Ferrari World Abu Dhabi, Did You Know?

Ferrari-world-abu-dhabi

Ferrari World Abu Dhabi Facts:

  • The 86,000 m2, enclosed area of Ferrari World, can fit 7 football fields in ‘head to toe’.
  • The total roof area of 200,000 m2 uses enough aluminum to cover 16,750 Ferrari’s, or if you laid the roof flat you could place 20,100 Ferrari’s side by side and end to end.
  • If Ferrari World was turned upright, it would be the tallest man made structure in the world at over 300 floors!
  • The Ferrari logo on the roof, the largest ever created, measures an incredible 65m in length and covers an area of 3,000 m2 which could fit at least 7 basketball courts.
  • The volume of concrete in Hoover Dam could fit inside Ferrari World.
  • 100,000 m3 of concrete was used to pour the slabs of Ferrari World, which is 10,000 m3 more than what was used for Wembley Stadium in London.
  • Ferrari World has the largest space frame structure ever built with a total of approximately 172,000 members and 43,100 nodes.
  • Ferrari World needed 12,370 tons of steel to create its structure; the Eiffel Tower only needed 7,000 tons.
  • The gross footprint area of the plaza level is equivalent to approximately 15 American Football fields.
  • The Empire State Building could be rebuilt in the same time it took to clad the 200,000 m2 of roof for Ferrari World Abu Dhabi; approximately 14 months.
  • Formula Rossa, the world’s fastest roller coaster, has the same G force one would feel driving in an F1 car and braking at maximum speed.
  • Ferrari World includes 1,200 dining seats – enough to feed the entire park at full capacity in 3 hours.
  • Ferrari World Abu Dhabi is the world’s only venue to house Four Michelin-star experienced Italian chefs under one roof.
  • A football field needs 8,400 m2 of grass coverage; to cover the area around the roller coasters at Ferrari World, 4.5 times that amount was used – approximately 39,000 m2 of ground cover.
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Saudi Arabia Has The Leading Construction Market In The Middle East

 

King Abdullah Economic City

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Saudi leads region with $1 trillion construction projects

Saudi Arabia has emerged as the Middle East’s largest construction market, with the value of projects planned and under way estimated to be more than SR3.75 trillion ($1 trillion), according to latest figures.

This encompasses several sectors, including transport, infrastructure, utilities, education and healthcare, reflecting the prioritisation of upgrades to local roads, rail, port and airports, along with other facilities in order to attract private investment.

To complement the growth and development across Saudi Arabia, the government has made its largest allocation for the 2015 budget toward the transport and infrastructure sector of SR630 billion ($168 billion).

One of the key projects in focus in Saudi Arabia is the rail and road programme that includes Riyadh Metro, Dammam Rail, Haramain Rail, Makkah Railway, and Saudi-Bahrain Causeway. Airport construction and upgrades, including work on Riyadh’s King Khaled International Airport and Jeddah’s King Abdul Aziz International Airport as well as construction of new airports in Madinah and Abha Governorates, is another vital segment.

Lastly, the upgrading of existing roads and building of new ones across Saudi Arabia, along with infrastructure projects in the industrial cities of Jubail, Yanbu and Ras Al Khair is also the part of the ongoing developments.

This story is by TradeArabia News Service

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Forth Road Bridge, Did You Know?

Forth Road Bridge

  • The Forth Road Bridge is a long-span suspension bridge which was opened on September 4, 1964, by Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II.
  • Construction began in 1958 and the project cost £19.5 million.
  • Over 24 million vehicles cross the bridge each year.
  • Nearly 40,000 tonnes of steel and 125,000 cubic metres of concrete went into its construction.
  • When it opened, it was the first bridge of its kind in the UK, the longest outside the USA and the fourth longest in the world. It features a dual two-lane carriageway and cycletracks/footpaths.
  • The full length of the bridge is 2.5 km, which includes a main span of 1,006m between the two main towers, side spans of 408m each and north and south viaducts of 252m and 438m respectively.
  • 49,280 km (30,000 miles or 6,350 tonnes) of wire make up the two main cables from which the suspended deck hangs. Each cable is 590mm in diameter and made of 11,618 high-tensile wires, each 4.98mm-thick.
  • These main cables each take 13,800 tonnes of the total load and are anchored into the rock on both sides of the Forth. The anchorages are made of concrete cast in tunnels between 56 and 79m in length of tapering section cut into the rock at an inclination of 30° to the horizontal. The concrete is strengthened by steel post-tensioning strands grouted into conduits.
  • The bridge’s two main towers stand over 150m above the mean water level, support the majority of the bridge’s weight, and are of welded cellular high-tensile steel construction, featuring steel up to 25mm thick. The towers were strengthened in the late 1990s to support the ever-increasing weights of heavy goods vehicles crossing the bridge.
  • The north tower stands on the Mackintosh Rock while the south tower features caissons founded on sandstone some 32m below high water. Defences around both piers were added in the late 1990s to withstand potential collisions from shipping.
  • The side towers are located where the approach viaducts meet the suspended span. These substantial reinforced concrete structures help to support the weight of the main cable as well as both approach viaducts.
  • The suspended span decks hang from the bridge’s two main cables by 768 steel hanger ropes of 48mm (main span) and 57mm (side span) in diameter that are between 2.4 and 90 m long. These hanger ropes were all replaced between 1998 and 2000 and each set of four takes loads of 176 and 224 tonnes.
  • The bridge’s suspended deck is 36m wide but no more than 38mm thick. It consists of a steel stiffening truss with three longitudinal air gaps at roadway level to improve aerodynamic stability.
  • As the roadway expands and contracts according to varying temperature, wind and weight of traffic, expansion joints are embedded in the roadway under the two main towers.
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Eiffel Tower, Did You Know?

