel will reduce the flooded area by more than 80%. Completed behind schedule a few years ago, this extensive system has yet to be put to use, but is open for inquiring minds wanting to experience the self designated “underground temple” firsthand.

With the unfortunate string of natural disasters occurring now-a-days, we are always happy to see advance planning. Although a large and costly undertaking, the metropolitan inhabitants of Saitana, Japan can rest a little easier, knowing that their water troubles will be well beneath them when the next major storm hits.

+ Metropolitan Area Outer Discharge Channel

Via ArchDaily

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Building cracks up and tilts

By Sunday Nation
Published on July 20, 2008

People ran for their lives yesterday after part of a three-storey Ramkham-haeng Road building crac-ked and tilted to the rear.

Residents remove their belongings from the building yesterday.

The building in Soi 584/4 is divided into 20 shop-houses and was found to have cracks in the walls and floors. There is now a 30-degree list to the rear.

Tenants evacuated taking their stock and belongings with them. Some moved goods to the front of the building with the help from disaster workers. No one was injured.

Emergency teams

Bang Kapi district chief Prasert Thongnun says the 30-year old building started to cave in at 3am. The fire department was sent in, as were rescue teams.

Residents say they heard a loud crack and saw the building tilting over.

Prasert says there is no threat if the building collapses to the rear, which is vacant. Engineers will inspect the building for causes today.

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12 Unbelievable Examples of Buildings in Motion: From Floating Churches to Rotating Skyscrapers

Written by Urbanist on July 21st, 2008 - Topics: Architecture, History, Street Art, Urbanism

You may have heard about the impressive and flashy new moving skyscraper set to be erected in Dubai. However, did you know that one man is single-handedly rebuilding his own stone henge (without modern machinery) or that entire Egyptian temples (originally carved out of mountainsides) have been relocated? Here are twelve fantastic feats of ingenuity and structural engineering that range from pragmatic to artistic, from seemingly impossible moving buildings to incredibly creative building moving projects.

(images via: Wikipedia)

In one of the most amazing building moving feats in history the twin temples of Abu Simbel, carved out of an Egyptian mountainside, were moved to avoid flooding from the construction of a nearby dam along the Nile river. Shown above is a model showing the former and current locations, the former being hundreds of feet underwater and the latter placed in new artificial hillsides. The structures had to be carefully cut out piece by piece, labeled and individually reassembled at their new locations.

(images via: Fogonazos)

The Peter Green House at Brown University appears at first glance to be a rickety candidate for a building moving project. The first video above video shows in fast-motion the process of slowly slide the building to its new location a few hundred feet away. Timing was critical for lifting this structure so no unequal stresses were introduced to the building which could have resulted in catastrophic structural failures.

(images via: Plan Philly and Joel Tropp)

Built in the middle of the 1800s the Floating Church of the Redeemer was built in Bordertown, NJ and was towed to a busy dock in Philadelphia. The Churchman’s Missionary Association for Seamen was apparently interested in catering to sailors in a quite direct fashion. The building was eventually rolled onto land where it survived for a few years before succumbing to a Christmas morning fire.

(image via: Aran Johnson)

The London Bridge has an impressive history dating back two thousand years to roman times. It was destroyed and rebuilt dozens of times in wood and stone and it was one such stone bridge that was eventually disassembled and moved, piece by piece, all the way to the United States. The version in Arizona is not a complete replica but it is clad with the original stone and those stones fetched a handsome 2.5 million dollars.

(images via: Solar Navigator)

The Belle Tout lighthouse survived near the edge of a cliff for over 150 years shining light visible for 20 miles. A few years back 20 of the 30 feet of cliff protecting the lighthouse suddenly crumbled, leaving only a few meters between the structure and its destruction on the rocks far below. Unwilling to give up on the building, its owner chose to move it instead and after five months of construction and structural preparation managed a miraculous slide of this 125-ton structure 17 meters to save it.”

The four videos above show (respectively) the move of the Newton-Wellesly Hospital - a 900 ton brick building - the he simultaneous moves of three wooden structures at Harvard University, and the move of a residence along a canal and the transport of the Schubert Theater. The slower-moving videos have been sped up to show the progress of these incredible building moving projects.

This man is truly a genius. A simple builder by trade he has turned his talents to recreating the entire structure of Stone Henge - all by himself. How is that possible? He has used a series of simple tricks and elementary home-made wooden machines that anyone could build to do two critical tasks: (1) move large objects (including entire buildings) leveraging with only his own muscle power and (2) tilt up objects using simple weights and pulley systems and, again, only his own strength. What does this prove? That if the original builders of Stone Henge used elementary technology an incredibly small crew could have built it.

(images via: P3dro)

Turning the Place Over is a strange art project in which part of a building was essentially cut out and made to rotate through a series of positions including its original one - a literal deconstruction/reconstruction process to make postmodernists proud. The giant rotator used is a powerful device used in the nuclear industry and the resulting effect is a smooth (though entirely disturbing) view into the building that shifts slowly as the opening twists, morphs and eclipses again in a never-ending sequence.

