Building a more sustainable future begins with developing innovation for more sustainable buildings. photo by Ariella Brown We’re used to hearing bad news about the climate, but there is some very good news. According to the World Green Building Trends 2018 there are more sustainable features going into the building now, though the extent of that improvement does vary by […]

Super tall buildings require super fast elevators. This is how these wonders of engineering work. Part of the difficulty of having an excessively tall building is having an elevator to get quickly enough to the top. Or else people will not buy property in the building. The taller the building, the more elevator capacity you also need. But there is […]

Another way 3D printing is being used to make the world a better place is by reducing the cost of home construction enough to make new houses accessible to those whose income puts adequate shelter beyond their reach. One company that has made this its mission is ICON. Its tagline is “We’re changing the way people live.” It set out […]

pixabay Artificial Intelligence is evolving at a rapid rate ushering in a new age in technology. Though we are still very much a ways away from creating super-intelligent robots, AI seems to be becoming more and more like us every few months. Though the debate for what role AI will play in society is a hot one, one cannot deny […]

Researchers have analyzed the building situation in countries in southern Europe Summary: Most of the countries in Southern Europe are ill-prepared when it comes to implementing nearly zero-energy buildings, and in particular, when addressing the challenge to modernize existing buildings, say researchers who have proposed improvements for the development of future buildings. Over the coming years there is a legal commitment […]

An integrated approach to planning is essential to ensure that the UK develops a skilled workforce to deliver its ambitious slate of infrastructure projects, argues Richard Robinson Over the past few years much-needed momentum for infrastructure has gathered pace, with investment plans on a Victorian scale now taking shape. However, given the UK’s ambitious pipeline of infrastructure projects, a key […]

Line in the sand: New technology could transform poor-quality sandy soils into high-yield agricultural land. Through a combination of climate change, drought, overgrazing and other human activities, desertification across the world is on the march. It’s a process defined by the UN as “land degradation in arid, semi-arid and dry sub-humid regions”. Given that around 40 per cent of the […]

UK developed structural engineering technology could protect buildings from the impact of earthquakes or blasts, preventing collapse and reducing the damage caused. Developed by a group at Heriot-Watt University in Edinburgh, the system makes use of stainless steel ‘sacrificial devices’ which are placed strategically in the structure so that they are the only damaged components during earthquake loading. Current European […]

Engineers and architects around the world are re-evaluating the use of timber as the prime construction material for high-rise buildings. Ben McCluskey reports. PLP Architects’ proposed Oakwood Timber Tower Wood is the oldest of construction materials. It’s elemental, and humankind’s relationship with it runs deep, but in a very literal sense, we’ve been burnt by it one too many times. […]

UK firm Newtecnic is using engineering know-how to turn architectural dreams into reality Tucked away in the heart of Cambridge’s city centre sits the R&D department of one of the UK’s most interesting engineering firms. Founded in 2003, Newtecnic is behind some of the world’s grandest civil projects, from the Heydar Aliyev Cultural Centre in Baku, Azerbaijan, to the Grand […]