Eiffel Tower

It’s 126 years since the famous Iron Lady was inaugurated in time for the 1889 World Fair in Paris.

It is now one of  the most visited monuments in the world and around seven million people climb its stairs or take the lift to one of its three levels each year.

But it’s worth remembering that it was not always this popular. When construction began in July 1887, a group of around 300 artists, sculptors and architects sent a petition to the commissioner of the Paris exhibition demanding that he halt construction of the “ridiculous tower”.

Here are 12 facts about the Eiffel Tower:

1. Two years, two months and five days – That’s how long it took to build the Eiffel Tower, with construction beginning in 1887.

2. 7,799,401.31 – That’s what it cost in French gold Francs to build the monument.

3. 324 metres – That’s the height of the Eiffel Tower, including the antenna at the top. That works out at 1,063 feet. Without the antenna it is 300 metres tall (984 feet).

4. Six inches – That’s how much the tower grows in the sun. Yes the Eiffel Tower grows when it gets hot and shrinks in the cold. Although this is fairly hard to see with the naked eye.

5. 10,000 tonnes – That’s how much the Iron Lady weighs.

6. 20 years – That’s how long the Eiffel Tower was originally designed to last. It was built by Gustave Eiffel to commemorate the French Revolution and show off France’s industrial might. The removal men were meant to pull it down after 20 years, but Eiffel appears to have persuaded them to have a change of heart. The fact that the tower could be used as a wireless telegraph transmitter, made it fairly useful and saved it from the wrecking ball.

7. 103,000 kilometres – That’s the distance one lift travels each year, according the site livescience.com, which, to put into perspective is two and a half times the circumference of the earth. There are steps up to the top – 1,710 of them – but visitors can only walk up to the first floor.

8. 18 – That’s the number of times the iron lady has been repainted over the years. It takes a mammoth 60 tonnes of paint to give it a first coat. 

9.  41 years – That’s how long the Eiffel Tower was the world’s tallest building for, before the Chrysler Building in New York came along and stole its mantle.

10. 250 million – That’s the number of people who have paid a visit to the Eiffel Tower over the years. 

11. 1944 – The year when the Eiffel Tower could have been pulled down. Hitler ordered the German military governor of France to tear it down but he refused.

12. Six to seven metres – This is the amount the Eiffel Tower sways in the wind.

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Writing A CV

Writing a good CV

The difference between writing a good CV and an average CV can be the difference from you landing your dream job or not. The first impression any potential employer will make of you will come from the CV that has been submitted to them.

Edge Careers takes a look at a few points that will help you to write a good CV.

Contact details

  • Be sure to include as many contact details as possible so that a recruiter or employer can easily reach you
  • Try to make your email address professional, most of us set up an email address as teenagers and set as somthing funny, if it is possible it would be advisorable to have an email address set as somthing like firstname.lastname@hotmail.com

Previous employment

  • Write in reverse chronological order, including starting and leaving dates for each position.
  • Include concise details of what the job entailed, your responsibilities and what you achieved in the role.
  • If there are any time gaps between employment explain what you were doing in that time, for example travelling, at college, carrying out charity fund raising work.

Qualifications

  • There is no need to list all of your Standard Grade/National 5/GCSE subjects, simply write something like, 10 GCSEs A-C including Mathematics and English.
  • A-Level and degree qualifications can be listed, the grades do not have to be included.
  • List only the academic centres where a qualification was earned in reverse chronological order with dates.

Hobbies and interests

  • If you do choose to include this section, it can be used to give an insight into your personality.
  • Consider carefully what you are putting down and its implications. Team events indicate that you are a team player, other activities such as Scouting, CCF, Duke of Edinburgh’s Award Scheme show commitment and the fact you are not adverse to a challenge.
  • Be specific, and show what you learnt or gained from the activity (such as perseverance, teamwork, communication skills), and if you were on the society or helped organise anything emphasise this.
  • Keep this section very brief, do not list all of your interests and hobbies.

