Drawing courtesy of Plasma Studio The Theme Pavilion, which is faced in solid bronze sheets, offers views of an adjacent lake through windows in its finger-like wings. Drawing courtesy of Plasma Studio London-based Plasma Studio is completing its competition-winning project for the Xi’an International Horticultural Exposition 2011, which opens on April 28 and expects to host 12 million guests. Called “Flowing Gardens,” the project is a series of buildings and landscapes set along an axis to create a centerpiece to the 418-hectare site. The Expo lies outside the ancient capital of Xi’an in the newly formed Chan-Ba Ecological District where
After 40 years of building libraries, museums and government buildings around the world, Moshe Safdie may still be best known for Habitat 67, his experimental “town” of stacked housing units in Montreal.
Decades ago, Steve Jobs purchased the historic Jackling mansion in Silicon Valley. In February, he finally succeeded in tearing the house down. Photo courtesy Town of Woodside History Committee The white-stucco house had an unusual and superbly insulating double-wall system, evoking the heft of adobe. The massing drew inspiration from Andalusian villages. Culminating years of legal battle with preservationists, Apple Computer CEO Steve Jobs finally demolished the historic Jackling House on his property in Woodside, California, in February. This affluent Silicon Valley enclave, some 30 miles from San Francisco, issued the demolition permit, and, within days, the 1926 mansion—by architect
A slow, painstaking recovery effort continues in the Tohoku region of Japan, which was ravaged on March 11 by a 9.0-magnitude earthquake and a 30-foot tsunami. Many architects are eager to help, whether that means raising money, lending design services, or mobilizing damage assessment teams. Photo courtesy John Pawson London-based architect John Pawson has created a white ribbon marked with a red circle, akin to Japan’s flag. Virtual versions of the ribbon are available on Pawson’s website for a suggested donation of £1. Related Links: Special Report: Rebuilding Japan Humanitarian Design Coverage On March 30, architect Hisaya Sugiyama, head of
Photo courtesy Tony Illia Despite being 70 percent complete, construction of the $2.9 billion Fontainebleau Las Vegas was halted in mid-2009 due to financial woes. Today, the abandoned project sits collecting dust, with completion nowhere in sight. Nationwide, the economy might be on the upswing, leading to more construction work. Las Vegas, however, has yet to bounce back. High unemployment, less discretionary spending, and fewer visitors have stalled several local building projects, including Fontainebleau Las Vegas. Despite being 70 percent complete, construction of the $2.9 billion tower was halted in mid-2009 because the owners were unable to scrape together the
Image courtesy Richard Meier & Partners The 180-room W Retreat Kanai will be located near Cancun. Marking his first foray into Central America in a five-decade career, Richard Meier has unveiled plans for a pair of W hotel projects in Mexico. One will be part of a mixed-use complex in Mexico City, while the other will be a resort near Cancun. Image courtesy Richard Meier & Partners The Liberty Plaza project in Mexico City calls for three 15-story towers. One will contain a W Hotel; the other two will have offices. Related Links: Gagosian Gallery by Meier Interview: Richard Meier
Even without the spire that will make London’s Shard the tallest building in Western Europe, its recently topped-out core, reaching 72 floors above ground, already dominates the city. With the structural steelwork frame ending at level 40, concrete columns and post-tension floors will complete the rest of the 310-meter-tall building’s frame next to the River Thames. Photo courtesy of Mace Ltd. Set to rise 310 meters, the Shard has topped out its core, at 244 meters. Now looming 244 m over the London Bridge railroad hub, the Shard’s stump has become a temporarily unattractive city landmark. But from ground level,
In a move aimed at spurring U.S. exports of construction equipment and services to Brazil, the U.S. Export-Import Bank is providing a $1-billion line of credit for infrastructure projects in that country. A particular focus will be on public-works projects tied to the 2014 World Cup and 2016 Summer Olympics, both to be hosted by Rio de Janeiro. Rio expects to benefit from big spending for the 2014 World Cup and 2016 Summer Olympics. President Obama estimated the cost at $200 billion. Announced by Ex-Im Bank President and Chairman Fred P. Hochberg during President Obama’s March 19-21 trip to Brazil,
Part of the reason that professor André Sorensen, an urban geographer at the University of Toronto, chose Japanese city planning in the early 1990s as his academic niche is that the topic had barely been explored at the time, at least in English. “Japan was the second largest economy in the world, and there was almost nothing written about it,” says Sorensen, whose Ph.D. focused on Tokyo’s problematic sprawl and whose books have included 2004’s The Making of Urban Japan. Photo courtesy André Sorensen André Sorensen Related Links: Updated on Ito's Mediatheque in Sendai Reassessing Japanese Design Priorities Five Days
Ground was broken in February on Baha Mar, a 1,000-acre resort-casino at the city of Nassau on New Providence Island. When completed in 2014, it will encompass 3,500 rooms in six hotels and a number of condominium buildings. Grand Hyatt, Rosewood and Morgan hotels will be built simultaneously, along with restaurants and spas. Construction of a water park and golf course will begin in late 2012. Designed by RMJM and Michael Hong Architects, the complex also includes a 100,000-sq-ft casino and 200,000-sq-ft convention space. The estimated cost is $3.4 billion. Rendering courtesy of China Construction America Inc. The Baha Mar
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