International Construction Review - Issue 13 (Quarter 4, 2009)

Global round-up
“Printed” buildings; Libya detains Swiss engineer; New York “butt blitz”; China surges in Top 225; Indian chimney collapse; Jobs in Iraq; Firms fined for bid rigging; Li Shirong in Britain’s top 50; Striking world cup workers get 12% rise

Iraq’s hard lessons
A searing new history of America’s failed attempt to rebuild Iraq shows in detail why so much time, money and human life was wasted – and suggests how the largest construction client in the world might engage contractors better the next time it embarks on a major reconstruction effort

Time called on bribery
Bribes and kickbacks used to be just a normal part of international contracting, but a new unit of the UK’s Serious Fraud Office has been set up specifically to tackle overseas corruption – and it just got its first taste of success with the £6.6m penalty against British bridge maker Mabey & Johnson

Project: Race day, Abu Dhabi
With 600 million pairs of eyes watching the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix on television, there would have been nowhere for contractor Al Futtaim Carillion to hide if construction of the signature Yas Hotel hadn’t gone exactly to plan

Project: New Zealand’s new Airways Control Tower
An architectural icon for under US$4m, designed, consented and delivered inside 14 months? In an earthquake zone? Let’s hear it for the old Kiwi ingenuity

Canada: Giving it the first degree
How the construction industry in Ontario got together to create Canada’s first Bachelor’s degree in building

Legal: Health & safety
A terrible injury in Australia has led to a landmark case that helps clarify just how responsible contractors are for the safety of specialist trades on site