T. Reed Miller, Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT)
In response to disasters like Superstorm Sandy, engineers are developing new building codes and tools to calculate the value of upgrades. National policy should encourage builders to use these tools.
A drop in migration from the EU would ease demand for housing, but also reduce the availability of those legendary Polish house builders, who will be hard to replace with local labour.
Reinforced concrete is everywhere. But unlike plain concrete, which can last for centuries, reinforced concrete can deteriorate in decades as the reinforcing bars succumb to rust.
We need to move away from thinking about the skyscraper as an “icon”. Instead, we should be asking how the tall building – which will always “stand out” – can also “fit in” to cities.
Voters will hear a lot about productivity in the lead up to the budget. The key thing to remember is that it’s a very rubbery concept, enormously tricky to measure and highly politicised.
Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull said that two-thirds of all industrial disputes in Australia are in construction, and that construction industrial disputes are up since the ABCC closed. Is that right?
Memories of school demountables might cause some people to sneer at prefabricated buildings. But they can be stylish too, not to mention offering a possible way to ease the housing affordability problem.