Grand Prix for Frankfurt

Coop Himmelb(l)au's design for a vertical city in Frankfurt, Germany

The location for the new headquarters of the European Central Bank (ECB) in Frankfurt’s Ostend district has the potential of adding a new landmark to the Frankfurt skyline that will be visible at great distances. The starting point for the design of the towers was the urban perspectives of the city of Frankfurt. At a height of around 185 metres, the double tower, with its polygonal shape and east-west orientation, has a striking profile that is visible from all important reference points in Frankfurt’s city centre, as well as from the river Main. Thanks to its form and presence, the double tower will become a characteristic feature of the Frankfurt skyline. The atrium between the office towers becomes a “vertical city”. Through platforms we are creating spaces, plazas and pathways between the towers, just as they exist in a city. The connecting and transferring levels divide the atrium horizontally into three sections of different sizes, with heights ranging from around 45 to 60 metres. These connecting platforms, bridges, ramps and stairs form a network of links between the office towers. They create short paths between the individual office floors in each tower and thus enable larger, interconnected usable office spaces on one or more floors in both towers, thereby also promoting informal communication. This new typology supports a dynamic development of form and enables differentiated office spaces with different panoramic perspectives.

Camp Nou Stadium,Barcelona

Foster + Partners to give Camp Nou Stadium facelift

FC Barcelona’s Camp Nou Stadium, one of the world’s greatest football venues, is to be extensively remodelled. Following an international competition, Foster + Partners have been selected as the architects for this renewal of the stadium, which is celebrating its 50th anniversary this year.

The stadium, already the largest in Europe, will be enlarged to accommodate over 106,000 fans, together with extensive new facilities including hospitality and public areas. A new roof will also be created to shelter the fans. The stadium will be enclosed by a brightly coloured mosaic outer skin that wraps around the building and continues over a new roof. The multi-coloured enclosure comprises overlapping translucent tiles in the club colours. The myriad of tiles can be seen as symbolising the loyalty and devotion of FC Barcelona’s fans worldwide.

The remodelled stadium retains the essential elements of the original Camp Nou, designed by architects Francesc Mitjans-Miró, García Barbon and Soteras Mauri, which was inaugurated in 1957.

On match nights, the stadium will glow, providing a new architectural icon for the city. In the same way that FC Barcelona is ‘more than a club’, the new Camp Nou will be much more than a stadium.

Positive Gold

I started this blog, just cut and paste images of architecture, some latest sumo news, occasional hash run with Hamersley, only in summer. It has been the pattern of my life of odd combination of thoughts, ideas, opportunity and above all, this is real life. Now Positive Gold enters into the scene. It will be fun to see it evolve and shape into a interesting future.

Thursday, August 16, 2007

Performing Arts Center sues architect, construction firm

Seeks $30 million in damages, citing delays, design problems at new concert hall.

By RICHARD CHANG

The Orange County Register

The Orange County Performing Arts Center is suing the world-famous architect and the construction company that built its new $240 million concert hall.

Citing unexpected cost overruns, delays and design problems, the nonprofit center filed a 218-page suit Aug. 10 in Orange County Superior Court. The defendants are New Haven, Conn.-based Pelli Clarke Pelli Architects, Texas-based Fluor Corp., and Berkeley-based landscape architects Peter Walker and Partners, among others.

The center is seeking more than $30 million in damages from 11 defendants, which include subcontractors.

“We feel this is the most prudent and responsible way to proceed,” center President Terrence Dwyer said Thursday. “Our responsibility is to the donors – to move forward in the most financially responsible way possible.”

The 2,000-seat Renée and Henry Segerstrom Concert Hall in Costa Mesa opened to much fanfare last September. However, it exceeded its original, $200 million budget by $35 million to $40 million.

Just weeks after the opening, the center pointed to overtime and rising costs of materials for the budget increase. But the lawsuit describes a multitude of problems and shortcomings, including “design work that was incomplete, deficient, inaccurate, untimely and below the standard of care for those holding themselves out as having defendants’ skills, experience and expertise.”

