Sources: Command Alkon, Birmingham, Ala.; The Birmingham News
Command Alkon has announced the late-April passing of co-founder and former executive chairman Kenneth G. Robinson II, honoring him as “an extraordinarily talented and accomplished entrepreneur” whose “belief in people being instrumental to the company’s success was recognized in his compassion for the business and its employees, together steering it through shared challenges and accomplishments.”
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Surveys behind the Q1 2019 USG + U.S. Chamber of Commerce Commercial Construction Index find that the labor shortage continues to pose major challenges to the industry, causing contractors to ask skilled workers to do more work (81 percent of respondents), struggle to meet deadlines (70 percent), increase costs for new work (63 percent), and reject new projects (40 percent).
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Miami-based Omni-Threat Structures (OTS) has developed an electromagnetic shielding concrete wall as part of a broader strategy to mitigate threats to utility and other infrastructure sectors. The OTS Intentional Electromagnetic Interference (IEMI) provides vital protection against weapons as well as ballistic/kinetic and blast attacks, prospects for which are fueling global concerns among facility and equipment owners.
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Robotics and manufacturing automation specialist USABotics cites commercial debut of 3D concrete printing equipment in the North American market through a new entity, MudBots, and charter model. The MudBots 664 Concrete Printer consists of a rectangular, gantry-like CNC (computer numerical control) table whose robotic devices operate on XYZ axes to place low slump mixes in cord-like layers or beads through round nozzles—at rates up to 340 inches per minute.
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A robotics-savvy, 3D concrete printing equipment developer eyeing affordable housing solutions will deploy its first commercial unit in partnership with a fellow Austin, Texas, business and like-minded real estate developer. Against the backdrop of last month’s 2019 South by Southwest Conference and Festivals (SXSW), Icon and Cielo Property Group announced commissioning of a printer for rapid delivery of modest (< 1,000 sq. ft.) but robust residences in the Texas capital city—one of the country’s hottest housing markets.
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To address the current housing epidemic impacting the country, Rinker Materials and the American Institute of Architecture Students launched the Pipe Dream design contest late last year, challenging AIAS members to design a tiny home from two 96- x 96-in. diameter concrete pipes. Architectural student Sandra D. Guillen’s winning concept became the first tiny home built from concrete pipe in the U.S. when it was constructed at the International Builders’ Show in Las Vegas earlier this year.
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American Concrete Pavement Association directors have approved a resolution formally supporting a recently released Transportation Research Board (TRB) report stating the case for annual investment of $45 billion to $70 billion to cover rebuilding of Interstate highway pavements and bridges. The funding range in “Renewing the National Commitment to the Interstate Highway System: A Foundation for the Future” applies only to the Interstate portion of the overall Federal-aid highway system.
Read MoreA new U.S. Environmental Protection Agency initiative aims to leverage industry and government expertise to ensure the effective use of the nation’s water resources. “[They] are the lifeblood of our communities, and the federal government has the responsibility to ensure all Americans have access to reliable sources of clean and safe water,” says Assistant Administrator for Water David Ross. “There is innovative work happening across the sector to advance water reuse, and the EPA wants to accelerate that work through coordinated federal leadership.”
Read MoreAn Occupational Safety and Health Administration complaint filed in U.S. District Court for the District of Massachusetts alleges that Tara Construction Inc., Boston, retaliated against an injured employee by facilitating his arrest at the hands of Immigration and Customs Enforcement staff. Reporting an injury to an employer and spurring an OSHA proceeding are protected activities under the Occupational Safety and Health Act, the agency contends.
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The day before visiting the proof of 3D concrete printing concept house in Austin, Texas, (note page 20) U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development Secretary Ben Carson addressed Trump Administration measures responding to increased building demand in cities across the country at the Public-Private Partnership Conference in Dallas:
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