Wednesday, September 29, 2010

construction outlook


emplica has listened to some experts on world construction outlook and this looks like a very good conclusion of their opinion...

....things moving up i mean.

Friday, September 24, 2010

New Distributor / Agent for scandinavia

Sep 23, 2010
As of today (september 23, 2010), emplica is proud to announce that we have a distributor for scandinavia. Mr. Carl Kuylenstierna has received extensive training last week and will be happy to serve our clients from now on. We also have all our produce in stock in southern sweden for quick delivery to our clients in Denmark, Sweden, Norway and Finland.
Do not hesitate to contact Mr. Kuylenstierna vie email: ck(at)emplica.com

WELCOME SCANDINAVIA!





Thursday, September 23, 2010

broken formwork.... Not really.

The Nordwesthaus at lake constance in Austria shows how light concrete can be if used in this way:







images courtesy of nordwesthaus.at

What one can do with concrete

The annual international concrete design competition has published the results of this year's winners. have a look at what is a glimpse into the future of concrete construction and design, treating concrete and of course formwork in new ways that have not yet been seen on construction sites but soon hopefully will...

http://www.concretedesigncompetition.com/results.php#

Wednesday, September 22, 2010

testing and developing

since early 2010 we have been testing our products in real-life circumstances. after 25 pours with plicafix repaired plywood formwork, the repair spots are still looking and working very good.

this is the setup:

- pouring with fairface concrete (small grains 0-16mm additives)
- 72 hrs in formwork
- formwork cleaning with brush, water
- oiling
- next pour

see the image below
the plicafix plywood repair spot is barely visible just right and below the center of the board. the damage on top left is growing with every pour. we left the damage to show the difference between repaired and unrepaired form.

Tuesday, September 21, 2010

world longest tunnel almost through!

The new Gotthard tunnel, which will be a train link from north to south with a length of 57 km is only weeks from break through. Just a little more than 100 meters are left until the alptransit will break a new world record.
see lots of good images here and read about this major construction project on their website
http://www.alptransit.ch

Tuesday, September 7, 2010

concrete again abused!

for this beautiful piece of furniture. probably pretty hard to sit on, but at least it looks very soft!



http://www.grayconcrete.co.uk/sofa/

world construction outlook webcast by IHS Global insight

I will be attending the following webcast. I just put the whole schedule here for anyone interested.

***********************************

IHS Global Insight's 7th Annual Construction Web Event:
Is the Roller Coaster Ride Over or Are We Heading for Another Drop?

29 Sep 2010
10:00 a.m. – 12:30 p.m.
(New York Time)
3:00 p.m. – 5:30 p.m.
(London Time)

Registration deadline:
28 September 2010
No Fee
   Register for this Event
Total construction spending is expected to be 2% lower in 2010 than 2009.
While not good, it is an improvement from the nearly 7% decline of the prior year.
With economists talking about a double-dip recession, there are lingering doubts as
to whether this economic roller coaster ride is over. How long will it take the
construction industry to return to its peak of US$6 trillion spent in 2007?
Please join us on 29 September 2010, as we present our seventh annual view
of the world's construction markets.

Session 1

WORLD CONSTRUCTION OUTLOOK
10:00 a.m. – 10:50 a.m. (E.T.), 3:00 p.m. – 3:50 p.m. (G.M.T.)

The recent financial market turmoil has raised the risks of another downturn.
The euro crisis and attempts by the Chinese government to deflate the
real estate bubble have only increased the anxiety about a global
double-dip outcome. How will this affect global construction markets? 

Global Economic Overview: Has the Risk of a Double-Dip Recession Risen?
Nariman Behravesh, Chief Economist, IHS

Global Construction: How Will Activity Weather the Brewing Storm?
Scott Hazelton, Director, Construction Services, IHS Global Insight

Western Europe: The Scope for German Economic and Construction Sector Decoupling
Timo Klein, Senior Economist, World Economic Service, IHS Global Insight

Session 2

U.S. CONSTRUCTION OUTLOOK
11:00 a.m. – 11:50 a.m. (E.T.), 4:00 p.m. – 4:50 p.m. (G.M.T.)

