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

Global Forum To Harness Metropolitan Might

Global Forum To Harness Metropolitan Might

With global cities continuing to grow, the world has never seemed smaller. London, New York, Shanghai, Dubai, Tokyo, all are digital neighbors with extraordinary influence. Global thought leaders this week are in Chicago strategizing for the coming whirlwind.

Northwestern Students Ready to Present Concrete 3D Printer?

Northwestern Students Ready to Present Concrete 3D Printer?

With the BuiltWorldsNU team’s final presentation looming on Thursday, the culmination of over five months of work is rapidly approaching. Over 1000 pages of reports, countless tests, hours of presentations, long nights in the prototyping lab, and nearly our entire budget have led to this point. Is the team ready?

Minority Report, HoloLens and Procore's Preview

Minority Report, HoloLens and Procore's Preview

We're Number One! The April release of developer kits for HoloLens unleashed a creative free-for-all that last week saw Procore preview its first AR field application for RFIs. And UCLA showed how AR already is helping designers to reimagine Detroit.

With BIM Mandate Here, UK Turns to Sensors

With BIM Mandate Here, UK Turns to Sensors

The UK's highly anticipated mandate for the use of building information modeling on all government projects is now in effect. Bechtel's Stephen Smith explains how all the new 'big data' sensors will make cities like London not just smarter, but better.

Arup, Rockefeller Launch City Resilience Tool

Arup, Rockefeller Launch City Resilience Tool

Last week in London, after years of joint research and testing, global engineering giant ARUP and the Rockefeller Foundation jointly unveiled a new City Resilience Index, a "pioneering tool for cities to understand and assess their resilience." 

Northwestern Students Give Their Concrete 3D Printer Its Own Test

Northwestern Students Give Their Concrete 3D Printer Its Own Test

Our favorite engineering students from Northwestern U have only two weeks left before their main event: the demonstration of their concrete 3D printer prototype. Now in their home-stretch, BuiltWorldsNU is tinkering away at working out the final kinks. Let's check in with them this week

Building Tomorrows, Cities, AGC Trade on Skills

Building Tomorrows, Cities, AGC Trade on Skills

As the national war for skilled labor heats up, industry groups like AGC are aggressively targeting the next generation. To fight gang recruitment with opportunity, Chicago in particular has launched a new initiative that offers job training to at-risk youth. 

Design Duel: Obama Center Contests Eye Finish

Design Duel: Obama Center Contests Eye Finish

Democratizing architecture? What better place to start than with a U.S. Presidential Library? This spring in Chicago, while the official contest nears a winner, here is an update on our own fun and surprisingly popular crowd-sourced alternative. 

IIT Design: What Touring the World Taught Us

IIT Design: What Touring the World Taught Us

After months of fact-finding visits to the far-flung trenches of the global maker movement, IIT's Institute of Design is back home this week, hosting a World Strategy Tour Conference to share lessons learned from Hong Kong, Mumbai, Detroit, and San Francisco.

Infrastructure Weak? Yes, So Let's Spend Wisely

Infrastructure Weak? Yes, So Let's Spend Wisely

As if we hadn't heard, ASCE has issued yet another report chronicling how deficient U.S. infrastructure is. But this national Infrastructure Week, just back from NYC, our own Rob McManamy fears some big public spending may be sending the wrong message.

Students Prep for ASCE Nationals Without Burning Their Bridges

Students Prep for ASCE Nationals Without Burning Their Bridges

After advancing beyond the regional ASCE Steel Bridge Competition, the team from Illinois Tech checks in with their second entry. While they plan to head out west for Nationals in Utah, the familiar mantra inside camp is "Provo, let's go"!

Still Chugging, U.S. Construction Hits Best Rate Since 2007

Still Chugging, U.S. Construction Hits Best Rate Since 2007

The U.S. construction market has been purring for so long that the roar it made this March may not have been as loud and as emphatic as previous exclamations, but the signs remain healthy nonetheless, both for our industry and the U.S. economy.

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