A five-year renovation of London's King's Cross Station is now complete and the glorious new hub will formally open to the public on March 19, reported The Inhabitat. Designed by John McAslan + Partners, the renovation was a three part project that included a re-use, a restoration and a new build. The train shed and range buildings were adapted and re-used, the station's previously obscured Grade I listed facade has been delicately restored, and the new Western Concourse is the showcase of the project. The semi-circular concourse also features a 150 meter free spanning roof that floods the space with natural daylight. On top of all that, the US$ 784 million renovation included improved passenger circulation, a photovoltaic system, and new skylights for the train shed. More than 1 thousand tons of steel, 1 million specially-made heritage bricks, 5 million ceramic tiles and five million meters of cabling were used in the building with more than 5 thousand people working on the project. As the station was originally built in 1852 and listed as a Grade I facility, the facade had to remain fully intact. The renovation had to carefully and creatively restore and keep this intact while opening the space up for passengers and providing room for rail utilities and offices, along with new cafes, bars and retail. The Western Concourse will be the new beating hearts of the station when it's officially opened up to passengers come Monday, March 19th. The free spanning roof emerges next to the historic facade and expands up and over the concourse to provide uninterrupted space to move. Naturally daylit through the translucent ceiling, the room is bright and cheery, a welcome departure from the once gloomy station. Beyond the new construction, the train shed was fully revamped to improve passenger circulation, access and the overall aesthetic. A huge new skylight system over the tracks transforms the space into something bright and welcoming. A rooftop photovoltaic system will generate 10-20 percent of the stations energy needs as well. King's Cross railway station, also known as London King's Cross, is a major London railway terminus opened in 1852. It stands on the northern edge of central London and is one of 18 UK stations managed by Network Rail. King's Cross was originally designed and built as the London hub of the Great Northern Railway and terminus of the East Coast main line. It took its name from the Kings Cross area of London, itself named after a monument to King George IV that was demolished in 1845. Plans for the station were first made in December 1848 and the detailed design was by Lewis Cubitt.

The construction of Kutaisi new airport began on November 22. Designed by UNStudio the new airport will include a transfer terminal, 55 meter high Air Traffic Control Tower, central arrivals hall, check-in area with lounge, cafe, three departure gates and an exterior garden. The new airport is sheduled to open in September 2012. According to Inhabitat, clad in a transparent skin, the exterior will actually change color when there is a fluctuation in traffic. The 55 meter high, 300 square meter Air Traffic Control Tower sits nearby and serves as a beacon for arrivals and departures. A large overhanging roof shields the interior from excessive sunlight, and an on-site underground source of natural water will be used to regulate interior temperatures. Energy use will be minimized through a water cooling system using concrete core activation, and fresh air will circulate via a hybrid low pressure ventilation system. A grey water collection system in the floor underneath the terminal building will help manage wastewater, while a comprehensive waste management and recycling system will reduce trash and serve as a model for future projects throughout the country. The roof has also been designed to accommodate a photovoltaic system in the future, which will generate power for the airport. It should be noted, that in November during her official visit to Armenia, Minister of Economy and Sustainable Development of Georgia Vera Kobalia said, that Georgia would use experience of Armenian engineers and builders during construction of Kutaisi airport.

After decades of controversy and failed attempts, the public transit system in Tel Aviv is finally being built, reported constructiondigital. Work has begun on Tel Aviv's extensive light rail transit system, projected to be completed by 2017 at an estimated cost of US$ 2.5 billion. Tel Aviv is Israel's second largest city, with nearly 3.3 million residents in the larger metropolitan area. The light rail system will be the largest and most expensive private transportation project in Israel to date. In 2006, Israel awarded a similar contract to a consortium of Israeli and foreign contractors, but the project collapsed in 2010. Israel moved to nationalize the project, guaranteeing financing and allowing workers to break ground. The Red Line will run 23 kilometers from Petah Tikya, a northern suburb of Tel Aviv, through the downtown area and on to Bat Yam in the south. Workers have already begun work on the massive 25-meter-deep tunnels needed for much of the track route - 10 of the 22 proposed stations will be below ground. Soft soil and other geological difficulties present some challenges for the system's designers and builders of the nearly 100 kilometer system, which will consist of four separate lines. The light rail will be combined with buses in the region's largest public transit effort to date.

As reported by constructiondigital, according to officials, work will begin on the capital's International airport US$ 6 billion Midfield Terminal Building (MTB) expansion next year. Despite the economic downturn, the UAE continues its building tear with the planned 2012 construction of a 650 thousand square meters terminal for the Abu Dhabi International Airport (ADIA). The terminal will have a capacity of up to 30 million passengers when it is completed in 2017. The five year project will cost an estimated US$ 6.08 billion, and six bids are being reviewed for the construction phase with firms from Germany, South Africa and the United States. The contract should be awarded in the first quarter of 2012. The giant X shaped building will have one of the world's longest spanning arches with a height of more than 52 meters. In addition to the conventional airport facilities, the terminal will also house a luxury hotel and spa. The complex will include 20 to 25 thousand square meters of retail and food and beverage outlets, roughly equivalent to the current size of the Marina Mall in Abu Dhabi. These are set around an 8.4 thousand square meter indoor park, which will host Mediterranean plants and features at its centre and desert landscapes at its perimeter. As reported the official website of ADIA, piling works for the terminal building began in February 2009. ADAC announced the release of the MTB tender in January 2011. Abu Dhabi International Airport (ADIA), first open in 1982, is one of the two international airports for the Emirate of Abu Dhabi, is located about 30 kilometer from Abu Dhabi city center, and is the home of Etihad Airways, the Abu Dhabi carrier.

Beijing has started construction on a new mega-airport that will be roughly the size of Bermuda and have nine runways, reported The Telegraph. The new airport will be called Beijing Daxing International and when it opens in 2015, the Chinese capital will become the world's busiest aviation hub, handling around 370 thousand passengers a day. It is only three years since the opening of Terminal 3 at Beijing Capital Airport, a sweeping structure designed by Sir Norman Foster that is far bigger than all of Heathrow's five terminals combined. But an enormous boom in China's aviation industry has already left the capital's existing facilities stretched to breaking point. "It is impossible to add even one more flight to the tight daily schedule of the Capital airport," said Li Jiaxing, the minister in charge of China's Civil Aviation Administration. The existing airport in Beijing has an annual capacity of 75 million passengers. Last year it handled 73 million. In two years, it will be totally packed. And it cannot be expanded infinitely. Instead, Beijing's planners have found a 54 thousand square meters site to the south of the city, in the suburb of Daxing. Currently the site is around an hour's drive from the city centre, but planners are pencilling in an extension to Beijing's metro, and perhaps even a high-speed train line. The new facility will not only serve Beijing, but also Tianjin and parts of Hebei as the Chinese capital morphs into a mega-city, its suburbs merging into those of the cities around it. The airport will be Beijing's third, after Capital and the smaller, primarily military, Nanyuan airport. Beijing Daxing is likely to have eight runways for civilian use and a ninth for military use, according to Yao Weihui, the general manager of China United Airlines. "The suggested location is a place with few residents and buildings, so a lot of runways can be built," he added.