The suit argues that the architect and designers failed to “provide adequate and acceptable seating,” including some seats with impaired sight lines and “inadequate leg and sitting room.”

Further, the suit complains that the design for the outdoor plaza was corrected, changed and “clarified” after work had already commenced, and the landscape architects failed to “adequately and timely respond to requests for information, so as to make the work more difficult and more expensive.”

During the 3 ½-year construction of the arts complex, which includes a restaurant, a 500-seat theater and an education center, officials stressed repeatedly that the expansion would be built “on time and on budget.” They also said that an agreement had been signed, guaranteeing the schedule and cost.

The suit states that the defendants broke their contract with the center, jacking up prices after that agreement had already been made.

Officials at Pelli Clarke Pelli Architects did not respond Thursday to phone calls and e-mails seeking comment. The firm is co-headed by Cesar Pelli, a world renowned architect who designed Costa Mesa’s Plaza Tower, the expansion of South Coast Repertory and the Petronas Twin Towers in Malaysia, once the tallest buildings in the world.

Keith Stephens, spokesman for Fluor Corp., said his company does not comment on pending litigation. But he did say the concert hall has been “universally received by the client,” and has “received multiple awards from professional engineering and construction associations.”
“We’re proud of the work,” Stephens said. “The client has been very complimentary of the work. We’ll see how all of this is adjudicated.”

Dwyer confirmed that audience and artist response to the new hall has been “almost universally positive.”

“We think it’s a great hall,” he said. “We don’t think (the suit) has to do with the quality, design or construction. There was a lot the contractors had to contend with, due to shortcomings in architectural plans and specifications.”

Dwyer added that some issues, such as squeaky chairs, have been dealt with, and others, such as heating and cooling, seat positions and the height of some railings, are next on the to-do list.

The center recently finished a successful fiscal year, with a $222,151 budget surplus and a record amount of contributions to its “Building on the Vision” campaign to fund the expansion. The center has raised about $176.5 million, with about $63.5 million to go.

Dwyer said he hoped news of the suit wouldn’t negatively affect the campaign.
“We’d like to be able to announce only good news all the time,” he said. “There may be questions about this, about the actions we’ve taken. But I hope people will be understanding and supportive, and see that the organization is acting responsibly. As a steward of the project we’re acting in the most responsible way.”

TVS Architecture

TVS' three million square foot addition to the Nation's Largest Convention unveiled

The TVS designed $882 million, three million square foot McCormick Place West expansion opened on Thursday August 2, 2007 eight months ahead of schedule and on budget. The publicly-financed West Building adds an additional 470,000 square feet of exhibit space to McCormick Place’s existing 2.2 million square feet. It also adds 250,000 square feet of meeting space, which includes 61 meeting rooms and a ballroom the size of a football field at 100,000 square feet, making it one of the largest ballrooms in the world. Lit at night, the north facade is a welcoming gesture to attendees. The west facade breaks down the scale of the building to better relate to the historic structures of Motor Row. Brick is used in addition to the architectural pre-cast concrete and glass to make the building more compatible with the historic buildings in the neighborhood. The west facade also features an exclamation point of sorts. A 90 foot lantern, with glass on three sides, cantilevers out from the face of the building and creates a canopy over the west entrance. A transportation center is also conveniently located in the heart of the building, allowing for the loading/unloading of up to 16 buses simultaneously.

London’s skyline

The controversial 155 metre-high 'walkie talkie' skyscraper has been approved by the government despite the objections of their own advisers – English Heritage. The tower at 20 Fenchurch Street was designed by the fashionable New York-based architect Rafael Vinoly. English Heritage said it would be one of 'London’s ugliest and most oppressive buildings'









London’s skyline, which already boasts a 'gherkin' (right), is now set to get a 'walkie talkie' (centre), and a 'helter skelter' (left). There are also plans for a 'cheese grater', a 'blade' and a 'shard of glass'. Heritage groups are concerned that the rash of approvals for skyscrapers could ruin the city’s historic character.The 47-storey tower by the architect Richard Rogers has perhaps the best skyscraper nickname. The 'cheese grater' is set to join the London skyline after its developers British Land announced in May that they were going ahead with the scheme









