Hacker News with Generative AI: Construction

Show HN: AI for Building Design, Planning, and Permitting (spacial.io)
With AI-generated Structural & MEP Plans — reviewed, stamped by licensed engineer, and ready to submit.

AI, Architecture, Engineering, Design, Construction

16 points by pscsbs 32 days ago | 8 comments

Startup enables 100-year bridges with corrosion-resistant steel (news.mit.edu)
Allium Engineering, founded by two MIT PhDs, is tripling the lifetime of bridges and other structures with a new technology that uses a stainless steel cladding to make rebar resilient to corrosion.

Construction, Engineering, Materials Science, Sustainability

6 points by FinnKuhn 35 days ago | 1 comments

Startup enables 100-year bridges with corrosion-resistant steel (news.mit.edu)
Allium Engineering, founded by two MIT PhDs, is tripling the lifetime of bridges and other structures with a new technology that uses a stainless steel cladding to make rebar resilient to corrosion.

Civil Engineering, Materials Science, Startups, Construction

3 points by gnabgib 37 days ago | 0 comments

Startup enables 100-year bridges with corrosion-resistant steel (news.mit.edu)
Allium Engineering, founded by two MIT PhDs, is tripling the lifetime of bridges and other structures with a new technology that uses a stainless steel cladding to make rebar resilient to corrosion.

Civil Engineering, Construction, Materials Science, Startups

36 points by rbanffy 37 days ago | 59 comments

Launch HN: Opusense (YC X25) – AI assistant for construction inspectors on site (ycombinator.com)
Hi HN, we're Roya and Michael, co-founders of Opusense AI (https://www.opusense.com/), a tool to help engineers and consultants automatically generate construction site reports from typed or voice notes, plus photos.

Construction, Artificial Intelligence, Startups, Software

33 points by rcody 38 days ago | 19 comments

We Know Why Ancient Roman Concrete Lasts Thousands of Years (sciencealert.com)
The ancient Romans were masters of building and engineering, perhaps most famously represented by the aqueducts. And those still functional marvels rely on a unique construction material: pozzolanic concrete, a spectacularly durable concrete that gave Roman structures their incredible strength.

Ancient Rome, Engineering, Construction, Materials Science

29 points by tomcam 41 days ago | 15 comments

Improving Naval Ship Acquisition (construction-physics.com)
US Naval vessels today regularly take far longer to build than scheduled, and greatly exceed their already-high cost estimates.

Military, Engineering, Construction

72 points by Luc 43 days ago | 130 comments

Show HN: PLAttice, for assembling structures much larger than the 3D printer bed (zachfred.in)
PLAttice: it's an assembled lattice, built entirely out of 3D printed parts made from PLA.

3D Printing, Hardware, Open Source, Design, Construction

24 points by zakqwy 48 days ago | 6 comments

Solar Panels to Be Fitted on All New-Build Homes in England by 2027 (theguardian.com)
Almost all new homes in England will be fitted with solar panels during construction within two years, the government will announce after Keir Starmer rejected Tony Blair’s criticism of net zero policies.

Solar Energy, Environmental Policy, England, Government Policy, Construction

4 points by m463 56 days ago | 4 comments

Solar panels to be fitted on all new-build homes in England by 2027 (theguardian.com)
Almost all new homes in England will be fitted with solar panels during construction within two years, the government will announce after Keir Starmer rejected Tony Blair’s criticism of net zero policies.

Solar Energy, Renewable Energy, Government Policy, Construction, England

10 points by edward 57 days ago | 5 comments

Eco-voxels: reconfigurable building blocks for Earth and space construction (techxplore.com)
For centuries, innovations in structural materials have prioritized strength and durability—often at a steep environmental price.

Construction, Sustainability, Materials Science, Space Exploration

4 points by PaulHoule 57 days ago | 0 comments

The quest to build islands with ocean currents in the Maldives (technologyreview.com)
An alternative to dredging aims to capture moving sand to protect the archipelago from erosion and rising seas.

Climate Change, Maldives, Environmental Engineering, Sustainability, Construction

4 points by pavel_lishin 66 days ago | 0 comments

50 Things I've Learned Writing Construction Physics (construction-physics.com)
I’ve been writing Construction Physics since September of 2020. Over the past four and a half years I’ve written 186 essays, totalling around 600,000 words. The newsletter was originally focused on understanding the problems of construction productivity (though it’s never been entirely about that), but I have branched out to write more about a variety of topics, including energy, transportation, and scientific and technological progress.

Construction, Productivity, Writing, Newsletter, Technology

10 points by bookofjoe 69 days ago | 0 comments

Spray-on concrete innovation could transform bridge repairs (techxplore.com)
More than 40,000 bridges in the United States are deemed structurally deficient, and as many as 221,000 are deemed in need of repair, according to the American Road & Transportation Builders Association. Florida International University (FIU) researchers have developed a system that could play a key role in restoring them.

Infrastructure, Construction, Engineering, Innovation, Transportation

7 points by PaulHoule 75 days ago | 1 comments

Only 1 building fell in Bangkok during quake: China construction firm in focus (hindustantimes.com)
At least 18 people have been killed after a 33-storey under construction building collapsed in Thailand's Bangkok on Friday when a massive 7.7 magnitude earthquake hit neighbouring Myanmar.