 

 

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Wembley, Did You Know?

Wembley Stadium

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Wembley in Numbers
• At its peak, there were more than 3,500 construction workers on site.
• 4,000 separate piles form the foundations of the new stadium, the deepest of which is 35 m (115 ft).
• There are 56 km (35 mi) of heavy-duty power cables in the stadium.
• 90,000 m3 (120,000 yd3) of concrete and 23,000 tonnes (25,000 short tons) of steel were used in the construction of the new stadium
• 2,618 toilets
• 47 retail units
• 164 turnstiles
• 26 lifts
• 30 escalators
• 34 bars
• 8 restaurants
• 688 food and drink service points
• 98 kitchens
• The seats are spread over three tiers: lower 34,303, middle 16,532 and upper 39,165

General Stadium Facts
• The new Wembley reopened its doors in 2007
• The original Wembley Stadium was known as the Empire Stadium, and was built as the centrepiece of a British Empire Exhibition at the end of the First World War
• The stadium has a circumference of 1 km
• There are 107 steps in the trophy presentation route – the old stadium had 39 steps
• The new Wembley encloses 4,000,000 m³ inside its walls and under its roof. This is the equivalent of 25,000 double-decker buses or 7 billion pints of milk
• The deepest of the piles that form the foundations, at 35 metres, is as deep as the Twin Towers were tall
• The new pitch is four metres lower than the previous pitch
• The stadium’s pitch is enhanced by desso technology which combines synthetic grass with the real Wembley grass to strengthen the surface
• This system provides a consistently high standard playing surface at Wembley and enables the multi-use venue to host football, rugby, American football and music events
• The pitch is covered by specially designed protective panels for rock concerts which creates space for up 25,000 fans to stand
• Each of the two giant screens in new stadium is the size of 600 domestic television sets
• The total length of the escalators is the same as a 400 metre running track
• The Royal Box is in the traditional position – in the middle of the north stand – as in the old Wembley Stadium

The Arch and the Roof
• The most striking, highly visible feature of the stadium is 133 metre tall arch that sits above the north stand
• With a span of 315 metres, the arch is the longest single span roof structure in the world and is visible right across London
• With a diameter of 7.4 metres the arch is wide enough for a Channel Tunnel train to run through
• A representative from every county in England was involved in the construction of the arch
• The stadium roof rises to 52 metres above the pitch. This compares to the 35 metres tall Twin Towers of the old stadium
• The roof is over 11 acres, of which four of the acres are retractable
• The stadium has a sliding roof design which allows the pitch to be exposed to direct sunlight and ventilation whilst ensuring that spectators are covered
• The arch supports all of the weight of the north roof and 60 per cent of the weight of the southern side
• The arch ensures that there are no pillars in the new stadium which could obstruct the views of fans

The Seats
• The stadium has 90,000 seats with no obstructed views
• There are 310 wheelchair spaces and 400 press seats
• The rows of seating, if placed end to end, would stretch 54 kilometres
• There is more leg room in every seat in Wembley Stadium than there was in the Royal Box of the old stadium
• The stadium was designed with stands that are higher and closer to the pitch than the original stadium and with better uninterrupted views

 

 

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£500m Culture Quarter Plans

Developer London & Regional Properties has revealed plans for a major new cultural quarter at Elephant & Castle in south London.

The Skipton House office block, located between the tube station and London South Bank University, will be demolished to make way for the office and residential complex, which will boast sky gardens.

The emerging plans for the London Road site will double the existing office space to over 500,000 sq ft and deliver 450 homes.

Elephant & Castle

Designed by Skidmore, Owings and Merrill, the scheme will provide significant public realm and open space including improvements to local cycling routes.

Geoffrey Springer, head of development at London & Regional said: “We are proposing a significant investment in the regeneration of Elephant & Castle, which will celebrate the area’s cultural heritage.

“This will be an iconic development, providing new cultural and community space and, most importantly, new jobs and homes. The development will also deliver new open space and a vastly improved public realm, strengthening the ongoing regeneration of Elephant and Castle.”

This story is by constructionenquirer.com.

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1,200 Staff Join Wates

wates logo

 

 

 

 

 

 

More than 1,200 Shepherd staff will now become part of Wates as a buyout deal was finally rubber-stamped.

Wates reached an agreement today to acquire Shepherd Engineering Services (SES) and Shepherd FM plus a “significant” number of contracts and strategic frameworks from Shepherd Construction Limited.

Talks on a possible takeover have been ongoing since last December.