The 36-storey building includes a publicly accessible 'sky garden' with views across London. Announcing planning approval, the communities secretary, Hazel Blears, said this week that it would not harm historic views of the Tower of London and would make a significant contribution to London’s architecture

Lab Architecture Studio unveil plans for the Culture Island in Dubai

This comprehensive ensemble of museums, galleries, amphitheatres, restaurants and retail outlets is part of Dubai’s new development, cultural village. The backdrop to the external amphitheatre is of new canals and the islands of culture village, with abras and small ferries circumnavigating the calmer waters. The building forms a striking cantilever over the main road, providing shade and cover for the outdoor gardens and the transportation points. The facades and surfaces of the building are formed out of a transformation of arabic geometry and give a visual and structural integration of this art within the architecture of the site. Its internal organization allows for a continuous flow of pedestrians from the souks to the island, with clear entry points into the museum and art gallery. This flowing sequence also gives access to the main amphitheatre, which can be closed (acoustically and environmentally) or open. This sweeping line of movement terminates at the end of the island, with commercial art galleries, restaurants and cafés supported by bookshops, crafts and retail tenancies.

Undefeated Hakuho dominates Asashoryu

The Associated Press
Hakuho overwhelmed fellow Mongolian Asashoryu on Sunday to finish the Summer Grand Sumo Tournament with a perfect 15-0 record.

Hakuho, who is all but certain to be promoted to grand champion, wrapped up his second straight Emperor's Cup on Saturday, and Sunday's win over sumo's lone grand champion will add to his resume for promotion.
"I want to be a strong yokozuna," Hakuho said. "I had some injuries last year but was able to stay focused and fight my own sumo."
Hakuho won the Spring tourney in March. The Japan Sumo Association will deliberate on Hakuho's promotion to the sport's highest rank on Monday and it is widely regarded that two titles in a row for an ozeki are good enough to be promoted.
Sumo hasn't had two grand champions competing at the same time since November of 2003.
If he is promoted, the 22-year-old Hakuho would become sumo's 69th yokozuna and the second from Mongolia.
In Sunday's final bout, Hakuho and Asashoryu engaged in a long standoff at the center of the ring before Hakuho finally prevailed with an arm throw that sent Asashoryu sprawling to the dirt surface.
Elsewhere, Kaio quickly dispatched fellow ozeki Kotooshu of Bulgaria to finish the tournament with a solid 10-5 record.
Kotooshu, who defeated Asashoryu in Saturday, fell to 9-6.
No. 8 maegashira Asasekiryu had an impressive run and finished with a solid 12-3 record to win the Technique Prize.
Sekiwake Kotomitsuki overpowered ozeki Chiyotaikai to finish with a 12-3 record and improve his chances for promotion to ozeki.
Chiyotaikai closed out with a 10-5 record, good enough to maintain his status at the sport's second-highest rank.

Western Virginia to get first contemporary building

Western Virginia to get first contemporary building
Los Angeles-based Randall Stout Commissioned to Design the Art Museum of Western Virginia. Emerging Architect and Green Building proponent, Randall Stout, has designed the new Art Museum of Western Virginia. To be located in the exquisitely beautiful mountainous landscape of the Shenandoah Valley of Roanoke Virginia, the new museum is a stunning glass and steel structure that forms a metaphorical gateway to the city which is rapidly transforming from an industrial based-economy to one driven by technology information and services. The 82,000 square foot building, which echoes the form of the nearby mountain ranges, will quadruple the size of the museum’s current space. The three-storey structure will house a lobby, galleries, café, gift shop, auditorium and educational spaces on the first floor, galleries and storage on the second level, and a boardroom, director’s suite, and offices on the third level. Sustainable design components include natural day lighting, passive solar, a thermal conserving envelope and a computerized energy management system. The new museum is scheduled to open in the fall of 2008.

