Construction
Rob McManamy
DEWALT shifts to solve jobsite WiFi woes

Yesterday, DEWALT, accompanied by Procore, announced their new WiFi Mesh, which promises to increase wireless connectivity on the jobsite. We talked to two DEWALT executives about the new product — here's what they had to say.

DEWALT shifts to solve jobsite WiFi woes
Architecture + Design
Rob McManamy
Data-driven design propelling collaboration

"Data-driven design" suggests an impersonal, robotic process that replaces human creativity with cold numbers. But at our latest BuildIdeas Breakfast, we learned from IBM Watson and Detroit Mercy Hospital that it can mean greater customer satisfaction.

Data-driven design propelling collaboration
Business
Rob McManamy
Hawaii, Vermont, RI see clean energy surge

Despite wavering venture investment, the clean energy market is still growing from the Atlantic to the Pacific. Here, the annual Clean Energy Trust Challenge gives us a welcome opportunity to check in on multiple, vibrant efforts to implement power innovation.

Hawaii, Vermont, RI see clean energy surge
Cities
Rob McManamy
Cities, data drive BW Summit conversations

If cities will yield the richest data upon which tomorrow's most consequential decisions will be based, then it is no surprise they were a recurring topic at last week's BuiltWorlds Summit. To see some of the actionable insights that were shared, read on.

Cities, data drive BW Summit conversations
Architecture + Design
Rob McManamy
Obamas unveil Presidential Center design

Just days after the former First Lady urged architects not to neglect inner cities, she and her husband came home to Chicago this week to reveal their vision for a $500-million community hub that they hope will reinvigorate a long-struggling community.   

Obamas unveil Presidential Center design

Architecture + Design

No-Stick Jam: 3d Printed Stone and String Structure Rocks Biennial

No-Stick Jam: 3d Printed Stone and String Structure Rocks Biennial

U.S. and Swiss designers claim to have created an architectural structure built without any adhesive, just rocks and thread. Now on display in Chicago, Rock Print came together via a robotic arm-like, powder-based 3-D printer.

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Vertical Forest Near Complete and Always Chic in Milan

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Vertical Forest Near Complete and Always Chic in Milan

On the edge of the fashionable Milan, Italy, will soon rest two skyscrapers that have more concrete than timber right now. Over time, that ratio will change. Bosco Verticale, or “vertical forest”, a concept led by Italian architecture firm Stefano Boeri Studio, combines residential living inside a metropolis with natural elements to create a lush microclimate for its inhabitants.

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Cutting the Cord: Cable-Free Elevators near reality

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Cutting the Cord: Cable-Free Elevators near reality

The seemingly predictable, up-and-down world of elevators has thrown us a curveball. This month, ThyssenKrupp announced it will begin testing cordless elevators next year that can travel horizontally, as well. Stay tuned. 

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World Building of The Year Is...

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World Building of The Year Is...

As the World Architecture Festival concluded in Singapore’s, over 2,000 architects from around the globe waited with bated breath to hear where the top prize was headed. Finally, it was revealed that The Interlace brought home the crown as WAF’s 2015 “Building of the Year”.

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Environmental Awareness Not Just a Week at CannonDesign

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Environmental Awareness Not Just a Week at CannonDesign

For 13 years, CannonDesign has held an internal, firm-wide Environmental Awareness Week, drawing on outside experts to educate and reenergize staff and leadership re environmental stewardship. Other firms are paying attention. 

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Public Design: Is There Still the Will to Build Great Spaces?

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Public Design: Is There Still the Will to Build Great Spaces?

Public money for public projects doesn't have to mean low-bid, low quality design. Daniel Patrick Moynihan made that point 50+ years ago, and last week, the Chicago Architecture Biennial took up the topic. BW was there.

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how to Make Lean Planning even Leaner

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how to Make Lean Planning even Leaner

Attendance at the Lean Construction Institute's annual meeting last month was three times what it was in 2012. So, what's up? We recently asked Newforma VP Dan Conery about that growth, as well as the new LeanPlanner tool.

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Hype no more, Hyperloop to break ground in California

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Hype no more, Hyperloop to break ground in California

"Beam me up, Scotty?" Transporters? Teleportation? If HTT's Gresta & Ahlborn are to be believed, the mythic Hyperloop will soon come to life. Yes, the game is afoot, teams have formed, and now work on a test track is about to start.

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WATCH: A Vision of Green to Restructure our Cities

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WATCH: A Vision of Green to Restructure our Cities

The roots of our popular SmartWorlds initiative can be traced back to this presentation by international architect and urban planner Peter Ellis. Here, available in full for the first time, is his talk on Restructuring American Cities.

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With latest vote, force now strong behind Lucas Museum

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With latest vote, force now strong behind Lucas Museum

The Force apparently is now with the proposed Lucas Museum of Narrative Art in Chicago, where a City Council vote has put the controversial, $400-million, privately funded lakefront project on track to break ground next spring. 

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ADA at 25: compliance Still lagging, Consultant CLAIms

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ADA at 25: compliance Still lagging, Consultant CLAIms

When the Americans with Disabilities Act became law in 1990, it was sweeping, controversial and seemingly impossible to implement. Today, lawsuits still are on the rise, but Burnham Nationwide's Leah Riley has some advice. 

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Thinking BIENNIALLY: Designers OFFER Visions Of Chicago's Future

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Thinking BIENNIALLY: Designers OFFER Visions Of Chicago's Future

Our own John Gregerson reports from the Chicago Architecture Biennial on BOLD: Alternative Scenarios for Chicago. Now in just its third week, CAB is the city's extraordinary, three-month-long open dialogue on The State of the Art of Architecture.  

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How can we make zero-carbon high-riseS reality?

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How can we make zero-carbon high-riseS reality?

As urbanization drives demand for high-rises globally, making those buildings zero-carbon is one of the biggest challenges engineers face. Arup's Jimmy Tong says district energy systems with micro-grid schemes are the answer.

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ASCE Q&A: How Disney embraces innovation

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ASCE Q&A: How Disney embraces innovation

Pursuing innovation in engineering is not for the faint of heart. But as civil engineers take on the “Grand Challenge” to drastically reduce infrastructure life-cycle costs by 2025, ASCE News sat down with Disney's David Durham.

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They're back! Global summit celebrates skyscraper resurgence

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They're back! Global summit celebrates skyscraper resurgence

Eyes are glancing skyward once again, as new towers around the world ascend to heights not seen in years. Next week in NYC, the Turner Prize-winning Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat will explore all that is tall .

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Architects opine on economy, Industry, civic responsibility

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Architects opine on economy, Industry, civic responsibility

As Chicago pays even more attention to its architects than normal this fall, several leading designers recently met to discuss the economy, the industry and the profession's prevailing demographic trends and concerns. 

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For Real: Architect Goes Virtual to Bolster Youth Outreach

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For Real: Architect Goes Virtual to Bolster Youth Outreach

As part of an elaborate fundraising vehicle, Studio Talo Architecture in Evanston IL this fall has visitors and prospective investors salivating over the do-gooding possibilities inherent in 3D BIM modeling, John Gregerson reports.

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The Driverless City

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The Driverless City

With the recent announcement of three finalists for the inaugural $1-million Nayar Prize, the Illinois Institute of Technology is putting its money where the innovation is. It’s readily apparent to all that autonomous vehicles are on the horizon, but can our cities handle them?  Enter “The Driverless City” team.

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