The construction market continues to weigh negatively on U.S. economic performance.
Total construction spending contracted 4.8% in the first quarter of 2010 and is
not expected to see positive growth until the last quarter of the year.
Will it continue on from there? Hear our outlook for 2011 and beyond during
Session 2 of our Construction Web Event.

U.S. Economy and Housing: Double-Dipping?
Nigel Gault, Group Managing Director,
North American Macroeconomic Services, IHS Global Insight

U.S. Regional and Non-Residential Construction: As Infrastructure Funding Wanes,
What Will Fuel Non-residential Markets?
Karen Blanford, Research Manager, Construction Industry Analysis and Forecasting,
IHS Global Insight

U.S. Building Materials: Will Renovation Continue to Present the Most Viable Markets for Materials?
Scott Hazelton, Director, Construction Services, IHS Global Insight

Session 3

INFRASTRUCTURE OUTLOOK
12:00 noon – 12:30 p.m. (E.T.), 5:00 p.m. – 5:30 p.m. (G.M.T.)

August's 60-mile traffic jam in Beijing underscores the state of the
infrastructure industry in developing markets. Countries like China
and India are struggling to keep up with the incredible pace of economic
growth and spending. The same cannot be said for developed markets.
Join us as we take a look at the best locations to invest in infrastructure
spending and weigh the associated risks.

Asia: How Long Will the Infrastructure Boom in China and India Last?
Simona Mocuta, Senior Manager, Asia-Pacific Economics, IHS Global Insight

Europe: Will the Financial Crisis in Europe further Derail Construction Markets?
Eduardo Rodriguez-Priego, Director,
EMEA Construction Consulting, IHS Global Insight

Rest of World: Travel with Us As We Review the Infrastructure Outlook in
Africa and the Americas
Karen Blanford, Research Manager, Construction Industry Analysis and
Forecasting, IHS Global Insight 


http://www.ihsglobalinsight.com/Events/EventDetail105947.htm

Strabag record high - KHL Group

Strabag record high - KHL Group

A +10% rise has led to a record order backlog being reported by Strabag SE, one of Europe's leading construction groups which has particular strengths in Central and Eastern Europe.
Strabag said the € 15.75 billion order backlog was "another record high", and that this time, the growth was not solely a result of newly-acquired large-scale projects in the Polish transportation infrastructure segment. In Slovakia, the full consolidation of railway construction subsidiary Viamont in the first quarter of 2010, had a positive effect on the order backlog.
The company said it continued successfully to pursue the strategy of expanding its market presence in Benelux, Scandinavia and non-European markets to avoid being fully exposed to the margin pressure on the core markets in Europe.
Hans Peter Haselsteiner, CEO of Strabag, said' "The lower first-quarter output volume resulting from the winter weather could not be compensated for in the second quarter - at € 5.2 billion we are -7% below the levels after the first six months last year - but we are well on our way to concluding the current financial year with output volume and results at the previous year's levels."
Expenses for raw materials, consumables and other services remained stable in the first six months in terms of revenue. Earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization (EBITDA) nevertheless gained +14% over last year as a result of the write-up through profit or loss for Czech railway construction company Viamont of € 24.6 million. Strabag increased its share in the company from 50% to 100%.


more international construction news on www.khl.com

Friday, September 3, 2010

Chinese man expands his house underground...

image source: chinadaily.com.cn


Chen Xinnian, a former coal miner has "undermined" his home in china to get more space. He worked for 4 years underground (he must have loved his job as a miner to go on with it after retirement). But since he knew what he was doing, the result is quite ok. 50 square meters more space for the family. Or what the germans would call "Partykeller"

read the full story here: chinadaily

Wednesday, September 1, 2010

short real time video