The San Francisco Bay Bridge has been shut down for the weekend to allow workers to roll a section of the old bridge away, and roll in a temporary section, while they build the new permanent bridge. Download the video here showing how they'll do it. [more inside]
posted by gingerbeer on Sep 3, 2009 - 61 comments

When Wrekin Construction went into administration last week, it blamed the Royal Bank of Scotland for demanding repayment of an overdraft. However, the 2007 accounts show that among the assets of the company is a ruby it called the "Gem of Tanzania". Wrekin had bought the stone off one of its shareholders for £11m worth of shares - more than four times the record for a single ruby at auction. [more inside]
posted by Electric Dragon on Mar 16, 2009 - 20 comments

Mitch Haile's office requires some explanation.
posted by odinsdream on Feb 25, 2009 - 29 comments

Infrastructurist. Although the blog is only a few days old, they've already debunked some of the myths of 24, interviewed Michael Dukakis, and grappled with Amtrak economics.
posted by Horace Rumpole on Feb 5, 2009 - 27 comments

The New Road. A photo essay by Rob Amberg on the building of I-26 through Madison County in the mountains of North Carolina. via
posted by 1f2frfbf on Feb 3, 2009 - 10 comments

A glance will show / Why Phoebe Snow / Prefers this route / To Buffalo.
And Phoebe's right / No route is quite / As short as Road / of Anthracite.

In 1908 the Delaware, Lackawanna and Western Railroad began work on the New Jersey Cut-Off to make its New York to Buffalo mainline (the Road of Anthracite so liked by Phoebe Snow) even shorter and faster. It was to have no grade crossings, and was to be as straight and level as possible — through hilly terrain. The 28-mile Lackawanna Cut-Off, as it is now known, was built over three years, cost $11 million, and was an engineering marvel of massive reinforced concrete bridges, enormous cuts, and the largest railroad embankment in the world. All of this has been abandoned for years, though there are plans afoot to restore the Cut-Off for commuter rail. [more inside]
posted by parudox on Dec 24, 2008 - 17 comments

Home Delivery: Fabricating the Modern Dwelling comprises a selective survey of prefabrication in architecture, represented by a timeline, and a building project of contemporary prefabricated homes on the MoMA west lot that is available until October 20th. [more inside]
posted by netbros on Oct 6, 2008 - 2 comments

Friday Flash Java Fun - 'Building Houses With Side Views' Entertaining Java game/exercise/doodad. [more inside]
posted by le morte de bea arthur on Jun 13, 2008 - 31 comments

Chinese Are Left to Ask Why Schools Crumbled. "A staggering number of students died as schools collapsed in the May 12 earthquake, and grieving parents are speaking out about shoddy construction."
posted by homunculus on May 25, 2008 - 24 comments

The Olympic Boom is shaping a new Beijing. These fancy new venues and skyscrapers are being built largely by migrant workers facing a harsh reality. The non-stop construction has also threatened to make these "green games" brown. The city may be smoggy and mistreated migrant workery now, but don't you worry, a series of measures will be taken to curb the pollution for the events.
posted by clearly on Apr 23, 2008 - 54 comments

The Assembly of Space Shuttle Discovery
posted by grouse on Apr 3, 2008 - 40 comments

Man buried alive saved by air trapped in his hat. [Via MoFi.]
posted by homunculus on Mar 6, 2008 - 53 comments

Russos takes photos of Moscow Metro construction. Also of a half-abandoned river port, a cool bridge being put together, and an old underground nuclear submarine base. But mostly of the Metro, behind the scenes. (Don't ask me how he gets access.) [more inside]
posted by parudox on Dec 6, 2007 - 4 comments

       Pretty Big Dig
A dance film by Anne Troake that gently illustrates the assimilation of technology. QT video [more inside]
posted by carsonb on Dec 2, 2007 - 8 comments

Construction of the World's Highest Bridge, Millau Viaduct in France, which is slightly higher than the Eiffel Tower. It is now included in a list of Google Earth extremes. World's most interesting bridges. Gallery of beautiful world bridges. [more inside]
posted by nickyskye on Oct 5, 2007 - 23 comments

Amazing photo sequence from the Philadelphia Inquirer on the ironworkers building the top floors (45 - 55) of the Comcast Center. Not safe for those with Vertigo. Via.
posted by jonson on Jun 25, 2007 - 29 comments

The Goodyear Blimp: Building, filling, painting, testing. Structure. People. Signage. Flying.
posted by Blazecock Pileon on May 27, 2007 - 18 comments

Jen Stark creates sculptures from construction paper.
posted by solistrato on Feb 27, 2007 - 31 comments

