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SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 22, 2009
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NEWS ABOUT: building

building stories: 11 news summaries

In Recession, Homeowners Nail Contractors

As many vie for projects, consumer gains the upper hand

Jul 28, 09 2:41 PM CDT
(Newser) - Hiring a contractor to remodel a kitchen or resurface a floor once meant a lot of hassle and some serious cash. But the recession has changed all that: Contractors these days are ready and willing to work on the cheap, Time reports. Projects are smaller, and spending on remodeling is... More »

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contractors • recession • homeownership • economy • building

 Homes Shrink 
 With the Economy 

Builders' 'Depression' helps drive reduction

May 26, 09 9:30 AM CDT
(Newser) - Home sizes are aligned with the shrunken economy, the Los Angeles Times reports: last year, the typical home size dropped 11%—likely the fastest plunge since the 1970s. Some 90% of builders are working on a smaller scale now, an industry poll found. “People are realizing, 'Hey, I don't... More »

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recession • development • homebuilders • housing starts • building • financial crisis

 Empire State Building 
 Going Green 

Makeover project hailed as a landmark for energy efficiency

Apr 7, 09 1:50 AM CDT
(Newser) - The Empire State Building is getting a makeover to reduce its King Kong-sized carbon footprint, NY1 reports. As part of a larger renovation, "green" improvements will be made to the 78-year-old building—including an update for all 6500 of the structure’s windows—to reduce its energy consumption by... More »

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New York City • green building • Manhattan • Empire State Building • energy saving • building


 China to Lop Off Tall Buildings 
 in Hangzhou 

Hangzhou aims to become World Heritage site

Dec 13, 08 11:45 AM CST
(Newser) - Hoping to turn the city into a World Heritage site, China is lopping top floors off tall buildings in Hangzhou, the BBC reports. Two hotels, a TV tower, and other buildings will get the shrinking treatment in a $5.8 million effort; the city’s government has said that all... More »

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China • architecture • tourism • history • UNESCO • building • city • skyline

 Taj Knockoff Angers India 

Say there might be a copyright issue somehow

Dec 12, 08 2:21 PM CST
(Newser) - A knockoff of the Taj Mahal has caused a full-blown diplomatic incident between India and Bangladesh, the London Times reports, and potentially one of the weirdest copyright disputes ever. Bangladeshi film mogul Ahsanullah Moni began showing his $80 million copy of the Taj this week, enraging Indians. “You... More »

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architecture • India • Taj Mahal • copyright • Bangladesh • building

(Newser) - The death toll in the Haitian school collapse has risen to 75, the AP reports. The mayor of the Port-au-Prince suburb where it occurred said 17 dead students have been found so far today. Another 80 are being treated for injuries, many of them serious, and hundreds more children could... More »

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construction • Haiti • school • collapse • rescue • survivors • search • building • disaster

Fed Agency Battles Tough
Post-9/11 Building Code

New safety rules safety 'too expensive,' officials complain

Sep 8, 08 3:36 AM CDT
(Newser) - A federal agency is joining major landlords in fighting tough new building safety standards developed in the wake of 9/11, the New York Times reports. The requirements, added last year after a federal probe into the Twin Towers collapse, call for better fireproofing and extra stairwells. But the General Services... More »

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office buildings • skyscraper • workplace safety • building

Dubai High Rise Would Add Novel Twists

Revolving floors just one of 80-story tower's planned innovations

Jun 26, 08 3:51 PM CDT
(Newser) - If heights make your head spin, a planned 80-story tower in Dubai might not be the place for you. Set to be the "world's first building in motion," David Fisher's design features doughnut-shape floors that rotate 360 degrees around a fixed cement core, the AP reports. It would... More »

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architecture • alternative energy • construction • Dubai • real estate development • new construction • building • architectural plans • energy conservation

Poorly Built Schools Stood No Chance in Earthquake

Up to 10K kids died; parents blame gov't

May 25, 08 9:56 AM CDT
(Newser) - As a massive earthquake shook Sichuan province, subpar construction turned many Chinese schoolrooms into the mass graves of as many as 10,000 children, the New York Times reports, and grieving parents are pointing fingers at Beijing. The government, aware of the problem, had issued warnings on school safety in... More »

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China • construction • children • school • natural disaster • student • earthquake • building • Sichuan province

 Condo Glut Floods Cities 

Bargains abound as boom-time projects completed

Mar 22, 08 8:17 AM CDT
(Newser) - A deluge of new condos is about to hit many American cities already flooded with an unprecedented number of unsold units, the Wall Street Journal reports. This year, thousands of projects started at the height of the housing boom will be completed; oversupply and economic slowdown are likely to cause... More »

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housing market • construction • mortgage • property • housing • condominium • housing crisis • building

US Sees Worst Decline
in Jobs Since 2003

Payrolls dropped by 63,000;
recession fears intensify

Mar 7, 08 7:58 AM CST
(Newser) - The US lost 63,000 jobs in February, the second straight month payrolls contracted and the worst drop since 2003, catching economists off guard and fanning fears of recession anew, Bloomberg reports. Economists hoped the economy would add 23,000 jobs after declining a modest 17,000 in January, when... More »

MORE ABOUT:
Ben Bernanke • Federal Reserve • construction • recession • unemployment • factory • manufacturing • job market • job cuts • housing crisis • building • job

11 Stories


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