Photo courtesy Forrec Related Links: Inside Beijing’s Bubble Box National Swimming Center Earlier this month, after almost a year of reconstruction, what is being touted as Asia’s largest water park opened inside the bubble-like ETFE walls of Beijing’s National Aquatics Center. The building, commonly known as the Water Cube, was designed by Australian architecture firm PTW and China Construction Design International as the site of aquatics events during the 2008 Olympic Games. It still contains pools for recreational swimming and competition, but now it also houses a 140,000-square-foot leisure hall created by Toronto-based planning and design firm Forrec. The park
Construction is scheduled to begin this fall on a center conceived by the late Senator Edward Kennedy to teach students about the inner workings of government. On July 28, the Edward M. Kennedy Institute for the United States Senate finally unveiled the design of its forthcoming home, to be built on the Boston waterfront alongside the John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum. The $60 million project, designed by Rafael Viñoly Architects, is slated to be finished in 2013. Image courtesy Edward M. Kennedy Institute Click on the slide show icon to see additional photos. Viñoly won a competition to
Photo courtesy SCAD Heriberto J. Brito The Savannah College of Art and Design (SCAD), which has a notable track record in historic preservation, has picked a like-minded designer to head its architecture program. In June, architect Heriberto J. Brito became the dean of SCAD’s School of Building Arts, replacing Brian Wishne, who stepped down after two years. For his new job, Brito relocated from Miami, where he taught at Miami International University of Art and Design while running his 20-year-old practice, Brito LLC, which specializes in historic rehabs. That two-employee practice has relocated with him. Wishne, meanwhile, becomes chair of
With the news that Facebook had surpassed 500 million users, the social networking website has decided to more than double the size of its first wholly-owned data center currently under construction in Prineville, Ore. The initial $188-million project, designed by Chicago architect Sheehan Partners, broke ground in January and has been moving along rapidly. The expansion will add another 160,000 sq ft of shell space to the 147,000 sq ft facility now being built, with the shell space being built out later as business demand dictates. Photos courtesy Sheehan Partners "We are making excellent progress on the first phase of
Related Links: Design Vanguard: MOS Newsmakers: Michael Meredith and Hilary Sample Colorado House by ARO Sorkin: Suggestions on How to Spend $800 Billion Sorkin: Learning from the Hutong of Beijing and the Lilong of Shanghai Van Valkenburgh to Remake 2,400 Acres in Toronto The American Academy of Arts and Letters, established in 1898, recently honored the 2010 winners of its annual awards. The Awards in Architecture, selected from a group of 50 architects nominated by academy members, were presented to: Stephen Cassell and Adam Yarinsky, of Architecture Research Office; Michael Meredith and Hilary Sample, of MOS; and the architecture critic
Photo courtesy W.S. Atkins Keith Clarke Photo courtesy PBSJ Corp Robert Paulsen U.K.—based designer W.S. Atkins plc will significantly boost its U.S. market stake with the Aug. 2 announcement of plans to acquire Orlando, Fla.-based transportation engineer and construction manager PBSJ Corp. in a $280-million cash transaction. The proposed deal also provides the U.S. firm with a needed capital infusion for growth and an ownership transition following several tough years financially and recent efforts to seek a buyer. The deal would link Atkins, the industry’s 11th largest global design firm with $2.2 billion in 2009 revenue, with an employee-owned engineer
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