Dutch artist Bert Simons, suffering from a mid-life crisis, decided to clone himself to become immortal. By means of state-of-the-art computer multiplication techniques he found a way for you to build your own Bert clone! (1.2 MB PDF) He is currently in the process to clone a female specimen. (NSFW: cardboard nudity) [via]
posted by kika on Dec 5, 2006 - 4 comments

If you continue to wait, you may never be able to afford to get into the housing market. The National Association of Home Builders wants you to buy a home now. Should you wait? No, no, no, no! Via Housing Panic.
posted by brain_drain on Dec 1, 2006 - 91 comments

"This is a major innovation...and in places that are affected by high winds and earthquakes, it looks like it's going to make a big difference." And it only adds about $15 to the cost of an average 2000 sq. ft. house - the Bostich HurriQuake nail.
posted by jaimev on Nov 28, 2006 - 42 comments

Medianera is the spanish word for the wall that separates two buildings. When one of those buildings is knocked down, the remaining wall often carries impressions left behind by the now-demolished living space. Flickr pools: [1] [2].
posted by monju_bosatsu on Nov 12, 2006 - 28 comments

Spider web construction gallery is a collection of diagrams of the path a spider takes when constructing it's web. The diagrams are colour coded by construction phase. [VIA MoFi's very first post.]
posted by Mitheral on Aug 15, 2006 - 24 comments

Using enough explosives to topple 400 10-storey buildings, China has blown up [bbc news .asx file] a temporary barrier used to hold water back from the controversial Three Gorges Dam.
posted by tnai on Jun 6, 2006 - 36 comments

Le Viaduc de Millau on the A75 between Clermont-Ferrand and Béziers in France is the world's tallest and most technologically advanced bridge. At 2,460m long and 343m tall, its multi-stayed spans are suspepended from seven pylons. It is not only an engineering marvel, but a work of art. It took 14 years of preparation, but the bridge was built in only 3 years. This film shows how it was built. Here is a live view from the webcam. Previous Metafilter discussion in August 2004 before the bridge opened in January 2005 here.
posted by three blind mice on Sep 1, 2005 - 13 comments

When he says "home theater" he means home theater. If you're going to ignore TV Turnoff Week, you may as well do it in style.
posted by LeeJay on Apr 25, 2005 - 39 comments

Want it? Make it! 3D printers aren't that new -- already there are robots that print houses, inkjet printers that print human tissue, and for you CSI fans, machines that can reconstruct bullets, among other things. What's new, you ask? Machines that can produce anything and self-replicate, too. All under a GNU General Public License.
posted by greatgefilte on Mar 18, 2005 - 25 comments

This has a value in our profession, and it doesn't have to do with scale at all. It has to do with the actual meaning of a house.
posted by alms on Sep 9, 2004 - 8 comments

The forgotten technology - "I am a retired carpenter with 35 years experience in construction ... I have began to build a replica of Stonehenge with eight 10 ton blocks on end and 2 ton blocks on top. One man, no wheels, no rollers, no ropes, no hoist or power equipment, using only sticks and stones." (some slow loading clips on the pages)
posted by madamjujujive on Jul 22, 2004 - 31 comments

Lego Master Builder search
"After kicking off at The Art Institute of California – San Diego on Thursday, Oct. 30, the official LEGO Master Model Builder Search will head to Art Institutes in Washington D.C., Boston, Charlotte, Las Vegas, Phoenix, and Los Angeles before its final stop in Orange County, California. Winners from each city will be invited to travel to the LEGOLAND theme park in Carlsbad in 2004 to interview for the ultimate job – and the chance for the coveted spot as the seventh LEGO Master Model Builder." Ladies and gentlemen, start your brick building!
posted by Irontom on Oct 15, 2003 - 6 comments

Construction of the Scottish Parliament in Pictures. The site was way over its budget even before they'd started building it, but it's nice to see they're at least doing something creative with the design. Being a lucky soul, I get to walk past this monstrosity every single day.
posted by bwerdmuller on Oct 10, 2003 - 15 comments

Because people have a need to glue things to other things, there is thistothat.com. Let's glue! One of the simplest yet more useful sites on the interweb.
posted by ewagoner on Aug 6, 2003 - 21 comments

Cranespotting (Geocities) ... is the compulsion, upon seeing a long crane boom reaching skyward in the distance, to drive over and see what's holding it up. The crane capital of the world is Germany, where Demag, Gottwald, Krupp, Liebherr and others make some cranes with eye-opening numbers: more than 60 feet long, with 10 axles, and able to lift 1,000 tons. Now sometimes cranes tip over, touch power lines and so on; and there's a website for that too.
posted by kurumi on Jun 12, 2003 - 7 comments

