Hacker News with Generative AI: Construction

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 3 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 6 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 12 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 26 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 37 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 56 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 57 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 69 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 70 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 72 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 80 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 88 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 90 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 91 days ago | 0 comments

Building a Medieval Castle from Scratch (guedelon.fr)

Architecture, History, Construction, Medieval Times

315 points by CharlesW 92 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 105 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 106 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 108 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 111 days ago | 88 comments

Epic Construction Site in the Saudi Desert Is a Hazard for Workers (wsj.com)
Billed as a futuristic city-state with dazzling architecture including parallel 106-mile-long skyscrapers taller than the Empire State Building, Neom is the centerpiece of Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman’s plans to transform his oil-rich country into a modern diversified economy.

Saudi Arabia, Construction, Architecture, Labor, Economy

5 points by Jimmc414 118 days ago | 0 comments

Financially, Saudi Arabia is flying by the seat of its pants. But how longer? (middleeasteye.net)
Saudi Arabia's most extravagant and outrageous giga-project - the futuristic city called "Neom", carved out of the country's northwest border region - is trying a reboot after funding and other challenges over the past year appeared to put key elements of Neom in jeopardy.

Saudi Arabia, Economics, Construction, Future Cities

3 points by Qem 119 days ago | 1 comments

3D-printed neighborhood nears completion in Texas (yahoo.com)
GEORGETOWN, Texas (Reuters) - As with any desktop 3D printer, the Vulcan printer pipes layer by layer to build an object – except this printer is more than 45 feet (13.7 m) wide, weighs 4.75 tons and prints residential homes.

3D Printing, Architecture, Construction, Texas

81 points by whoisstan 119 days ago | 117 comments

The Engineering of Wildlife Crossings (practical.engineering)
This is the Wallis Annenberg Wildlife Crossing under construction over the 101 just outside Los Angeles, California. When it’s finished in a few years, it will be the largest wildlife crossing (*of its kind*) on the planet. The bridge is 210 feet (64 meters) long and 174 feet (53 meters) wide, roughly the same breadth as the ten-lane superhighway it crosses. Needless to say, a crossing like this isn’t cheap.

Engineering, Wildlife, Construction, Environmentalism

61 points by impish9208 129 days ago | 6 comments

Building the steepest cable car in the world 85-ATW Stechelberg-Mürren [EN Sub.] [video] (youtube.com)

Engineering, Transportation, Switzerland, Cable Cars, Construction

12 points by sschueller 130 days ago | 0 comments

Mobile 3D Printer Can Print Directly on Your Floor (ieee.org)
Waiting for each part of a 3D-printed project to finish, taking it out of the printer, and then installing it on location can be tedious for multi-part projects. What if there was a way for your printer to print its creation exactly where you needed it?

3D Printing, Robotics, Manufacturing, Construction

49 points by rbanffy 152 days ago | 24 comments

Launch HN: Fresco (YC F24) – AI Copilot for Construction Superintendents (ycombinator.com)
Hi HN! We're Arvind and Akhil, and we're building Fresco (https://fresco-ai.com/). We use AI to quickly create and manage documentation for construction superintendents.

Construction, AI, Startups, YC, Software

80 points by arvindveluvali 156 days ago | 32 comments

Urban Machine: robotics and AI to reclaim lumber for reuse (urbanmachine.build)
Urban Machine pioneers sustainable wood reclamation.

Robotics, AI, Sustainability, Construction

6 points by fanf2 159 days ago | 2 comments

21,000 Killed Working on Saudi Megaprojects During Construction: Report (newsweek.com)
Thousands of workers have reportedly been killed or have gone missing during the construction of several megaprojects in Saudi Arabia.

Construction, Saudi Arabia, Labor Rights, Accidents, Human Rights

5 points by dtquad 177 days ago | 1 comments

University of Waterloo to build fourth mathematics building (therecord.com)
The University of Waterloo is building a fourth mathematics building on its campus.

Education, Mathematics, Architecture, Construction

8 points by amichail 180 days ago | 0 comments

Carbon Sequestration by Recycling Cement, Aggregates, and Concrete (mdpi.com)
As the world’s largest producer of construction waste, China’s recycling and related policies are of the biggest concern to the world.

Recycling, Concrete, Environmental Sustainability, China, Construction

37 points by PaulHoule 185 days ago | 11 comments