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.

No, your eyes are not deceiving you - the waters have indeed parted! This incredible "sunken" bridge located in the Netherlands is giving visitors a unique way to access a beautiful 17th Century Dutch fort. According to Inhabitat the Moses Bridge, designed by RO & AD Architects, literally parts the waters that surround the fort, allowing pedestrians to pass through. The bridge is made from sustainable Accsys Technologies Accoya wood. A series of moats and fortresses were built over the West Brabant Water Line region of the Netherlands during the 17th century in order to provide protection from invasion by France and Spain. Fort de Roovere was surrounded with a shallow moat that was too deep to march across, and too shallow for boats. In turn the earthen fort had remained protected - until now. From afar, the Moses Bridge is invisible to the eye. The flow of the moat appears continuous, as the water level remains at the same level, reflecting the surrounding foliage. As visitors approach the fort, the bridge appears as a break in the water with its sloping walls containing it. First lying flush with the earth, the bridge then descends deeper into the ground. Lined with wood sheet piling for walls, the deck and stairs sit between. The bridge and its components have been made from sustainable hardwood. The Accoya wood is also treated with a nontoxic coating, protecting it from fungal decay and increasing its durability - an ideal material for a sunken bridge. Like a dam, the walls of the bridge hold the waters of the moat back, and like Moses, the bridge parts the waters so that pedestrians may pass. The Moses Bridge gives visitors a unique opportunity to pass through parted waters, to eventually meet a historic fortress of defense.

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.