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A mammoth economic-stimulus measure has advanced on its long, winding path through Congress, with the Senate’s approval on Feb. 10 of a $838.2-billion package that was pared back from an earlier version. The cuts that were needed to win enough votes to pass the bill included about $27 billion in construction funds. That left the final Senate bill with about $133 billion for construction programs, compared with about $160 billion in the bill as it cleared committee. The major construction casualty came in school-construction aid, where lawmakers deleted all $19.5 billion the original bill had recommended for K-12 and college

The Copenhagen-based firm Tegnestuen Vandkunsten has been awarded the 10th Alvar Aalto Medal. The prize is administered by the Finnish Ministry of Education, the Finnish Association of Architects, the Museum of Finnish Architecture, the Finnish Society of Architecture, and the Alvar Aalto Foundation. Since its creation in 1967, the award has been given approximately every five years for “significant achievements in creative architecture.” This is the first time the award has been given to a firm, rather than an individual. Low-cost housing and social housing have been a focus of Tegnestuen Vandkunsten since its inception in 1970. Founded by four

The Senate has approved an $838.2-billion economic stimulus bill by a 61-37 vote. The margin was slightly higher than the 60-vote minimum needed for approval, as Republicans Susan Collins and Olympia Snowe, both of Maine, and Pennsylvania’s Arlen Specter, joined all 58 Democrats and Independents to vote for the bill. The Senate package now must be reconciled with the estimated $819.5-billion stimulus measure that the House passed on January 28. The House bill has about $160 billion for construction programs; the Senate’s contains about $130 billion. The Senate bill’s passage is not necessarily good news for architects, as it no

To win over a few key Republican votes, a small group of Senators has recommended about $108 billion in cuts from an economic stimulus package that had grown to more than $900 billion. The major construction program casualty is the original Senate stimulus bill's $19.5 billion for school construction funding, which the team of lawmakers deleted. In all, a team led by Sens. Ben Nelson (D-Neb.) and Susan Collins (R-Maine) trimmed $108 billion from the bill as it was introduced earlier. Cuts in spending accounted for $83 billion of the reductions and $25 billion came from cuts in tax incentives.

Reports surfaced Monday morning of a devastating fire at the OMA-designed TVCC  building, which sits next to the iconic Z-shaped CCTV tower in central Beijing. Monday was the last day of the Spring Festival in Beijing, a holiday accompanied by widespread and mostly unofficial firework celebrations throughout the city. There is speculation that a stray firework ignited the blaze. No injuries have been reported. Photo ' Peter Parks/AFP/Getty Images There is speculation that a stray firework ignited the blaze. According to the Chinese Xinhua News Agency, the fire was under control by midnight Beijing time (11 a.m., U.S. Eastern Standard

Capitol Hill action on an economic stimulus bill has shifted to the Senate floor, where on February 2 debate began on an $884.5-billion package of spending and tax breaks. The measure’s estimated $160 billion in construction-related spending appears safe, and Senate infrastructure advocates are trying to boost that total higher. But they probably will need to propose offsetting spending cuts to win approval for any increases. The first key floor vote, on February 3, didn’t go well for public-works supporters. Senator Patty Murray (D-Wash.) offered an amendment to add $25 billion to the bill’s $41.4-billion combined allocation for highway, transit,

A wheel-shaped tower rises out of a “carpet” of low-rise offices and gardens in Herzog and de Meuron’s design for the new Madrid headquarters of BBVA, Spain’s second largest bank. With over 800,000 square feet of office space for 6,500 employees, construction of the building will begin this year on a 22-acre site in the city’s northern suburbs. The project is scheduled for completion in 2013. Images courtesy BBVA Herzog and de Meuron have designed the new Madrid headquarters of BBVA, Spain's second largest bank. Construction is scheduled to begin this year. In their project brief, the architects describe the

The Architectural Billings Index (ABI) rose to 36.4 in December—up nearly two points from November’s score of 34.7, a record low in the ABI’s 13-year history.

At a time when many projects are getting shelved, work is now under way on the Songdo International Business District, a self-sufficient city on the outskirts of Incheon, South Korea. Image courtesy Kohn Pedersen Fox Master planned by Kohn Pedersen Fox and developed by Gale International and Posco E&C, the 1,500-acre financial district will include 50 million square feet of office space, 30 million square feet of residential, 10 million square feet for retail, and five million square feet for hotels. Green space will account for another 10 million square feet. “It’s a fully fledged city and has every function