Hot Little Igloos And Tutti-Frutti Toadstools or Living In Your Own I-Pod: Affordable housing gets seriously cute and makes Hobbits or Bubble boys and girls of all of us. The floor plans are versatile and the rentals (from $68 to $110 a week) are enticing. The "idea that governed the whole planning of Dome Park Lane and really became our goal was to provide clean, secure and -- most importantly -- affordable housing for low-income individuals." Are monolithic domes too good to be true or too weird to catch on? I sincerely hope not. [Via Linkfilter].
posted by MiguelCardoso on Dec 26, 2002 - 11 comments

the tofte project cool web site. cool project. cool ideas. cool person. cool part of the country. cool use of flash. via k10k.net
posted by specialk420 on Dec 13, 2002 - 19 comments

Architectural Construction Toys From the art nouveau style of Arquitectura Moderna to the futuristic cities (circa 1969) of Astrolite, this site has it all.
posted by snez on Dec 9, 2002 - 9 comments

Trash homes a.k.a. earthships sound like the way to go. Now if they would start building them here in Seattle...
posted by folktrash on Aug 12, 2002 - 15 comments

Now that's more like it. Finally a design for rebuilding the WTC that captures the appropriate spirit. Far better than the other designs I've seen. No doubt some will think it too much, though. What's your opinion?
posted by rushmc on Jun 24, 2002 - 84 comments

Amy Hughes spent a lot of time building a church. For her cat. Out of legos.
posted by donkeysuck on Apr 18, 2002 - 52 comments

"CraneAccidents.com is the Official Web-site for reporting crane related accidents on a world wide basis. The site is loaded with photos of crane accidents."
posted by kirkaracha on Mar 27, 2002 - 18 comments

What happens when a LEGO fanatic becomes bored? Or, perhaps the question should be "what should one do with about a quarter million Modulex bricks?" You might remember Eric of LEGO Desk fame...
posted by heather on Jan 25, 2002 - 7 comments

sodaconstructor allows you to construct basic shapes using lines, joints, and "muscles" and adjust the settings (gravity, and I'm guessing that f and k stand for force and kinetics but I could be wrong) to create "living" creatures.
posted by sillygwailo on Jan 4, 2002 - 10 comments

Why is American architecture so bad? "American architecture is, as a rule, conventional, bland, and dull. This is true almost across the board: from public buildings sponsored by federal or state governments to commercial buildings; from privately sponsored civic institutions, such as museums and concert halls, to local community centers and religious sanctuaries; from public-housing projects to private housing."
posted by rushmc on Dec 24, 2001 - 37 comments

A developer is pushing new luxury rental apartments in this building in Lower Manhattan with ads on nytimes.com. Rentals are probably slow because the building is five blocks from a disaster zone. But let's all just pretend it's not. Potential renters, take note: "actual view south" may not be the actual view south.
posted by davidfg on Nov 18, 2001 - 22 comments

The construction of Memphis area Apple Store held-up by sign ordinance prohibiting the display of food products on signage. Sweet Gods of Commerce: What would Orange Julius do?! [via MacNN]
posted by nathan_teske on Aug 4, 2001 - 8 comments

Just another nail in the head Don't mind me. I will just be posting sites that are really crazy for the next month.
posted by aj100 on Aug 2, 2001 - 40 comments

One of the worst things I've seen in a while... this reminds me of that 8-story supermarket in Seoul, Korea last year that crumbled from the weight of overcrowding in it's poorly built frame. What does it take for people to know better than to let things like this happen?
posted by prototype_octavius on May 25, 2001 - 20 comments

When I was a kid I built treeforts. One had 17 different platforms, in a giant willow tree. Another one was only reachable by boat. Only one actually had a roof. But now I want a real treehouse. And I guess I'm not the only one.
posted by rodii on Mar 24, 2001 - 27 comments

This article is rather interesting. I moved to Arizona last year and have noticed and commented on the high amount of female construction workers both here and in New Mexico compared to the amount you see in other states. If Arizona is 1% ahead of the national average, and still needs to hire more to meet requirements, I wonder how many states are far below requirements and just what they're doing about it, if anything. How often do you see a women workers in your state?
posted by crushed on Feb 26, 2001 - 10 comments

We need a Great Pyramid. I mean, come on, what is America's great constructional feat? The Empire State building? The Sears Tower? What relative pieces of shit. We need a pyramid to show we're at least as good as the Egyptians!
posted by muffin on Aug 13, 2000 - 18 comments