The municipal government of Jiayuguan in northwest China's Gansu province on November 18 kicked off a repair and construction project focused on the western end of China's Great Wall, reported Xinhua. The project will involve repair work on the sections of Great Wall in the city of Jiayuguan, including the Jiayu Pass - the starting point of a section of the Great Wall constructed during the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644). It also includes the construction of a world cultural heritage theme park and a heritage inspection center. The project will have a total investment US$ 317 million, mostly financed by the central government. Built in 1372, the Jiayu Pass also served as a vital passage on the ancient Silk Road. It was listed on UNESCO's World Heritage List in 1987. The pass underwent large-scale repairs and maintenance in 1984. The Great Wall was first built during the reign of China's first emperor Qin Shihuang (259-210 B.C.) to keep out foreign invaders. A national survey in 2008 showed that the exact length of the Great Wall built in the Ming Dynasty was 8,851.8 km, stretching from the Hushan section in northeast Liaoning province to the Jiayu Pass. The Great Wall passes through 10 provinces, municipalities and autonomous regions in northern China, including Liaoning, Hebei, Tianjin, Beijing, Shanxi, Inner Mongolia, Shaanxi, Ningxia, Gansu and Qinghai.

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.

A giant glacier is planned for the Mongolian capital of Ulan Bator, providing cool air and clean water for the city during summer, reported Constructiondigital. For centuries, engineers have dreamed of towing icebergs around the world, providing fresh drinking water and portable air-conditioning to the far reaches of the globe. The Mongolian capital of Ulan Bator is planning the next best thing - they're going to build one in their own backyard. Scientists hope that construction of the giant urban glacier will provide cool air and potable water for the city's inhabitants and irrigation. ECOS & EMI, a Mongolian engineering firm, will oversee the US$ 700 thousand project, which consists of the construction of artificial naleds - thick slabs of ice that form when water pressure allows water to seep through cracks during the day, which refreezes come nightfall. In northern cities like Ulan Bator, these naleds can grow more than 5 meters thick. According to a piece over at The Atlantic Cities, these naleds have been utilized for other engineering purposes for hundreds of years, most notably by military groups looking to build ice roads and bridges in colder climates. Engineers will regularly bore holes into ice forming on the Tuul River over the coming winter, adding sheets of ice which can then be utilized during warmer summer months. The process can be duplicated in other northern cities with at least a few months of temperatures in the -5C to -20C degree range.

Singapore's newest skyscraper in the Central Business District, the 43-storey Asia Square Tower 1, took three years to build and is one of the latest green buildings to be built in Singapore, where the sustainability and eco-friendliness of it are part of the main considerations during the design phase, reported Asiaone. Calling itself "one of the most technologically advanced buildings in the region", Asia Square held its official opening ceremony on November 11 night. The building is equipped with a biodiesel generation plant that recycles food oil waste produced from its catering establishments, making it the first waste recycling plant to be located within a commercial development. Asia Square also collects condensation water from air-conditioning and uses it for irrigation needs. Banking on the concept of "Work, Play, Live, Grow", Asia Square boasts offices, a hotel, a gym, food & beverage outlets and retail stores. At the moment, over 60 percent of Tower 1 is occupied: Citibank is the anchor tenant with nine floors, Pure Fitness took up one entire level and Google has three and a half storey. Westin Hotel will be located at Tower 2, which will be ready in August 2013.

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.