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Bahrain’s new airport ambitions outshine current expansion
Matt Falcus Transportation Technology & AutomotiveLook at a satellite view of the tiny Kingdom of Bahrain and, zooming closer, you’ll spot a number of airports and airfields in a relatively small land mass. Bahrain International Airport, the main passenger gateway in the northeastern corner of the island, serves this nation of 1.5 million people and its important oil industries. It is currently undergoing a $1.1 billion expansion project, but incredibly, the chairman of the Bahrain Chamber of Commerce has just announced this to be a temporary measure ahead of a brand-new airport being built.
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Housing inventories drop as sales heat up
Michael J. Berens Construction & Building MaterialsThe seesaw ride that is the U.S. housing market appears to have no end in sight. After dipping in September, home sales rebounded in October. At the same time, however, inventory levels fell to their lowest point in the year, causing prices to rise by their highest percentage increase in the year. With mortgage rates fluctuating and the winter months just around the corner, sales are likely to stagger in the final months of the year.
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Strategies for surviving the next recession
Lloyd Princeton Business Management, Services & Risk ManagementWill we or won't we? The verdict is still out on whether the U.S. economy is headed into recession sometime next year. More worrisome at the moment is the number of other leading economies that are teetering on the brink of recession, such as Germany, Italy and, of late, Hong Kong. Growth is slowing in China and other BRIC countries. And who knows what impact Brexit will have on the European Union economies. Directly or indirectly, any of these eventualities could impede our industry. While there is no cause for alarm at the moment, it’s always wise to be prepared for any eventuality.
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In hotel design, business skills can give you an edge
Michael J. Berens Interior Design, Furnishings & FixturesHoteling today is all about creating memorable guest experiences. In recent years, hotel operators have turned to designers to create awe-inspiring, welcoming and soothing interiors to help distinguish their properties from those of their competitors. At the end of the day, though, hotels are businesses, and designers who can help cut or control costs and deliver an Instagrammable interior are likely to find favor with clients.
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Remodelers lower expectations but anticipate growth
Michael J. Berens Construction & Building MaterialsRemodeling activity in the third quarter eased slightly. The National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) stated its Remodeling Market Index (RMI) posted a reading of 55 (indicating modest growth) for the third quarter, the same reading as for the second quarter. Remodelers reported slight declines in client traffic and in demand for both major and minor additions or alterations. Nonetheless, remodelers remain optimistic that business will rebound in the fourth quarter and they will finish the year on a positive note. Less certain is what will happen next year.
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Fortress America: Why is the US still building gated communities?
Lucy Wallwork Construction & Building MaterialsGated communities go against most of what is currently in vogue in progressive urbanist thought. They turn their backs on an inclusive public realm, starving public streets of their vibrancy and withdraw a whole community from the theatre of our streets. But still, by the year 2009 almost 11 million people in the U.S. were reported to be living in gated communities. We might be familiar with super-elite gated communities, but gated communities now span the whole spectrum of housing across the U.S. So, what is driving this broader process of "residential fortification?"
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A former landfill is Maryland’s first community solar farm
Scott E. Rupp Facilities & GroundsA hole in the ground that recently contained nothing but our post-consumable unmentionables is receiving a new life as an energy production facility in Maryland. In Fort Washington, a landfill has been transformed into the state’s first large-scale community solar farm, NPR affiliate WAMU-FM reports. Conceived in 2017, the transformation is the result of a pilot running through next year, which is designed to "expand accessibility to solar energy for state residents," WAMU-FM says.
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The cities of the future, here today
Dave G. Houser Construction & Building MaterialsAbout 12,000 years ago, the Neolithic Revolution marked the transition in human history from nomadic hunting and gathering to settling in permanent communities. In all probability, from that time forward mankind has fantasized about a city of the future. Today, we've discovered a number of real-life brick-and-mortar — or rather, glass, steel, ashcrete and carbon fiber — developments that suggest that the cities of the future may be nearer at hand than we think.
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Mixed expectations for interior design businesses at year’s end
Michael J. Berens Interior Design, Furnishings & FixturesInterior design activity in the third quarter of the year was by and large mixed, with some sectors and some regions faring better than others. That trend is expected to continue throughout the fourth quarter, based on recent surveys of designer sentiment. Rising costs of products and materials, along with growing uncertainty about the health of the economy, have put a damper on client demand for new projects and larger projects. On the whole, residential firms experienced only a modest decline in activity during the summer.
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Innovative urban farming can meet the demand for fresh produce
Bambi Majumdar Food & BeverageRecent research from Arizona State University gives us hope for a sustainable agricultural future. Researchers assessed the benefits of urban agriculture and found that it can lead to food sustainability. The case study was that of urban agriculture in Phoenix, and the conclusion was that the city needed to use only 5% of its urban spaces to meet its sustainability goal. The study pointed out that this experiment can be adopted quickly by other cities that wish to develop their own sustainability goals through urban agricultural methods.
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