Engineers Forum

China’s economy expanded a blistering 8.9% in the third quarter, fuelled by lavish government stimulus spending on infrastructure projects that has helped the nation spearhead recovery from the global recession.
The world’s third-largest economy expanded 8.9% from a year earlier, speeding up from 7.9% growth in the second quarter, the National Statistics Bureau has said.

Growth for the first nine months of the year was 7.7% and officials have said they expect the economy to at least reach the annual growth target of 8%.
China has countered the global downturn with a 4 trillion yuan (£352bn) stimulus plan involving massive spending on infrastructure such as rail and roads to pump up the domestic economy as exports slumped.

Investment in factories, construction and other fixed assets rose by one third in January-September to a record 15.5 trillion yuan (£1.37 trillion).

“Investment played an important and positive role in maintaining relatively fast growth and reversing the slowdown,” said Statistics Bureau spokesman Li Xiaochao.

The mixture of liberal credit, strong government backing for massive public works and incentives for domestic industries like autos have enabled China’s economy to quickly rebound while the US, Japan and Europe continue to flounder.

Source:http://www.nce.co.uk/5209907.article

The bridge, known as the Puente Angosto de Turrabares, has been described as “seriously fatigued” and a weight restriction, which the bus exceeded, was in place.
Transport Minister Karla González said the bus driver ignored the weight restriction sign and crossed the bridge on his route to Orotina from Turrubares.
When the bus was halfway across the 50-metre, one-lane bridge, one of the steel cables supporting it collapsed, sending the bus into the Río Tárcoles. González admitted that a 75-metre iron reinforcement had been bought for the bridge in 2002, but engineers had not got around to attaching it. “The bridge was seriously fatigued, but it collapsed due to too much weight,” she said.
“We all have to accept responsibility for this tragedy and for the fact that the bridge was neglected, but at the same time, we did put up signs to warn drivers not to cross carrying more than four tonnes in weight and we cannot be expected to put a policeman on the bridge to ensure drivers obey the signs.”

Red Cross spokesman Mario Víquez said that four people died at the scene, a fifth person died en route to hospital, and the sixth died at a hospital in Orotina. Two other people were seriously inured.

http://www.nce.co.uk/5209905.article

The number of new homes being built by developers rose by 4 per cent during the third quarter of the year in a further sign that the property market is recovering, research has shown.
he National House-Building Council received 24,136 applications to build new homes in the three months to the end of September, up from 23,185 in the same period of 2008.
The improvement in new build levels was strongest in the North East, where they jumped by 149 per cent year-on-year, while in Northern Ireland they were 55 per cent higher.
But the West Midlands continued to show a decline in the number of new homes started, with a year-on-year drop of 13 per cent, while levels were also lower than a year ago in Merseyside, Greater London, Yorkshire and the Humber and eastern regions.

NHBC chief executive Imtiaz Farookhi said: “It is reassuring that NHBC’s figures show consistent improvement and that these positive signs extend across the UK.
“The sector has weathered the traditionally slow summer period, but we must now see out the autumn and hope that this confidence extends to the end of the year.”
The group’s figures showed applications from the private sector were 17 per cent higher in the third quarter than during the same period of 2008 at 15,577.

It added that an average of 365 homes had been sold each day in the three months to the end of September, 15 per cent lower than a year earlier, but 7 per cent higher than during the previous three month period.

Source: http://www.cnplus.co.uk/5209893.article

We have drawn intention of construction professional on these blogs to follow the health and safety standards in construction industry as it is risky jobs especially when it is muti story building. A recent happening in Kenya is an example where “Less than a week after the Kenya Architectural Association warned that 65% of structures in the country are substandard, eleven people have died after a three-storey building collapsed in Nairobi.The building site in Kiambu was located on the outskirts of the capital and experts have claimed that irresponsible contractors may be to blame. The bodies of three men were pulled from the rubble, while a woman was found crushed to death.
The Kenyan Red Cross confirmed that 14 people have been reported missing and are still unaccounted for.
Richard Chepkwony, a member of the Institution of Engineers of Kenya, said the organisation was receiving almost daily reports of buildings collapsing because of poor construction.
He alleged the building collapsed because of its substandard construction material and poor workmanship.
“If you grab a block of concrete, you can crack it using your hands,” he said.
“This is not the end of the story. We will be seeing more of this if the government does not enact laws to ensure required construction standards are met.”
Building collapses are common in Africa. Corrupt planning officials, substandard materials and poor workmanship are often to blame.

Source: http://www.nce.co.uk/

The British Precast Concrete Federation (BPCF) and J&P Building Systems have launched a new online knowledgebase for concrete specifiers and users.
Focusing particularly on precast concrete, the Key2concrete website aims to fill a gap in the information available, providing practical knowledge that usually only comes with experience.
The site comprises a series of data sheets to be viewed online or downloaded in PDF format. The data is searchable by subject or keyword, and covers a broad range of subjects including Connections and Fittings, Environment, Joints and Interfaces, and Lifting and Transportation.
Subsequent features to be introduced as the site develops include downloadable CAD files and in depth information on subjects such as sustainability.
“By referring to the site, it is hoped that greater efficiency will result at the design stage to everyone’s advantage.”
With nearly 40 years’ experience in the precast industry, Billington represents the UK on several European Committees dealing with precast concrete, and has been instrumental in drafting several UK Standards.
The knowledgebase can be accessed at www.key2concrete.com.

Source: http://www.nce.co.uk