MIDDLE EAST 

Error: Feed has an error or is not valid

AUSTRALIA

• A builder with a hammer
• For just $40,000 you can build a home using the soil beneath your feet
  

  While it may look like a replica of Luke Skywalker’s dwelling on Tatooine, this house is actually a council-approved residential abode made entirely out of bags filled with soil.

• Parliamentary report calls for independent building commission to fix NSW construction industry
  A parliamentary committee report calls for the establishment of a building commission to improve standards across the construction industry in the wake of the Mascot Towers and Opal Tower scandals….
• 'An absolute wonder': How the construction of Perth's Narrows Bridge transformed the city
  

  For 60 years it has been the main link between Perth’s north and south, carrying almost 200,000 vehicles a day, but few realise what an engineering marvel the Narrows Bridge is.

• Russian man wanted over St Peters stabbings found dead in park
  

  Police find the body of Vladimir Kondakov, who had been on the run since he attacked two men at a construction site at St Peters, in Sydney’s inner-west, last Wednesday.

• When rich nations banned deadly asbestos, the industry fought to keep it flowing here
  Years after Australia banned all forms of the building material, big companies and lobby groups have worked together to keep Asia importing thousands of tonnes of white asbestos, and health experts fe…
• 140-year-old perfume bottle created in honour of Queen Victoria found at Brisbane construction site
  

  A perfume bottle topped with Queen Victoria’s crown and an old toothpaste box are among artefacts uncovered at the construction site for a Cross River Rail station in Brisbane.

• 'Amazing' cash find at development site prompts neighbours to consider digging for more
  

  Residents of a suburban Gold Coast development site say they are about to start digging for cash, days after a stash of old bank notes was found in their neighbourhood.

• Investors still baulking at property market, with more apartments in the pipeline
  

  While property prices seem to have turned the corner, there are still plenty of mixed messages around lending and building that are clouding the picture in the real estate market.

• Massive fire rips through historic Japanese castle
  

  Shuri Castle, which was rebuilt after being destroyed during World War II, is reduced to blazing rubble again as a huge fire rips through its main hall and temple buildings.

INTERNATIONAL

• Atkins JV renews US disaster inspection contract
  The USA’s The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) has reappointed a joint venture between Atkins and Tidal Basin Government Consulting to carry out housing inspections nationwide following disa…
• Bouygues lands contracts for €1bn of Hong Kong tunnels
  Bouygues Travaux Publics has won two tunnelling contracts in Hong Kong with a combined value of more than €1bn.Read Full Article: The Construction Index…
• US awards $900m in grants for transport projects
  US transportation secretary Elaine Chao has announced grants with a total value of US$900m (£700m) for infrastructure projects across 35 states.Read Full Article: The Construction Index…
• Coffey begins work on €38m Irish sewerage scheme
  Coffey has begun work on a €38m (£32m) contract for the Upper Liffey Valley sewerage scheme in County Kildare in Ireland.Read Full Article: The Construction Index…
• Edmonton forced to restart procurement for $2.6bn LRT line
  The Canadian city of Edmonton is having to launch a new procurement process for the Valley Line West LRT project after two companies on the original shortlist pulled out.Read Full Article: The Constru…
• Record-breaking piles pass load tests
  Fugro has completed a load-testing programme as the part of the foundation design verification for a tower that will stand on Germany’s longest rotary bored piles.Read Full Article: The Construction I…
• Cramo accepts Boels' €592m offer
  Dutch rental group Boels has agreed a deal to buy Finnish equipment rental company Cramo for €592m (£508m). Read Full Article: The Construction Index…
• Management contract awarded for Aruba airport expansion
  Arcadis has been appointed to a provide contract management and technical supervision for the expansion of Aruba’s Queen Beatrix International Airport.Read Full Article: The Construction Index…
• Mott MacDonald JV picked for Sydney rail project
  A joint venture of Mott MacDonald and SMEC has been appointed as technical advisor for a 10-year programme to improve rail services in Sydney, Australia.Read Full Article: The Construction Index…
• NZ’s infrastructure pipeline passes $20bn
  The newly established New Zealand Infrastructure Commission Infrastructure has identified a pipeline of upcoming major capital projects with a combined value of NZ$21.1bn (£10.45bn).Read Full Article:…