This fantastic image, by Abhijit Dey, is one of 24 winning photographs in the CIOB’s Art of Building 2012 photography competition that will be auctioned off for charity next month. The beneficiary of the House of Commons event on June 18 is Article 25, the construction-focused disaster relief charity that is currently rebuilding schools in Haiti. Spaces are limited to 200, so the CIOB is asking prospective bidders to register their interest and view the images at the web page below.
Saul Townsend, communications manager at the CIOB, said: “The entrants have done their part by agreeing to let us auction their creativity in support of this much-needed Article 25 project. We invite anyone who shares our vision to help the children of Haiti by building these schools to come along to the auction at the House of Commons – and to bring some money with them!”
…living in a gadget-packed Panasonic eco-home?
Panasonic’s expanding subsidiary PanaHome has recently completed a new showhouse in Kuala Lumpur, built in just six months using offsite prefabrication. The “smart” showhome also integrates energy management with mobile phone apps, which also link to compatible Panasonic kitchen and audio-visual appliances, and security and communication systems.
Kuala Lumpur might be rather remote, but in light of last month’s prediction about BIM opening the door for new names to enter the UK construction market, it might just be worth a trip…
…talking on a walkie talkie on the Walkie Talkie?
Operatives at 20 Fenchurch Street, the 37-storey skyscraper being built in London’s financial district, will soon have a pun-packed opportunity to enjoy their new Motorola handsets.
Essex-based radio communications provider Brentwood Communications won the contract to supply DP3400 digital radios to teams working on the plumbing, ventilation, electrical, mechanical and water supply for the £300m project, which is due for completion in 2014.
The radios feature a Lone Worker function that monitors the safety of staff by emitting a bleep, which users must respond to or the radio will send an alert to the other radios or a monitoring station. It’s not known how the handsets react to bad jokes.
…taking a job in a Beijing sewerage works?
It might seem a little reckless given the size of the city’s population, but it’s certainly going to be a talking point on the CVs of students Colm Foy and Mike O’Donnell. The pair are third-year civil engineering students from the National University of Ireland in Galway, who have been posted to wastewater treatment projects in Beijing as part of three months’ work experience organised by Tsinghua University.
NUI Galway’s Professional Experience Programme offers all undergraduate and postgraduate students an industrial placement relevant to their field of study. You could call it “getting your hands dirty”.
Colm Foy and Mike O’Donnell (right) have been posted to Beijing