(images via: Dynamic Architecture)

Perhaps the most talked about ‘moving building’ of all time is the first moving skyscraper set to be built in Dubai. Eighty stories of towers are set to rotate around a central axis facilitated by wind-powered turbines on each floor. There is talk of building these in other major cities around the world but Dubai looks to be the first projected to have one finished - they are aiming for completion in 2010.

Not quite sure you are ready to move an entire house? Check out these firemen as they relatively effortlessly lift a car into the air. This is probably about the largest scale at which such a feat would work but it is nonetheless a highly impressive way to defy gravity. For more strange buildings-in-action check out this article featuring 16 incredible building demolition videos or these works of insane architectural genius.

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transportation
BRIDGES
States Show Mixed Progress In Year After Minnesota Failure
07/23/2008
By Tom Ichniowski, with Aileen Cho, Lucy Bodilly, Craig Barner and other McGraw-Hill Construction regional editors
Minnesota DOT Twin Cities’ replacement bridge could open in the fall, earlier than scheduled. One year after the Interstate 35 W bridge fell in Minneapolis, a new bridge is well on the way to completion. Although nationwide post-collapse inspections resulted in closures of only a few other bridges, the Aug. 1, 2007, failure prompted greater bridge funding by Congress and some states. Much bridge work remains based on federal statistics showing 72,000 structurally deficient bridges nationwide, a number that has actually declined by 48% since 1990. State and industry officials are awaiting the National Transportation Safety Board’s final report on the collapse, including its finding of the probable cause for the structure’s failure. One focus so far has been the span’s gusset plates. NTSB has said the report is likely to be released by the end of the year. Related Links: Minnesota Disaster Alters Design Of New River Span in Oregon No Work Needed on Texas' Fracture-Critical Structures No Problems Found in Florida, Georgia or South Carolina Structures in Southwest Among the Safest in U.S. No Decision Yet By Indiana On Spending New Federal Funds California Found All Steel Deck Truss Structures Safe In Minnesota, the new I-35 W bridge, a 1,218-ft-long crossing with a 504-ft-long, precast-concrete segmental main span, is slated to be completed by Christmas Eve, but project officials say it could be ready for traffic as early as Sept. 15. Minnesota Dept. of Transportation project manager Jon Chiglo says despite scope changes requested by the city and the agency, the design-build team led by the Flatiron-Manson joint venture is within 1% of its $234-million contract. Inspections of state-owned steel-truss bridges in Minnesota led to closing the 890-ft-long St. Cloud bridge. Bids for a $36-million replacement were to be opened on July 25. The 2,280-ft-long Highway 43 Winona Bridge was shut in June but reopened to limited traffic as Edward Kraemer & Sons Inc. repairs 15 gusset plates. Duluth’s 8,000-ft-long Blatnick Bridge is restricted to one lane in each direction as MnDOT plans to reinforce 16 gussets. In Indiana, a steel-truss bridge was restricted to eight tons, after inspectors detected corrosion. As a result of the I-35W collapse, a new Columbia River bridge between Oregon and Washington “will probably be a segmentally constructed concrete bridge,” says Jugesh Kapur, Washington state bridge engineer. He says it “will definitely not be a steel-truss bridge,” like the current crossing, which was built in 1917. + click to enlarge In Washington, D.C., the House at ENR press time was to vote on a bridge bill that would set new federal inspection requirements and authorize more funds. A spending measure enacted last Dec. 26 provided $1 billion in added federal bridge aid. Oregon will use its $18-million share of that to upgrade seven bridges. Texas DOT will let several projects beginning in September with its $32 million. Maryland will use its $23 million on “a number of smaller projects...in the $1-million to $5-mil1ion category,” says Robert J. Healy, deputy director of the State Highway Administration office of bridge development. But seven months after the bill was signed, not all bridge aid has been obligated, the Federal Highway Administration says. Washington DOT hasn’t received any of its $34.8-million share, officials say. Congress put conditions on the $1 billion, directing U.S. DOT to ensure states use it to “supplement and not supplant” already-planned spending. Some states are raising their own funds. In February, Minnesota’s legislature overrode Gov. Tim Pawlenty’s (R) veto of a $6.6-billion, 10-year transportation plan to be financed by a 5¢ gas-tax boost. It includes $5.4 billion for roads and bridges. Maryland’s legislature last fall approved $110 million over five years for bridge preservation. Pennsylvania Gov. Edward Rendell (D) signed a bill on July 7 to authorize $350 million in bonds for bridges. Andi Vigue, president of contractor Cianbro Corp., Pittsfield, Maine, says, “Some of the DOTs are succeeding in getting sufficient increases in funding, [but] others are struggling.” Even in Pennsylvania, where new bonds will lift 2009 bridge spending to $1.7 billion, Rendell says, “We still have a long way to go.” He says his state still has some 6,000 structurally deficient bridges, more than any other state. The cost to fix them is more than $11 billion.