Earthquake, Thailand, Construction, Building Collapse, Disaster

3 points by suraci 89 days ago | 0 comments

Understanding Solar Energy (construction-physics.com)
The biggest energy story of the last fifteen years is the rise of solar photovoltaics, also known as solar PV or simply solar panels.

Solar Energy, Renewable Energy, Construction, Physics

261 points by chmaynard 99 days ago | 258 comments

Ohio One Construction Timeline Update (intel.com)
Intel’s Foundry Manufacturing leader announces planned construction completion dates for the company’s Ohio One site.

Construction, Ohio, Intel, Manufacturing, Technology

90 points by ChrisArchitect 119 days ago | 26 comments

Launch HN: Bild AI (YC W25) – Understand Construction Blueprints Using AI (ycombinator.com)
Hi HN! We're Roop and Puneet, the founders of Bild AI (https://www.bild.ai). Bild AI uses machine learning to read construction blueprints and extract detailed material quantity and cost estimates.

Construction, Artificial Intelligence, Machine Learning, Startups, Business

98 points by rooppal 120 days ago | 39 comments

How will the Trump tariffs affect construction? (construction-physics.com)
Earlier this month the Trump administration announced hefty 25% tariffs on Canadian and Mexican imports, along with an additional 10% tariffs on Chinese imports.

Tariffs, Construction, Economics, Trade

8 points by juliangamble 132 days ago | 1 comments

Good old mud can lower building costs (techxplore.com)
Buildings cost a lot these days. But when concrete buildings are being constructed, there's another material that can make them less expensive: mud.

Construction, Building Materials, Cost Reduction

6 points by PaulHoule 133 days ago | 1 comments

Fit Irregular Shapes with 'Ticking Sticks' (popularwoodworking.com)
The trick to fitting wooden pieces into impossible recesses is to learn about “ticking sticks.” These simple sticks – plus a sheet of paper – can make monstrous tasks into a easy job. Here’s how they work.

Woodworking, DIY, Tools, Construction

5 points by riffraff 135 days ago | 0 comments

Government planned it 7 years, beavers built a dam in 2 days and saved $1M (voxnews.al)
In the Czech Republic, beavers built a dam in two days, which local authorities had planned for 7 years.

Environmental Engineering, Wildlife, Government, Construction

229 points by croes 143 days ago | 129 comments

HD Hyundai set to debut production 14 ton hydrogen wheeled excavator (electrek.co)
HD Hyundai is set to unveil a production version of its hydrogen fuel cell powered HW155H 14-ton wheeled excavator – one of ten updated or all-new machines rumored to making their debut at this year’s Bauma construction trade show.

Construction, Heavy Machinery, Excavation

90 points by zfg 150 days ago | 112 comments

Sand Castle Holds Up a Car – Mechanically Stabilized Earth [video] (youtube.com)

Civil Engineering, Construction, Video, Mechanics

4 points by thunderbong 152 days ago | 0 comments

Good old mud can lower building costs (news.mit.edu)
Buildings cost a lot these days. But when concrete buildings are being constructed, there’s another material that can make them less expensive: mud.

Construction, Building Costs, Materials

4 points by rbanffy 154 days ago | 0 comments

Building a Medieval Castle from Scratch (guedelon.fr)

Architecture, History, Construction, Medieval Times

315 points by CharlesW 155 days ago | 118 comments

Why Hong Kong uses bamboo scaffolding, and meet the spider-men who climb it (scmp.com)
Hong Kong is one of the last places in the world where bamboo is still widely used for scaffolding in construction. It’s flexible, strong and cheaper than steel and aluminium — metal alternatives that are now more commonly used in mainland China and elsewhere in Asia.

Construction, Hong Kong, Culture, Sustainability

14 points by thunderbong 167 days ago | 2 comments

Innovative ways to float skyscraper-sized wind turbines (mena-forum.com)
Record-tall Wind Turbine Towers with 3D-printed Concrete Bases were in the news a few years back. Today, here are six innovative ways to float skyscraper-sized wind turbines. These enormous turbines can reach up to 240m tall—about the size of a skyscraper. Since they are so tall, strong winds far above the sea surface tend to cause the turbine to tilt, so platform designs focus on minimising this tilt while still being cost-competitive with other forms of energy.

Renewable Energy, Engineering, Wind Power, Construction, Sustainability

30 points by yread 168 days ago | 12 comments

The engineering behind the San Antonio River Walk (practical.engineering)
I am on location in downtown San Antonio, Texas, where crews have just finished setting up this massive 650-ton crane. The counterweights are on. The outriggers are down. And the jib, an extension for the crane's telescoping boom, is being rigged up. This is the famous San Antonio River Walk, a city park below street level that winds around the downtown district.

Engineering, Construction, Urban Design, Tourism

197 points by impish9208 171 days ago | 49 comments

The Evolution of Tunnel Boring Machines (2023) (construction-physics.com)
Tunneling is an important technology for modern civilization, as a tunnel is often the only reasonable way to create a direct path between two points.

Construction, Engineering, Technology, History

93 points by chautumn 173 days ago | 88 comments