The Office for Metropolitan Architecture (OMA) released renderings today of their forthcoming MahaNakhon tower and plaza in Bangkok, Thailand, with design led by OMA partner Ole Scheeren, head of the firm’s Beijing office. The 1.6 million-square-foot, $515 million complex plans to include 200 apartments, a 150-room “Bangkok Edition” hotel operated by Marriott Group International with hotelier Ian Schrager, and mixed-use public and commercial space. Construction begins later this year with an intended completion in late 2012.
Zaha Hadid, the Baghdad-born, London-based architect, has received two major commissions in as many weeks for large-scale projects to be built in Cairo, Egypt. Images courtesy Zaha Hadid Architects Hadid's firm has designed a mixed-used complex called Stone Towers (top). Her firm also won an invited competition for an “Expo City” in Cairo (above). First came word of a new speculative development southeast of the city center. The Stone Towers is a 5.5-million-square-foot office and retail complex set in 42 landscaped acres, including a five-star hotel and sunken gardens, all designed by the 2004 Pritzker Prize laureate. Two weeks later,
If a new professional designation catches on, designers and contractors involved in sustainable building projects could soon be seeking another set of initials to put after their names. Early last month, the Toronto-based nonprofit, Green Roofs for Healthy Cities, launched a green roof professional accreditation exam. Photo courtesy Wikipedia Green roof at Mountain Equipment Coop, in Toronto. Related Links: Designing With Green Roofs ASLA Green Roofs Yields Impressive Benefits California Academy of Sciences Penn Sprouts Down-To-Earth Green Roof Green Roofs Take Root in North America The 100-question, multiple-choice test was offered for the first time on June 5 at the
Images courtesy Page & Turnbull (top and middle); courtesy Rockwell Group (above). Page & Turnbull is converting old buildings at the historic Presidio in San Francisco into The Walt Disney Family Museum. Rockwell Group is designing the interior architecture and installations. Related Links: Museum Proposal Stirs Debate in San Francisco RECORD Reveals: San Francisco Page & Turnbull is converting an old army barrack, a gymnasium, and a storage facility at the historic Presidio in San Francisco into The Walt Disney Family Museum. The 77,000-square-foot museum, which will present the life and work of the animation pioneer and entertainment entrepreneur, will
When Bay Area architect Chris Downey lost his sight last year, he refused to consider a career change. Though surgery for a benign tumor near his optic nerve had left him blind, he returned to work just a month later. “I could hardly walk around,” says Downey, 46, who at the time was running a green modular-housing firm. But, he recalls thinking, “There’s something worthwhile if you can figure out how to do it.” Photo ' Curt Campbell 'You might pick a material that looks great, but so what? [That doesn't matter] if it doesn't feel good,' says Chris Downey
Ten emerging firms have dressed up the bare concrete courtyard outside New York’s P.S.1 Contemporary Art Center since the institution, housed in a former public school building in Queens, and its Manhattan affiliate, The Museum of Modern Art, began the Young Architects Program in 2000.
Arquitectonica’s hard-earned debut on the Las Vegas Strip has hit some snags. The Miami-based firm designed the $3.9 billion, 3,000-room Cosmopolitan Resort & Casino currently under construction at 3700 Las Vegas Boulevard. But like so many other projects in the U.S. affected by the troubled economy, the building’s completion date has been pushed back.
From a wall made of beer bottles to a traveling prayer room that evokes a covered wagon, the recipients of the AIA’s 2009 Small Project Awards run the gamut. The 20 winners were announced in May and recognized at the association’s annual convention in San Francisco. Now in its fifth year, the awards program is divided into three categories: objects (up to $50,000 construction budget); structures (up to $500,000 construction budget); and “accessible” residential designs. The jury included: Louis Smith (moderator), AIA, Microtecture; Kenneth Workman, AIA, RWA Architects; Sanford Steinberg, AIA, Steinberg Design Collaborative; Eric McRoberts, AIA, RLPS; Katherine Austin,
The overall design market has taken a big hit during the recent recession. But for many owners, hard times have stirred increased interest in the more practical elements of sustainable design, such as energy efficiency. The ENR Top 100 Green Design Firms generated $2.85 billion in revenue in 2008 from projects registered with such green design programs as the U.S. Green Building Council’s Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design, an increase of 63.9% over $1.74 billion in 2007. More detailed information on the Top 100 Green Design Firms: View complete list with revenue and market data. Current Top Green Design
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