Dubai Officially Breaks Ground on New World’s Tallest Building Set to Open in 2020

October 13, 2016 Shane Hedmond

Dubai has held the record for world’s tallest building since the opening of the Burj Khalifa in 2010. The gigantic tower, which houses office, residential, retail, and hotel space spread over 163 floors stands 2,717 feet (828m) in the air. It was an impressive feat, once in which Dubai and the United Arab Emirates pride themselves on, but in a few short years, its crown will be passed to a new record holder.

[VIDEO] Habitat for Humanity’s 3 Year Eco Village Construction

October 10, 2016 Shane Hedmond

Habitat for Humanity is one of the construction industry’s favorite volunteer organization and for good reason. Over the past 40 years, the non-profit builder has helped construct, rehabilitate, or preserve over 800,000 affordable houses for families in need. It’s truly an area that construction workers throughout the world can showcase their skills and donate their time, in order to give back to their community.

How New US Labor Laws Could Affect Tens of Thousands of Construction Companies

October 4, 2016 Shane Hedmond

There have been several new laws in 2016, or new enforcement styles of existing laws, that are ready to make their mark on the construction industry. Among them are the US Department of Labor’s new rules on overtime pay and the Fair Pay and Safe Workplaces Act. Both laws affect the amount construction employees must be paid and when they should receive that pay, so documentation of employee time sheets and payments is becoming increasingly important. If your company plans to bid on any Federal Government work, violations of these new laws can keep you from getting the job.

You Have to Watch This French Castle Being Built Only Using 13th Century Construction Techniques

October 3, 2016 Shane Hedmond

There’s no doubt that construction is one of the toughest jobs in the world, but there was a time when power tools and heavy construction machinery didn’t even exist. Even with those tools being absent on job sites, amazing structures were still built for thousands of years and with extremely intricate detail. SO how exactly did they do it? Tons of manpower and tons of time, something that many modern jobs don’t have the luxury of. Ignoring all of today’s modern conveniences, a group of French construction workers and other skilled tradesmen and women have teamed up to build an authentic 13th Century style castle.

New Law May Disqualify Many Contractors from Federal Construction Work

September 30, 2016 Shane Hedmond

2016 has been filled with controversial law changes affecting contractors, like the first increase in OSHA fines in 27 years, OSHA’s new injury reporting rule, and new overtime pay rules. Industry groups have submitted comments hoping to ease the pain on contractors, but have not had any success overturning any of them. The next challenge facing contractors started with the Fair Pay and Safe Workplaces Executive Order signed in July 31.

Komatsu Unveils New Cab-less Self Driving Haulage Vehicle at MINExpo

September 30, 2016 Shane Hedmond

Even though self-driving vehicles are just that, self-driving, they’ve always still had a seat for a driver and a steering wheel. Perhaps that means that designers were afraid that their technology wouldn’t work correctly. Or maybe, customers weren’t fully committed to only being able to use them as a self-driving vehicle. Well, it seems as if Komatsu isn’t worried about either of those things anymore, as they’ve officially unveiled their newest autonomous (self-driving) haulage vehicle this week at MINExpo, which was held in Las Vegas from September 26-28, 2016.

[Timelapse] Construction of National Museum of African American History & Culture

September 29, 2016 Shane Hedmond

photo courtesy of the National Museum of African American History and Culture

Decades in the making, The Smithsonian Institution’s National Museum of African American History & Culture (NMAAHC) officially opened its doors to the public on September 24, 2016. Contained inside are over 36,000 artifacts that document and promote the accomplishments of African Americans throughout history and is “the only national museum devoted exclusively to the documentation of African American life, history, and culture,” according to the museum’s website.

Brazilian Construction Workers Find 33 Foot Long Anaconda on Job Site

September 28, 2016 Shane Hedmond

There are people who spend their lives searching for Big Foot or the Lock Ness Monster, but sometimes humans only find legends when they’re not specifically looking for them. Reports have surfaced this week of a construction crew in Altamira, Para in Brazil which has apparently found the largest snake in history on their job site.

Giant Inflatable Tunnel to be Used to Protect Pedestrians from Construction Work in Canada

September 27, 2016 Shane Hedmond

There’s no doubt that road work can be a huge inconvenience to drivers, but many times businesses in the route of the work can suffer more, even causing some to have to close permanently. While many projects around the country have been navigating towards pre-fabricated and modular construction to reduce the time workers actually spend on site, a project in Canada will be opting for the giant inflatable tunnel method.

THE TRADE EXCHANGE: A new app that connects contractors and tradesmen

September 26, 2016 Shane Hedmond

[SPONSORED] The Trade Exchange, or "T-Rex" for short, connects the best contractors, subs, tradesmen, designers and builders on one app. It helps you build your network of other local pros, so you can work together more efficiently and get the job done. Click to read more...