Wates said the deal is a major step in its ambition to boost turnover to £2bn with the Shepherd acquisition expected to add an extra £300m of revenue in the first year.

The move will see 2016 turnover touch the £1.6bn mark while total staff numbers at Wates will rise to 3,800.

The move will also see Wates boost its presence in the North and North West.

Shepherd Group will now focus on the remaining parts of the business and will retain the Shepherd Construction name.

Acquiring Shepherd Engineering Services was the main driver of the deal and former Shepherd chief executive Mark Perkins will now lead SES and join the Wates executive board.

Noel Clancy will remain as chief executive of Shepherd FM while the Shepherd Construction assets will be integrated into the Wates northern business under managing director Phil Harrison.

Andrew Davies, Chief Executive of Wates Group,told the Enquirer that the deal was funded internally but declined to put a price on the acquisition.

He said: “The family run nature of both businesses meant we could talk about this confidentially and see if a deal was possible.

“The acquisition marks another step towards Wates becoming the UK’s leader in the construction and property services sector, now boasting a distinct and outstanding engineering capability, offsite manufacturing proficiency and technical expertise in specialised construction projects.

“Our investment is expected to deliver an additional circa £300 million in turnover in the first year of trading, projecting us further towards our £2bn target and making great strides in the fulfilment of our long-term growth strategy.

“The deal is underpinned by a collective commitment to strong values of integrity, performance and respect from both organisations; shared principles that are built on a long-standing family heritage.

“We are now preparing to welcome more than 1,200 new colleagues to the business and our immediate priority is to ensure the engagement and alignment of our people, whilst remaining focussed on maintaining our reputation for excellent customer service.”

This story is by constructionenquirer.com

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Electrification To Power Up

Work to electrify the TransPennine and Midland Mainline railways will resume under plans announced today.

Electrification Workers

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The new plan changes the phasing of the projects by between two and three years, but would see planning and design work resume immediately.

Electrification work on the TransPennine route will restart in early 2018, with some enabling works carried out before then, with completion set for 2022, compared with 2019 before.

On the Midlands Mainline, works will restart to electrify the line north from Bedford to Kettering and Corby by 2019, two years later than previously anticipated.

The line North of Kettering to Derby/Nottingham and Sheffield would be electrified in stages by 2023, instead of 2019 and 2020 as previously planned.

Sir Peter Hendy, who was commissioned by Government, to reset Network Rail’s upgrade programme recommended the move in a letter to Transport Secretary Patrick McLoughlin.

He said: “You commissioned my review as a result of both cost pressures and time delays and I am continuing work to set out the extent of the already evident likely funding shortfall in CP5.”

“I understand that the Government acknowledges that unpausing now will create a further significant spending pressure.”

“My replan will set out what Network Rail can do within its own resources to mitigate the impact to the rest of the affordable programme.”

“Of course, a considerable amount of the electrification costs of both schemes will fall outside CP5 and this will form part of the core of CP6 as schemes which will then be underway.”

The Transport Secretary replied: “I have always been clear that these schemes were paused and not cancelled and I am now accepting your advice that work can be restarted.”

“As these two important electrification schemes will connect our great cities with modern, faster and more reliable railways and help create a Northern Powerhouse, I would be grateful if they could be un-paused with immediate effect and progressed with some urgency.”

Sir Peter will submit his full plan for Network Rail’s re-plan in November ahead of the Government spending review.

This story is by constructionenquirer.com

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LendLease Staff Get 4 Day Health Break

Lendlease logo

Lendlease Europe has taken the plunge on work-life balance to roll out paid-for ‘wellbeing days’ for its staff to rest and recuperate.

From today all staff will be encouraged to take at least four days a year off work to focus on their own physical and mental health.

Under the Wellbeing Leave initiative employees can take at least one day of every 3-4 months with no formal leave limit applied.

Wellbeing Leave is being rolled out as part of Lendlease’s focus on work-life balance and its commitment to being ‘A Place that Cares’.

The firm hopes to reduce sickness levels by allowing people a day of leave to alleviate stress or take part in a wellbeing activity, in the hope they will return to work more engaged, healthy and productive.

Earlier this year, Lendlease introduced its enhanced shared parental leave scheme, which allows both men and women to be able to take up to six months paid leave.

Lisa White, Head of HR at Lendlease Europe, said: “Wellbeing Leave is a proactive investment in the health and wellbeing of our employees, and acknowledges the importance of a balanced work-family life.

“A healthier, happier workforce is naturally a more productive and engaged one – and less likely to take regular sick leave.

“There is a strong business case for us to take the health and wellbeing of our employees seriously.

“As we implement this leave initiative, we will be able to address employee needs or hold workplace initiatives on the health issues that matter most to our people.”

This story is by constructionenquirer.com

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