Most canals are built for the purpose of transportation or irrigation. Not so in Dubai, where, despite the economic crisis, work is reportedly under way on The Arabian Canal, a 46-mile-long waterway that will wrap around an inland development, essentially transforming a swath of desert into desirable waterfront property.
The million-dollar view to London’s House of Parliament and Westminster Bridge will soon include a jewel-like addition. Image courtesy Sheppard Robson In London, Sheppard Robson has designed a 12-story building for the South Bank neighborhood, near the Thames River. Sheppard Robson, based in London, is working with real estate investment firm Delancey to make way for a new 345,000-square-foot, 12-story building located in the South Bank neighborhood, near the Thames River. Named Westminster Place, which refers to its view of the famous Westminster borough across the river, the building resembles a cut gemstone. “Because it looks at the House of
Environmental sustainability has long played a role in Princeton University’s plan for its 380-acre campus in central New Jersey. While consulting on the landscape design from 1912 to 1943, the landscape architect Beatrix Farrand employed conservation measures, such as creating underground cisterns to collect rainwater for irrigation. So it follows that the school’s latest campus plan—its most ambitious to date—has a green focus.
The Turks and Caicos Islands, a British commonwealth of roughly 30 islands in the Caribbean, occupy a small piece of paradise. The isle of Dellis Cay, for instance, is a sanctuary for local sea birds that live there year-round and an important stopover for migratory birds that fly across its miles of sandy beaches. But the flamingos and herons are getting some human neighbors in a development dubbed The O Property Collection: pricey residences by a flock of big-name architects including Shigeru Ban, Kengo Kuma, and Zaha Hadid. For many observers, the project raises troubling questions about sustainability. Image courtesy
When SWA Group was brought in as the landscape architect for the California Academy of Sciences, located in San Francisco’s Golden Gate Park, the challenge was to create one of the most efficient and sustainable buildings in the Bay Area. Renzo Piano’s design called for a green roof that would essentially lift a piece of the park and place it atop the building: seven earth mounds that would serve as a research facility. Images courtesy SWA Group (top); BAR Architects (middle); Michael Van Valkenburgh Associates (above). The California Academy of Sciences Building, in San Francisco, by Renzo Piano and SWA
The New York City Planning Department and New York City Economic Development Corporation (NYCEDC) have unveiled a proposed comprehensive zoning plan for Coney Island that could require developer Thor Equities to scale back its plans for building a massive hotel and entertainment complex in the Brooklyn neighborhood. The new framework also might spare the Astroland amusement park, which faced possible demolition, and provide for the construction of affordable housing. The proposed zoning covers three areas—dubbed Coney East, West, and North—encompassing approximately 19 blocks running from the New York Aquarium to West 24th Street, and from Mermaid Avenue to the famed
The Swiss duo of Herzog & de Meuron is working on a new, 40-story tower to serve as the headquarters for the pharmaceutical company Roche, to be located along the banks of the Rhine River in the architects’ hometown of Basel, Switzerland. At 542-feet-tall, it will be Switzerland’s tallest building. Images ' F. Hoffmann-La Roche Herzog & de Meuron is designing a 40-story tower to serve as the headquarters for Roche, in Basel, Switzerland. At 542-feet-tall, it will be Switzerland’s tallest building. Herzog & de Meuron’s steel-and-glass tower takes the shape of a spiral of stepped cubic blocks that form
Legendary Brazilian architect Oscar Niemeyer celebrated his 100th birthday this past Saturday and is still hard at work. In fact, he spent the day talking about his next project: the Centro Cultural de Aviles, a $45 million arts center along Spain’s northern coast. Image courtesy Oscar Niemeyer Oscar Niemeyer has unveiled plans for the Centro Cultural de Aviles, a $45 million arts center along Spain’s northern coast. Related Links: Niemeyer to Celebrate 100th Birthday Niemeyer says the building will be one of his most beautiful yet. The design includes his trademark curves, made famous by his flying saucer-shaped National Museum,
The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences has selected the French architect Atelier Christian de Portzamparc to design a new complex for the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures. It will be located next to the Pickford Center for Motion Picture Study in Hollywood, California. As of yet there are no formal design plans for the site, which will span eight acres and preserve existing 1940s-era structures, but the idea is to create a campus of 165,000 square feet of new construction and open spaces that engage their surroundings. “It is important that this building conforms to the Hollywood location