John Moore invests ￡150,000 in a robot dog- & more

1) John Moore invests ￡150,000 in a robot dog

Liverpool John Moores University (LJMU) has become the first university in Europe to buy a Spot from Boston Dynamics . The robot dog comes fitted with a Trimble Inc. 3D laser scanner. The university is thus taking another step closer to the cutting edge of construction technology.

2) Dubai launches 3D underground scanning project

Dubai Municipality has launched the ‘3D Infrastructure and Service Map’ project that aims to transform the city’s urban infrastructure into a ‘smart model’. Underground service lines will be 3D scanned creating a geospatial database.

3) India’s Pritzker Prize-winning architect BV Doshi passes away at 95

Master Architect, Padma Shri BV Doshi passed away on 24th January 2023.? Dr. Balkrishna Doshi was an architect, urban planner, and educator for the last seventy years. His passing leaves a void in the global construction fraternity.?

4) North India’s largest floating solar power project in Chandigarh unveiled

The largest floating solar farm in northern India with capacity of 2000kWp has been inaugurated in Chandigarh. The project cost 117 million and includes 10 years of operation and maintenance.

5) Turkish Limak Construction will handle Barcelona football stadium revamp

Remodeling of historic Camp Nou Stadium will be carried out by Turkish building company Limak Construction , and start work on the now-renamed Spotify Camp Nou in June this year. The stadium will open at 50% capacity in November and reach completion by June 2026.

6) Ferrovial takes infrastructure into the metaverse

Ferrovial has launched a global digitalization and visualization strategy that brings infrastructure and metaverse together. Named Infraverse, the technology focuses on the full asset lifecycle using tools like digital twins, simulation, AI, and behavioral science.?

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7) YOTEL to open first hotel in NEOM’s Oxagon

Global hospitality brand YOTEL open Oxagon ’s first hotel in its Research and Innovation District by 2025. The YOTEL property will be first of many in Oxagon’s journey of becoming a hub of innovative design, sustainability, and technology.?

8) UAE announces 2023 as the “Year of Sustainability”

UAE President His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan will oversee several green initiatives that will draw upon UAE’s deep-rooted sustainable values. The year will see a nationwide commitment to sustainability, announced the Sheikh.?

9) Forbes and Magnom Properties come together to develop zero-carbon tower in Egypt

Magnom Properties and Forbes revealed collaboration at 53rd Annual Meeting of World Economic Forum in Switzerland to solidify their commitment to sustainable development. The duo released plans to build an innovative, environmentally responsive tower in Cairo, Egypt.

10) 2023 could be challenging for cement manufacturers warn World Cement Association Director

During his Outlook for 2023 presentation, World Cement Association Director said that 2023 could be difficult for cement manufacturers. Factors like higher freight rates, fluctuating energy prices, and tighter monetary policies will all play a role this coming year.

11) Blackstone considers selling a $480M stake in Embassy REIT to Bain Capital

Blackstone is talking about selling nearly half of its stake in Embassy Office Parks to US-based Bain Capital . The deal would mark Bain’s first REIT Investment Group, LLC in India, as office spaces are drawing in investors. The talks are still in the preliminary stage.

12) Volvo to unveil electric compactor

Volvo Group unveiled its first battery-powered machine specifically for the road-building sector. The?DD25 Electric asphalt compactor is a compact machine suitable for small-scale projects like street repair and patching, parking lots, and driveways.

13) Dubai residents feel tremors as Dubai Pearl demolition continues

Residents felt tremors around 11:20 am on 23rd January around Dubai Internet City, Dubai Knowledge Park, and Dubai Media City. The tremors have been linked back to the demolition of old Dubai Pearl buildings. The demolitions are underway after structures were put on indefinite hold in 2009.

14) Gensler breaks record for highest number of architects employed

For the first time in the history of WA100, Building Design’s world’s 100 largest firms survey, a firm has crossed 3,000 employed architects. US-based Gensler建筑设计事务所 employs 3,069 architects, 14% up from last year’s survey.

15) Spanish architects create Hygroscopic Mortar from construction waste

The innovative product Loop Disseny by Spanish architects is composed of 85% reused crushed ceramics and recycled stone and 15% stabilized white cement. Its hygroscopic properties allow it to be used as a water filter, regulating surrounding humidity.

16) India opens world’s largest hockey stadium

The world’s largest hockey stadium is in India! the Birsa Munda International Hockey Stadium in Rourkela is a 20,846 -seat stadium constructed by L&T in a record 15 months, meeting all international specifications!

17) Building collapses in warn-torn Syria kills 16

A building collapsed on Sunday in Syria’s war-damaged city of Aleppo. The 5-story building was home to 7 families and killed 16 people. Much of the city has been destroyed in conflicts that began nearly 12 years ago.

18) Indonesia plans 184 towers in new capital this year

Indonesia plans to start building 184 new residential towers in Q2 2023 to house 14,500 civil servants at the new capital, called Nusantara, which is built in the forests of Borneo. The work will be conducted in PPP (public-private partnership).

19) Accidents throw light on illegal construction in Hyderabad- over 1Lakh buildings illegally built

2 Major accidents on illegal construction sites in Hyderabad are throwing light on 1,00,000 illegal buildings in the city. The buildings pose structural threats as they deviate from construction guidelines including lack of setbacks in dense neighborhoods and illegal construction of extra floors.

20) Kuwait to double construction projects in 2023

National Bank of Kuwait reported that the country is set to double value of construction projects awarded in 2023. The bank sees Kuwait recovering in oil, power as well as water sectors. An electricity contract for Southern Al-Zour oil refinery with a value of 1.2 billion dinars is in the works.

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