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Underscoring the difficulties facing the rebuilding effort in Haiti, a government-sponsored competition to create housing for the earthquake-ravaged nation has been delayed. In October, winners of “Building Back Better Communities” were scheduled to begin exhibiting models of their designs at an expo in Port-au-Prince. To be built on a 12-acre former sugar plantation, the homes would be toured by government officials, who in turn would commission some to be constructed in decimated neighborhoods. Image © John McAslan +Partners The expo is slated to be built on a 12-acre site in Port-au-Prince. Related Links: Haiti Launches Housing Design Competition Special Report:

At 1,322 feet, the St. Petersburg skyscraper would be Europe's tallest building. UNESCO is threatening to revoke the city's heritage status if the tower gets built. November 23, 2010 A skyscraper that would be Europe’s tallest is one step closer to reality, even if controversy continues to dog it. The Okhta Centre in St. Petersburg, Russia, which is being designed by London-based RMJM, received a key approval last month from Glavgosekspertiza, the federal building agency, according to news reports. That approval was required because the steel-and-glass tower, which is to stretch to 1,322 feet, will be three times taller than

The Irish capital revamps its riverfront industrial lands, creating a mixed-use development with architecture by design luminaries such as Libeskind, Roche, and Calatrava. Photos courtesy DDA The Grand Canal Theatre, by Studio Daniel Libeskind (above). Click on the slide show button to see more images of architecture in the Dublin Docklands. The economic boom that began in the mid-1990s and transformed Ireland from one of Europe’s poorest countries into a Celtic Tiger has been all but dead for several years. However, the fruits of the more prosperous times are evident everywhere, including in the Dublin Docklands — about 1,300 acres

Whether the still unopened Harmon Hotel inside the CityCenter resort in Las Vegas is demolished or remains an expensive billboard is now part of yet one more legal battle stemming from the struggling mega-resort’s many financial woes.

Photo courtesy Wikipedia The Original Passivhaus, in Darmstadt, Germany. Photo courtesy North American Passive House Conference About 350 practitioners from across the U.S. attended the North American Passive House Conference, held November 4 to 7. Just a few years ago, the first North American Passive House Conference was attended by a handful of passionate adherents trading tips around folding tables in Urbana, Illinois. But this year, with a keynote speech by green energy prophet Amory Lovins, and attended by roughly 350 practitioners from across the country, the 2010 conference, held from November 4 to 7 in Portland, Oregon, helped establish

When it came to sourcing materials for a new office building for a steel fabricator in Washington, Olson Kundig Architects didn't have to look too far. The firm's striking design calls for giant steel pipes made on site. Images courtesy Olson Kundig Architects The 11,700-square-foot office building will adjoin an existing steel factory. Related Links: 1111 E. Pike Rolling Huts Wing Luke Asian Museum Kundig Wins National Design Award 2009 Firm of the Year Founded in 1966, Olson Kundig Architects has become well known over the years for incorporating raw materials and metal gadgetry into its buildings. In its design

The award-winning actor and director Robert Redford has long used his star power to champion environmental, social, and artistic causes. Roughly 40 years ago, he purchased a tract of land Utah’s Wasatch Mountains that would evolve into the 5,000-acre nature preserve and eco-resort known as Sundance. He later established the Sundance Film Festival, Sundance Institute, and the Sundance Channel—all dedicated to supporting independent artists. Photo © Jack David Allred Dozens of educators and civic leaders gathered at the Sundance Resort this month for a green schools summit. The event was organized by the Redford Center, USGBC, and ICLEI USA –

Spread over 55 acres and featuring more than 255,000 different types of plants, the VanDusen Botanical Garden in Vancouver offers the ideal setting for urban dwellers wanting to commune with nature.

Image courtesy OMA OMA has won a competition to design a regional library in the northwestern city of Caen. Related Links: High Hopes in Hong Kong OMA to Buoy Hamburg’s Waterfront Singapore Scotts Tower Cornell Groundbreaking Could End Saga After years of “sending love letters to France,” OMA has won a competition to design a regional library in the northwestern city of Caen, says associate in charge Clément Blanchet. It will be the firm’s first cultural building in the country. In a phone interview from the Netherlands, Blanchet said that OMA, founded in 1975, has been eager to expand its

Image courtesy V&A Kengo Kuma has won the competition to design a new Victoria & Albert Museum in Dundee, Scotland This is the incredible ship-like building that will dominate Dundee' s waterfront from 2014. Japanese architect Kengo Kuma beat worldwide competition to win the honour of designing the city's £47 million Victoria & Albert Museum. Work on the amazing structure will begin in 2012 and the museum—the V&A's new international centre for design—is scheduled to open in 2014. It's hoped the project at Discovery Point will transform Dundee's fortunes in the same way the Guggenheim changed the Spanish port of