• 18 August 2006
  MONTECARLO EXTENDS SEAWARDS



• 17 August 2006
  PARLIAMENT CONFIRMS DELAY OF CERTAIN PUBLIC WORKS LEGISLATION CODES



• 11 August 2006
  IN TURIN RENZO PIANO SIGNS BEAUTIFUL AND SMART TOWER BLOCK FOR SANPAOLO-IMI



• 29 July 2006
  BIOCONSTRUCTION ALSO FOR CHURCHES



• 22 July 2006
  VOWS OF STEEL BETWEEN ARCELOR AND MITTAL



• 18 July 2006
  PRODUCT CODING PROJECT FOR BUILDING CONSTRUCTION PROCESSES



• 18 July 2006
  INSULATION MATERIALS COMPARED



• 14 July 2006
  THE "DANCING TOWERS" OF DUBAI

18 August 2006

MONTECARLO EXTENDS SEAWARDS

The Principality of Monaco has to expand and find new building space, and as Prince Albert is a staunch environmentalist no works damaging the landscape and marine reserve will be allowed: the option is to construct an offshore platform, anchored to the coast like a floating island, with 12 hectares of homes, offices and park areas, making Montecarlo similar to Dubai.
Close by will be the new yacht club, assigned to architect Norman Foster, also famed for the Millennium Bridge in London.
A new National Museum is also planned, the architecture of which will in itself be of exceptional value, adding even greater magnificence to the Principality.
The total building area will cover around 300,000 square metres and works will be financed by a public and private partnership.
Source: www.corriere.it

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17 August 2006

PARLIAMENT CONFIRMS DELAY OF CERTAIN PUBLIC WORKS LEGISLATION CODES

On 11 July, the Italian Parliament gave final approval to the law converting the "decree of a thousand delays" which, amongst other things, has set back public works contract regulations (Leg.Decree 163/2006) until 1 February 2007 in relation to:

• joint contracting authorities
• veto on subcontracting for the secondary entity, where such third parties are involved in the tender
• competitive dialogue
• ordinary sector framework agreement
• ordinary sector design and operate contract
• expansion of private contracting

The contract award criterion relating to the primary entity and services subcontracted to third parties by the general contractor has been repealed.
Source: www.edilportale.com

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11 August 2006

IN TURIN RENZO PIANO SIGNS BEAUTIFUL AND SMART TOWER BLOCK FOR SANPAOLO-IMI

A 150-metre tower block is to revolutionise the Turin skyline to become the tallest building in the city: it is a project by architect Renzo Piano for the new HQ of the Sanpaolo Imi Group.
Transparency, lightness and eco-sustainability summarise the work which will be built over a 7,000 square metre area in the district due to host the new Porta Susa station. The group HQ will be based here, with offices for around 2000 employees and operations centres for customer services.
Cement, steel and glass are the materials chosen for a "lightweight construction" for which no ugly external heating units are planned.
Instead, geothermal energy will be used: double facades with internal air circulation and windows of a special chemical compound for greater heat insulation will allow building energy consumption to be reduced by a third.
A rooftop Zen garden and panoramic terrace are planned, and terraces with winter gardens will be installed on each floor.
The tower block will contain large, well-lit, panoramic offices, a 500-seater auditorium and restaurants and other city services at ground level.
Source: www.edilportale.com

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29 July 2006

BIOCONSTRUCTION ALSO FOR CHURCHES

Churches are normally difficult places to heat and light: but now bioconstruction is being considered to resolve the problem and at the same time offer cost savings and environmental protection.
A number of Italian parish churches and rectories will be subject to refurbishment and could become the model and opportunity to change culture yet safeguard construction, one of the most difficult ethical challenges of today.
A number of dioceses have already taken the step, e.g. in Bolzano-Bressanone and Venice.
Future energy savings lie in energy-saving lightbulbs, energy self-sufficiency and solar panels.
Source: www.edilone.it

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22 July 2006

VOWS OF STEEL FOR ARCELOR AND MITTAL

A steel giant with a 55 billion euro turnover has taken form: the Arcelor-Mittal group, result of the merger between Indian company Mittal Steel and Luxembourg's Acelor.
At the end of May it seemed that Acelor was to join the Russian group Severstal, but shareholders scrapped the project.
The new Acelor-Mittal Group - to be based in Luxembourg - will produce 100 million metric tons of steel per year, employing 320,000 staff in over 70 countries worldwide.
Source: www.euronews.net

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18 July 2006

PRODUCT CODING PROJECT FOR BUILDING CONSTRUCTION PROCESSES

A hindrance to real competitiveness in the building industry has always been the different terminology used to define processes and supplies, referring to the technical draft or other characteristics.
In detail the difficulties lead to repeated misunderstandings, reservations, disputes, a higher contract risk percentage and subsequent cost increases, and are attributable to the following problem areas: regional if not local terms, non correspondence between descriptions in the various contractual documentation, modified at each contracting stage, by each project manager, each entity, each supplier even in relation to the same subject; the time consumed to verify and rewrite the same process because it is different every time even if equal in substance, or is always the same but different in substance.
UNI recommends the adoption of a consolidated international coding system attributing individual codes to each resource, process and element along the building chain - described in a technical draft or represented in graphic or photographic form or in a price list - to ensure certainty and uniqueness in their identification, therefore simplifying the final data transmission.
Some define it as the "building barcode", subject to which are not only materials and components, but also the players, processes, finished works, etc.
Source: www.edilportale.com

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18 July 2006

INSULATION MATERIALS COMPARED

At the next edition of SAIE in Bologna, AIPE - Italian Polystyrene Foam Association - will hold an eco-technological conference on 26 October entitled: "Insulation Materials Compared", in which the results of a Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) study will be presented, illustrating new methods and tools for environmentally-correct building decisions.
The material is used to insulate gabled and flat roofs, vertical external walls, vertical cavity and internal walls, floors and ceilings, decks and foundations.
Source: www.polimerica.it

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14 July 2006

THE "DANCING TOWERS" OF DUBAI

Business Bay or even "the UAE Manhattan": it is the new business centre of Dubai, hosting commercial and residential units, panoramic gardens, shopping centres, hotels and various other structures.
The project, presented at the Guggenheim Museum, New York, and signed by Anglo-Iraqi architect Zaha Hadid, identifies its three towers - already christened the "Dancing Towers" for its undulating profile - as the symbol of Dubai and the new architectural style of the Emirate.
The idea behind the daring Dancing Towers project is a 'choreographed' fluidity with the intention of uniting the three tower blocks in a single gesture.
The three buildings will be adjoined two by two. The central tower will be connected to the other two at both base and summit. At 38th floor level, the central tower will meet the third: plans are to include residential homes and more hotels, covered swimming pool and other attractions.
At 65th floor level the towers will again unite to host a panoramic restaurant offering a spectacular view over the gulf of Dubai, Business Bay, Burj Dubai Downtown and the Arabian Gulf.
Source: www.edilportale.com

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