After hearing hours of testimony on August 14, the Baltimore Commission for Historical and Architectural Preservation (CHAP) recommended landmark designation for John Johansen’s 1967 Morris Mechanic Theater. It also granted the structure “special list” status, which routes any applications for exterior work to CHAP for approval. This status can delay new construction permits by up to six months in order to accommodate obtaining official landmark status from the Baltimore City Council. As RECORD reported earlier this month, the Mechanic’s current owners are seeking to add a 10-story residential tower and retail space onto the vacant building, which will drastically alter

Foster + Partners is designing the world’s first zero-carbon, zero-waste city in Abu Dhabi. Named Masdar City, which means “the source,” the 1,483-acre project will include commercial and manufacturing space dedicated to developing ecofriendly products, housing, a university, and the headquarters for Future Energy Company, which is spearheading the initiative. Images: Courtesy Foster + Partners Foster + Partners is designing the world’s first zero-carbon, zero-waste city in Abu Dhabi. Named Masdar City, which means “the source,” it will encompass 1,483 acres. Masdar will be developed in phases centered on two plazas, including a 130-acre main square. Since Masdar will be

Correction appended August 15, 2007 Cleaner than it’s been in decades, the Hudson River is a cynosure for residential developers, who value the profitable potential of its scenic vistas. The shores of Lower Manhattan were first to sprout high-rise condos, followed by Jersey City across the river. Now, 15 miles to the north, the former industrial powerhouse of Yonkers is transforming its disused Hudson waterfront and reclaiming another, much neglected waterway. Images Courtesy Design Development The city of Yonkers, New York, is uncovering sections of the Saw Mill River, which runs through its downtown district. The reborn Saw Mill forms

The remarkable development boom in Dubai and Abu Dhabi, both located in the United Arab Emirates (U.A.E.), is completely transforming these cities’ skylines and attracting the world’s top architects. But it is also exacting a serious cost. Human Rights Watch (HRW) alleges that the migrant workers vital to constructing these projects are subject to “abusive labor practices”—and architects, it contends, are complicit in the problem. In a report titled “Building Towers, Cheating Workers,” published last November, HRW catalogued a host of abusive practices including nonpayment of wages, squalid or dangerous working and living conditions, and the denial of proper medical

The Burj Dubai realized its “tallest high-rise building in the world” claim on July 21, according to developer Emaar Properties, when the concrete floors were poured and set on the skyscraper’s 141st story. At 1,680 feet tall, the still-incomplete tower surpassed the previous height record of 1671 feet, established by Taiwan’s Taipei 101, and surges toward an undisclosed height rumored to be 2,300 feet, some 160 stories, when the tower is finished in 2008. Photo: Courtesy Emaar Properties The Burj Dubai, in the United Arab Emirates, reached a milestone on Saturday when construction workers poured concrete for the 141st floor--making