The Specification

This week Joe and Laurence a 65 room hotel which is built every year only to be destroyed a few months later, and see how Melbourne's urban density compares to a range of international hubs (spoiler alert, it's not great news). Join in to hear more on the interesting stories behind these topics.     For any questions or suggestions please contact Joe and Laurence at [email protected].    Links:   Ice Hotel: https://www.icehotel.com Urban Density Paper: https://core.ac.uk/download/pdf/30672832.pdf

This week Joe and Laurence discuss an engineering marvel and icon of South East Asian architecture and dig deeper into Victoria's freshly released 10 year housing statement. Join in to hear more on the interesting stories behind these topics.     For any questions or suggestions please contact Joe and Laurence at [email protected].    Links:   CTBUH article: https://global.ctbuh.org/resources/papers/download/26-case-study-marina-bay-sands-singapore.pdf Victorian Housing Statement market response: https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2023/sep/20/short-stay-levy-and-800000-homes-how-victoria-plans-to-ease-the-housing-crisis

This week Joe and Laurence discuss a well known project in the centre of Manhattan which almost collapsed under wind loads, and cover the launch of a new safety reporting tool from the Australian Government. Join in to hear more on the interesting stories behind these topics.     For any questions or suggestions please contact Joe and Laurence at [email protected].    Links:   Citicorp Centre Engineering Crisis: https://onlineethics.org/cases/engineers-and-scientists-behaving-well/william-lemessurier-fifty-nine-story-crisis-lesson Safe Work Australia : https://data.safeworkaustralia.gov.au/interactive-data/industry/construction

This week Joe and Laurence discuss some of the projects receiving funding from Australia's defence budget, give an update on the infamous 'Death Star' bill preventing construction workers from taking drink breaks in Texas, and discuss what could be the next global ACP disaster. Join in to hear more on the interesting stories behind these topics.     For any questions or suggestions please contact Joe and Laurence at [email protected].    Links:   Defence investment: https://www.minister.defence.gov.au/media-releases/2020-09-07/11-billion-investment-commences-raaf-base-tindal   US Military projects in Australia: https://www.stripes.com/theaters/asia_pacific/2022-09-08/australia-military-construction-projects-china-7251762.html   Texas update: https://www.constructiondive.com/news/texas-judge-strikes-down-law-water-breaks-Greg-Abbott/692681/   Crumbling concrete: https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2023/sep/05/raac-and-ruin-what-the-concrete-crisis-means-for-uk-politics  

This week Joe and Laurence discuss 'The Line', a 170km long, 500m tall structure currently under construction in Saudi Arabia, and dig deeper into the concept of 'green concrete'. Join in to hear more on the interesting stories behind these topics.     For any questions or suggestions please contact Joe and Laurence at [email protected].    Links: The Line video: https://youtu.be/0kz5vEqdaSc?si=ACFzc-urlp2KO8rK AFR article: https://www.afr.com/companies/financial-services/industry-finance-unearth-cost-of-embodied-carbon-20230821-p5dy52  Green Concrete chart: https://nwcement.org/the-road-to-low-carbon-concrete/

This week Joe and Laurence discuss one of the world's oldest and most expensive structures, reveal the freshly appointed builder for Australia's next super tall tower, and compare how Australia's construction industry shapes up against the USA in the world of embodied carbon. Join in to hear more on the interesting stories behind these topics.   For any questions or suggestions please contact Joe and Laurence at [email protected]. 

This week Joe and Laurence discuss one of the few projects to receive full Living Building Challenge Certification in the Southern Hemisphere - Frasers Property's Burwood Brickworks, review some of the biggest infrastructure spending blowouts (and hypothesise why these may occur), and Joe gets hot under the collar on the topic of footpath paving. Join in to hear more on the interesting stories behind these topics.    For any questions or suggestions please contact Joe and Laurence at [email protected]. 

This week Joe and Laurence discuss Japan's tsunami walls, review China's recently built 'City of the Future', and consider the electrification of construction sites amidst the news of Sweden's first all-electric trial. Join in to hear more on the interesting stories behind these topics.    For any questions or suggestions please contact Joe and Laurence at [email protected].    Links: Japan's Tsunami Walls: https://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/jun/29/tsunami-wall-japan-divides-villagers City of the Future: https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/global-times-tech-innovations-to-assist-xiongan-to-march-toward-a-futuristic-city-301836532.html Electrified Construction Site: https://fossilfrittsverige.se/2023/04/27/forsta-elektrifierade-byggarbetsplatsen-i-eu-en-forskola-i-ostersund/

This week Joe and Laurence discuss Australia's newest physics laboratory which is located 1km below the earth's surface, a recent law in Texas which eliminates water breaks for construction workers, and mining on the moon. Join in to hear more on the interesting stories behind these topics.    For any questions or suggestions please contact Joe and Laurence at [email protected].    Links:   Stawell Underground Physics Laboratory: https://www.supl.org.au/ Water breaks in constructions: https://www.nbcnews.com/science/science-news/backlash-brews-texas-law-eliminates-mandatory-water-breaks-rcna92961 Moon Express: https://moonexpress.com/

This week Joe and Laurence discuss the national asset but regional concern that is the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam, the effort to rebuild Ukraine, and thermal conductivity in building envelopes. Join in to hear more on the interesting stories behind these topics.    For any questions or suggestions please contact Joe and Laurence at [email protected].   Links:   Grand Ethiopean Renaissance Dam: https://www.theguardian.com/global-development/2020/apr/23/itll-cause-a-water-war-divisions-run-deep-as-filling-of-nile-dam-nears   Rebuilding Ukraine: https://www.globalconstructionreview.com/meet-the-canadian-architect-on-a-mission-to-rebuild-ukraine-module-by-module/