All posts tagged: construction

Saudi’s BRKZ closes M Series A for its construction tech platform

Saudi’s BRKZ closes $17M Series A for its construction tech platform

Construction procurement is highly fragmented, manual, and opaque, forcing contractors to juggle multiple suppliers, endure lengthy negotiations, and deal with delayed payments. In Saudi Arabia, where trillion-dollar infrastructure and real estate projects are underway, these inefficiencies are even more pronounced. To address this, BRKZ, a Riyadh-based construction tech startup, offers a tech-enabled managed marketplace that streamlines procurement and provides tailored financing solutions. The company has raised $9 million ($8 million in equity and $1 million in debt), bringing its total Series A funding to $17 million, with investors doubling down. Existing investors, including Aramco’s Waed, BECO Capital, Better Tomorrow Ventures, Class 5 Global, Fluent Ventures, Knollwood Investment Advisory, MISY Ventures, RZM Investment and 9900 Capital re-participated.  This follows the $8 million Series A1 round BRKZ announced last March. Ibrahim Manna, a former executive at Uber subsidiary Careem, founded BRKZ in 2023 after experiencing these challenges firsthand. “After Careem’s exit to Uber, I bought a family house in May 2020 and faced the inefficiencies of the construction supply chain—lack of visibility in material selection, uncertainty around the …

HD Hyundai set to debut production hydrogen wheeled excavator

HD Hyundai set to debut production hydrogen wheeled excavator

HD Hyundai is set to unveil a production version of its hydrogen fuel cell powered HW155H 14-ton wheeled excavator – one of ten updated or all-new machines rumored to making their debut at this year’s Bauma construction trade show. Wheeled excavators are having something of a resurgence in the equipment space these days – and with good reason. The machines are easily deployable by municipalities, can navigate urban and suburban environments with ease, and can be fitted with a broad range of accessories to make jobs from digging to demolition to landscaping possible (and, if any of you Steelwrist guys are reading this … that thing’s cool). And it’s those same municipalities that are holding the line on emissions and environmental regulations, and more often than not the people who have to hear about it when the noise of a conventional ICE-powered job site upsets Mrs. Klancik’s terrier. HD Hyundai is leaning into the wheeled excavator rennaisance with its new HW155H, a quiet, zero-emission asset that can reportedly send between 70 and 100 kW of power to …

The Longest Construction Projects in History: Why Sagrada Família, the Milan Duomo, Greek Temples & Other Famous Structures Took Generations to Complete

The Longest Construction Projects in History: Why Sagrada Família, the Milan Duomo, Greek Temples & Other Famous Structures Took Generations to Complete

Pub­lic-tran­sit projects are the reli­gious build­ing endeav­ors of twen­ty-first cen­tu­ry Amer­i­ca, less because they’re moti­vat­ed by the belief in any par­tic­u­lar deity than by how much time and mon­ey they now require to com­plete. Take New York’s Sec­ond Avenue sub­way, whose less than two-mile-long first phase opened in 2017: its con­struc­tion had cost $4.45 bil­lion, and the line itself had first been pro­posed 97 years ear­li­er. That’s noth­ing by ancient stan­dards: the Tem­ple of Apol­lo at Didy­ma took six cen­turies; the Tem­ple of Olympian Zeus at Athens lagged a full 650 years behind sched­ule; and the Heraion of Samos end­ed up pass­ing the 800-year mark. These facts come from the new Told in Stone video above on “the longest con­struc­tion project in his­to­ry.” Some of the struc­tures cov­ered will be famil­iar to Open Cul­ture read­ers: for instance, Notre-Dame de Paris, which took near­ly 200 years to build (and which reopened just this month after five years of fire-dam­age repair and restora­tion), or Sagra­da Família, which broke ground in 1882 and is sched­uled for com­ple­tion in 2026 …

Southern Construction Framework sees smallest quarterly rise since 2021

Southern Construction Framework sees smallest quarterly rise since 2021

A new survey of more than 150 subcontractors released by Southern Construction Framework (SCF) a leading construction procurement framework delivered by the public sector for the public sector in the South of England, has revealed that tender workload has increased by less than one per cent, the smallest quarterly rise reported since the first quarter of 2021. M&E (mechanical and electrical) build costs, a package which accounts on average for around 20 per cent of project construction costs, is continuing to place pressure on project affordability, with costs 5.5 per cent higher than last year. The modest increase in tender workload compares with a 2.5 per cent increase in Q3 2023, a 3.5 per cent increase in 2022 and an 8.5 per cent increase in Q3 2021. While tender workload has increased by an overall 1.4 per cent this year, SCF’s data showed that the variation in appetite for tendering was significant across trades, with a near split of businesses reporting either an increase or decrease in tender workload. Trades reporting the highest increase in tender workload …

Art, Hell, and the Atlas Copco E-Air H185 electric air compressor

Art, Hell, and the Atlas Copco E-Air H185 electric air compressor

With its compact dimensions, outstanding performance, and quiet, emissions-free operation, the Atlas Copco E-Air H185 is changing the game when it comes to indoor construction and demolition projects. Now, it’s changing an altogether different game: art. Construction companies bidding on jobs in indoor or densely populated urban environments are already singing the praises of electric equipment, but the Atlas Copco E-Air H185 is now making a name for electric equipment in the art world, taking center stage in a new performance installation that marries science, robotics, and art in Prague. Dubbed “Inferno,” the project calls itself a fusion of technology and art, and features “dancers” wearing articulated mechanical exoskeletons motivated by air-powered hydraulic actuators that are fed a constant supply of compressed air from the Atlas Copco unit backstage. The result is a choreographed robotic dance, “where machine and human bodies became one.” Smooth operator E-Air H185 VSD compressor in ARCHA+ Theatre, Prague; by Atlas Copco. The unique environment of the ARCHA+ Theatre is similar to St. Jerome’s in Naples, where an all-electric Bobcat excavator …

