New Delhi Railway Station, India

The New Delhi railway station is getting a sleek new look. From new infrastructure to technological enhancements, the station is on track to reach world-class status by 2010.Other than completion of the mammoth Route Relay Interlocking System (RRI), that came after circuiting an area of about 3.5km using 700km of cables, the station plans to offer a lot more to its passengers by the year-end. A sprawling new building with enhanced passenger amenities, international graphic signs, disabled-friendly platforms, shopping arcade, food court and the list goes on.The completion of the first part of the renovation came at a cost of Rs 71 crore. Apart from the route relay interlocking system that costed Indian Railways Rs 27 crore, the maintenance facility of the station has also been upgraded by the addition of a track. A new track has also been added to remove the bottleneck from the Sadar Bazaar side.‘‘The completion of RRI has made sure that there was no conflicting movement on the tracks. Not just that, the RRI will also drastically reduce the chances of rail traffic congestion,’’ said a Northern railway spokesperson.The entire RRI system is controlled from power cabin where the operators have a layout in front of them indicating the occupied and unoccupied tracks. With RRI capable of handling 1,278 routes, the station has also entered the Guiness Book of World Records. According to a railway official, the transformation of New Delhi Railway Station is not just because of the Commonwealth Games but also to handle 8-12% growth in passenger traffic in last 2-3 years. Northern Railways chief spokesperson, Rajiv Saxena said, “With the increase in passenger rush, its not just the rail traffic that has to be smoothened but facilities for passengers comfort are also to be added. To meet this demand, railways is carrying out the required changes.’’ The station has also added four platforms (two of which are to be completed shortly), which will ease out the problem of trains getting held up because of the unavailability of platforms. Saxena added, ‘‘Going by the fact that the during the peak seasons the station handles more than 4 lakh passengers, the additional platforms will also offer greater passenger space.” The new 80,000-square foot station building at the Ajmeri gate entrance will only make things better. According to a railway official, it will be a state-of-the-art building. Expected to be ready by December-end, it will have a touch-screen enquiry system, plasma TV but also an AC ticketing area. The building will also house both AC and non-AC waiting rooms and dormitories.

A New Luxury Housing Concept: Sky Condos by DCPP Arquitectos

Located in a privileged area in the city of Lima with views towards the golf course, DCPP Arquitectos creates an icon for the future in their design for a new luxury housing concept in Latin America. According to the architect: “Each one with a clear individuality using the privative exterior spaces as our main core. We believe that an apartment shouldn’t lack exterior spaces; this is why our main space in each apartment is the exterior public area which contains the pool and a series of terraces that bring dynamism to the whole tower. These terraces fill the apartment with natural light and create a game of lights and shadows.”

Longaberger Basket Building - Newark, New Jersey, USA

Palms Dubai – New Engineering Wonder

In one of the most astonishing civil engineering works, Dubai has again started an attempt to re define the civil engineering wonders.The three artificial islands that make up the Palm (comprising the Palm Jumeirah, the Palm Jebel Ali, and the Palm Deira) are the world’s biggest man-made islands.More than 1 billion cubic meters of dredged sand and stones are used to built each of these.The reclamation project of the Palm Jebel Ali includes the creation of a 4 km long peninsula, protected by a 200 m wide and 17 km long breakwater built around the island. 135,000,000 m³ of rock, sand and limestone were reclaimed (partly originating from the Jebel Ali Entrance Channel dredging works). There are approximately 5,000,000 m³ of rocks in the slope protection works.

Some Images of the Man Made Island :-

Burj Dubai – The New Level Of Civil Engineering

On 4th Jan 2010, the biggest civil engineering marvel was inaugurated with a spectacular display of water, sound, light, and fireworks.

The biggest marvel which has amazed one and all has been in minds of not only civil engineers but also in the minds of common people. The world’s tallest building is being unveiled in the middle of the a huge financial crises but this has not marred the spirit of Dubai.
The inauguration show consisted of a pre-show and three themed acts – From the Desert Flower to Burj Dubai, Heart Beat, and From Dubai ‘&’ the UAE to the World.
People of Dubai can watch this much awaited inauguration ceremony from the Waterfront Promenade close to The Dubai Mall.

As per Ahmad Al Matrooshi, Managing Director, UAE, Emaar Properties,
“Just as Burj Dubai leaves an indelible impression on the mind’s eye, so the performance dedicated to the tower’s inauguration on January 4 will be a memory to cherish.”
Burj Dubai is the tallest man-made structure with a staggering height of 824.55 m (2,705 ft). This ambitious project began on 21 September 2004 and is now opened exactly on schedule.

Here is the chronological overview of the project
In January 2004 the excavation of the area is started and piling work commenced in February 2004. The construction work was given to Emaar contractors in September 2004

The real structure began to rise in March 2005 and after 15months in June 2006 50th level is reached. Then came 2007 when all the records began to shatter as in February 2007, it surpassed The Sears Tower as the building with the most floors.Then on 13 May 2007 it sets a record for vertical concrete pumping on any building at 452 m (1,483 ft), shadowing the current record of Taipei 101 at 449.2 m (1,474 ft). Then on 21 July 2007, it minnowed Taipei 101 and reached level 141. Then till the year end, Burj Dubai had surpassed Sears Tower antenna and CN tower and reached 150 level.

In 2008, it became the the tallest man-made structure at level 160. On 1 September 2008 its height tops 688 m (2,257 ft), making it the tallest man-made structure ever built, surpassing the previous record-holder, the Warsaw Radio Mast in Konstantynów, Poland.

In 2009, it reached a breath taking height of 818 m (2,684 ft) and in Oct Emaar announced that it has completed the exterior and it will be opened in Jan 2010.

New Civil Engineering