Construction stories
Road contractors warn a nearly GBP £3 billion roading shortfall over two years is delaying jobs and leaving crews idle across New Zealand.
Visitors can now stay in a hotel carved into an abandoned Shanghai quarry, after decade-long construction overcame engineering setbacks.
Confined-space lifting gets safer, as stop rings and nitrocarburised surfaces help protect 10-100 ton cylinders in harsh sites.
Asia-Pacific megacities dominate a US$4.2trn construction pipeline, with Dubai and London leading projects tied to housing and infrastructure.
FBR’s share price jumped 21 per cent after its Hadrian X robot built a 180sq m house in under three days, signalling possible disruption for builders.
Auckland’s rail link has cut construction waste and emissions sharply, showing big infrastructure can hit sustainability targets while easing congestion.
The £140 million site will lift production by about a third, while giving visitors a modern showcase of Macallan’s whisky-making craft.
Labour shortages and rising costs are pushing construction firms towards telematics, with 79% already using the software to track fleets and cut fuel use.
Research will focus on ageing residents, cheaper healthy homes and walkable streets as New Zealand tackles housing shortages and urban planning gaps.
Government-backed registration for Wellington’s first BIM conference has already drawn more than 150 expressions of interest from the sector.
Most Kiwi builders are missing out on returns from new kit, as skills gaps and poor systems integration blunt tech gains.
Auckland commuters are closer to a faster rail link as backfilling begins above a 3.45km tunnel set to ease city-centre travel.
Around 110 rail services a week rely on the 315m South Rangitikei Viaduct, which has won a national concrete award for durability.
Auckland ratepayers could avoid the bill for a 50,000-seat roofed stadium, as a business-backed plan links it to waterfront redevelopment.
The 48-level tower will add 226 apartments and a 233-room hotel, with a public market at street level and a roof garden above.
Value capture could help fund more projects as Australia’s infrastructure pipeline swells, with nearby landowners, businesses and taxpayers set to gain.
Delays to Penlink are prompting calls for clearer rules to speed up unsolicited infrastructure bids and attract more private investment.
Construction is due next year after consent for 32 waterfront homes in Remuera, with prices ranging from USD $2.7 million to USD $13 million.
Thirteen finalists have been shortlisted for national recognition after a record number of entries to the 2018 Site Safe awards.
Public backing could help New Zealand's Kaikoura rebuild beat nine global finalists in a civil engineering award vote.
