Banyan Tree Corniche Bay

Banyan Tree Corniche Bay. Foster+Partners
La Gaulette , Mauritius, 2006
The masterplan is for a discreet and environmentally intelligent architecture that blends harmoniously with the lush and extensive landscape. Green fingers of lush vegetation extend down towards the sea, with a series of contemporary buildings inserted amid tropical plantings to create an architecture that at once responds to the contours of the landscape and recedes into the green totality.Co-architects: d’Unienville & Associates Architects Ltd

Yueda Xinyi Time Mall

Located within the historic Caojiadu commercial circle and one of the last remaining contiguous parcels of Shanghai’s Jingan District, the one million square-foot Yueda Xinyi Time Mall marks the transformation of Shanghai’s Jingan District from a high-end residential community to a world-class, mixed-use destination for business, entertainment and leisure. Designed by Callison, the Yueda Xinyi development heralds an innovative concept in mixed-use design. In addition to a diverse array of specialty shops, restaurants, entertainment space and high-rise office tower at Yueda Xinyi, the development will feature grand public spaces and open-air pathways designed to complement the contemporary Shanghai design aesthetic and create an inviting public space for the enjoyment of residents and visitors.

Chengdu development By Callison

Chengdu was the worst hit city, being just 80 km away from the epicentre, but is now set to be the location of a new urban community, named 24 City, which will house 60,000 new residents. China Resources Land Limited as developer for the project have selected Callison to design phase one of the 3.3 million sq ft mixed-use project which will also include a 38-storey office tower and an indoor/outdoor retail center.

In an effort to encourage and provide for young professionals moving into Chengdu, (Chengdu is host to 16 degree level universities), Callison’s design provides for a youthful and uplifting lifestyle. This is a design for living, not for relief. A hybrid retail complex modulates indoor/outdoor shopping and entertainment among lush landscaping and expansive view terraces. There is even an indoor skating rink, an 8-screen movie complex and a supermarket in the lower level of the office tower. Restaurants and the public garden will remain open after the center closes, offering public events and providing night-time entertainment for residents and visitors.

Happy birthday Oscar

Brasilian architect Oscar Niemeyer turns 101 on 15th December 2008. Oscar Niemeyer was born in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, on the 15th December 1907. Oscar Niemeyer graduated from the Escola Nacional de Belas Artes in Rio de Janeiro in 1934. The oldest living architect, Niemeyer is well known for his modernist concrete architecture and his involvement in the design of Brasilia, the new capital of Brazil. Niemeyer won the Pritzker Prize in 1988 and has continued his involvement in architecture passed his 100th birthday last year.

One of Niemeyer’s first works following graduation from university was the Ministry of Health and Education in Rio de Janeiro on which he collaborated with Le Corbusier until 1938. Further notable works include the Pampulha architectural complex including a casino, restaurant and the Temple of St. Francis of Assisi, in Belo Horizonte and the Caracas Museum in Venezuela.

First Visit to Medan

I was visiting a downtown shopping mall-

Sun Plaza, and amazed to see a bit of "Frank Gehry".

Grand Swiss-belhotel, Medan. This hotel is converted from the initial intended apartment block. The interior is well-done,and very trendy.The closest thing I can relate is the rooftop garden which links all the apartments together.

Ground breaks on third of trio of towers in Shanghai’s Luijiazui Finance and Trade Zone

A 632 m tower designed by Gensler breaks ground today in Shanghai to complete a trio of new super-tall towers revolutionising China’s architectural record. Shanghai Tower will join and rise above the recently appraised ‘Best Tall Building Overall’ by the CTBUH, Shanghai World Financial Center and the Jin Mao Tower in the Luijiazui Finance and Trade Zone as China’s first ever super-tall district.
The tower, commissioned by Shanghai Tower Construction and Development Co., Ltd, will be the tallest in China with the highest open air observation deck in the world. Consisting of office space, a luxury hotel, retail and cultural venues the building will also hold connections to the Shanghai Metro and three floors of parking below ground level.
Shanghai Tower is organized as nine cylindrical buildings stacked one atop another. The inner layer of the double-skin façade encloses the stacked buildings, while a triangular exterior layer creates the second skin, or building envelope, which gently rotates as it rises. The spaces between the two façade layers create nine atrium sky gardens.
“This tower is symbolic of a nation whose future is filled with limitless opportunities,” said Qingwei Kong, President of Shanghai Tower Construction & Development Co., Ltd. “With Shanghai Tower we celebrate not only China’s economic success and increasing connection to the global community, but also our company’s commitment to developing properties that demonstrate the highest, noblest and most exquisite design achievements possible.”