Palfinger FLS 25 eDRIVE truck forklift

Palfinger FLS 25 eDRIVE truck forklift

The material handling experts at PALFINGER have released the FLS 25 eDRIVE – an all-electric, truck mounted forklift that the company says is perfect for construction engineers, motorcycle powersports dealers, and LTL logistics fleets. From its North American headquarters in Illinois, PALFINGER offers a number of truck-mounted forklifts in various configurations (side-seat or center-seat, mounted at the rear of the truck, or remote-operated), but the FLS 25 eDRIVE represents the company’s first all-electric offering. “This forklift is more than just a tool,” reads the official copy announcing PALFINGER’s FLS 25. “It’s a statement of progress.” To that end, the new electric forklift features a 26 kW (35 hp) electric drive motor and stout, 2.5 ton (5000 lb.) lifting capacity. Maneuverability is also impressive, thanks to up to 180 degrees of steering angle combined with the precise drive control offered by the electric motors. PALFINGER FLS 25 eDRIVE PALFINGER hasn’t released battery specs, but promises overnight charging on a CCS L2 connector (shown, above) as well as live battery monitoring thanks to a high-visibility digital dash display. …

Construction worker dies after being struck by steel gate frame in Yishun

Construction worker dies after being struck by steel gate frame in Yishun

SINGAPORE: A construction worker died on Monday (Oct 21) after he was hit by a steel gate frame at a Yishun work site. The incident happened at around 6.50pm at Block 413 Yishun Ring Road. The worker, a 55-year-old Chinese national, was pushing a steel gate frame when it struck him, said the Ministry of Manpower (MOM). He was taken to Khoo Teck Puat Hospital, where he died from his injuries. Photos shared with CNA showed a construction worker lying on the ground. Officers from the Singapore Civil Defence Force were seen evacuating him from the scene on a stretcher.   “As a general safety measure, sliding gates must be properly designed and installed with appropriate stoppers to prevent them from being derailed when in use,” said MOM. The ministry said it is investigating the incident and has instructed the employer, Jin Shan Construction, to stop all work activity at the site. It added that Nee Soon Town Council is the project developer. Source link

E-quipment highlight: Komatsu electric, amphibious dozer

E-quipment highlight: Komatsu electric, amphibious dozer

Co-developed by Japanese construction giant Komatsu and the Asunaro Aoki Construction Co., this autonomous electric dozer is built with the underwater construction jobs of the future in mind. Set to make their public debut at the 2025 Future Society Showcase Project in Osaka, Kansai, Japan, Komatsu’s display is scheduled to showcase cutting-edge construction technologies like super remote control, unmanned operation, and underwater electric drive. And in case you were wondering: yes, there is a huge need for heavy equipment that’s capable of operating under water. “In recent years, there has been a growing need for construction work at the dangerous water’s edge and shallow water areas in order to respond to disaster prevention and post-disaster recovery from natural disasters” reads Komatsu’s official press release. “These are becoming more severe and frequent due to climate change as well as the impending massive earthquakes. In addition, the construction industry is experiencing a serious shortage of skilled workers due to the declining birthrate and aging population.” Komatsu says its underwater construction robots will be able to operate without …

An Israeli politician is seen carving blocks needed for the construction of a third Jewish temple – OpentheWord.org

An Israeli politician is seen carving blocks needed for the construction of a third Jewish temple – OpentheWord.org

Jerusalem, Israel with the Muslim Dome of the Rock in the background.Credit Josh Appel, unsplash.com An interesting development in Israel has some believing that the building of a third Jewish temple in Jerusalem may be imminent. It involved a video of a Jewish politician helping carve blocks necessary for the temple’s construction, Israel365 News reports. Jesus prophesied the destruction of the Jewish Temple by the Romans in 70 AD, while the Lord and the disciples were visiting the temple. “Do you not see all these things? Truly I say to you, not one stone here will be left upon another, which will not be torn down,” Jesus said (Matthew 24:12). Since its destruction, there has been an interest in building a third temple among orthodox Jews and also from Christians, who believe that this would be a fulfillment of the end-times prophecy (Revelation 11:1-2). Over the past several years, Orthodox Jews in Israel have been making preparations for the temple’s construction, including creating all the necessary utensils and furniture (except the Ark of the Covenant). …

No one reveres you like we do – POLITICO

No one reveres you like we do – POLITICO

Vučić also stressed that, when it comes to cooperation with Beijing, “the sky is the limit.” Serbia stands out as an early adopter of Chinese investments in Europe, such as the construction of the Pupin Bridge in 2013. Since then, investment initiatives have surged, including extensive infrastructure projects such as highways, the Smederevo Ironworks and the Zijin Mining Basin. However, this expansion has come at a cost to Serbia, which has amassed a debt burden of around €3.7 billion, due to the common practice of Chinese investments being bundled into loan schemes. It is also the sole European nation to acquire Chinese HQ-22 “Hong Qi” or Red Flag air defense systems, which has raised eyebrows due to the difficulty of integrating them into its existing weapons systems. Xi stopped in Belgrade after two days in France with President Emmanuel Macron, and before a trip to Budapest to meet Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán — like Vučić, another thorn in the West’s side. Swapping Russia for China Xi’s arrival was met with stringent security measures which effectively …