Sharon McHugh

Sutong bridge to set world record

The Sutong Changjiang Highway Bridge over the Yangtze River is seen under construction in east China's Jiangsu Province, April 23, 2007. The cable-stayed bridge will have a world record 1088 metres main span and tallest cable towers when completed in 2008.

Alsop Adds Colour to London City

A landmark redevelopment scheme featuring a 43-storey tower at 151 City Road, London EC1 will be unveiled this week. The groundbreaking scheme designed by SMC Alsop for Enddora Holdings Ltd, part of the Access Self Storage Group, is located on a site on City Road, close to Old Street roundabout, opposite the Moorfields Eye Hospital and adjacent to the recently approved, 27-storey tower Eagle House, designed by Terry Farrell. The proposal brings together a unique combination of land uses which, together with the size of the site and its context, has led Will Alsop to create a pioneering new building-type, fusing large scale art, sculpture and architecture. The building will include retail and bars, self-storage, business centre, fitness centre and apart-hotel. The self storage proposals, stacked vertically rather than along the ground, represent a major new departure for self storage in this country, bringing the facility into the middle of town rather than its traditional edge of town location. Double height retail and restaurants are located at ground floor on City Road, with entrances to the self-storage on Britannia Walk and the apart-hotel, business centre and leisure uses on Provost Street. Level 42 is given over to a public bar and viewing gallery. Describing the scheme architect Will Alsop says, "It's an incredibly exciting project - essentially the whole building is conceived as an artwork including Bruce McLean's piece, the coloured solar siphons, and the building form - sculpted and faceted so that the perception of the tower changes from every perspective." Measures to integrate sustainability and energy reduction are fully incorporated in the building's design through the choice of on-site renewables and the integration of an innovative natural ventilation system. The building tapers and twists to allow daylight penetration at street level. Articulated chimneys known as solar siphons wrap around the building fabric like a striped shirt giving the impression of slenderness and at the same time providing natural ventilation to the hotel apartments. This dramatically reduces the need for mechanical air-conditioning and substantially reduces the Development's overall carbon footprint. Speaking of the project, independent townscape assessor, Richard Coleman said "Will Alsop is able to bring joy to hearts, minds and eyes of people through the most diverse of building uses. At City Road the project is a rich mix of uses within a total work of art made explicit through the 15-storey work by artist Bruce McLean. It is symptomatic of the City Road site that a tall elegant building of such beauty as is proposed, enhances a poor townscape edge to Hackney without infringing any distant views vistas or heritage areas." The scheme will be unveiled at a public exhibition, opening this week on the site at 151 City Road, which is part of the public consultation exercise, intended to provide an opportunity for local residents and office workers to view the proposals. Following this exhibition it is intended that the scheme will be submitted to the London Borough of Hackney for planning in early April.

Aedas designs U-Bora Tower at Business Bay in Dubai

The U-Bora Tower Complex is a mixed-use development located in the heart of Business Bay. The design has given equal attention to its three different uses - office, residential and retail, in order to maximize their opportunities and viabilities within the site's context. The 250 meter high U-Bora Office Tower is located prominantly on the main axis. It was designed as an anchor on the axis and within its own development. Along with the 462 meter Burj Alam, located across the street of this main axis, the two towers work together and act as a gateway into the development. In addition, the project weights the office space toward the top by starting with smaller 1,100m² floors at the bottom and slowly increasing toward the top 2,000m² floors. This maximizes prime view space by containing 70% of the office towers 80,000m², in the top half of the office tower. The 30,000m² residential block deliberately does not compete with the surrounding towers in height and instead keeps low and focused to the adjacent water body to the south. By designing the block as a linear bar rising from 12 stories at the tower end to 15 stories at the western end a significantly greater percentage of units get an uninterrupted view of the water. The third component of the project, although relatively small in area, is 7,000m² of retail. All three components are glued together with a 10,000m² public, densely landscaped deck which has accessibility from all three exposed sides of the project.

Hamersley Hash Run at Bold Park

Bold Park - Wilderness at your doorstep
The vision for Bold Park is to be identified as a world-class urban wilderness enjoyed, studied and managed with the community.
Bold Park was declared an A-class reserve on 10th August 1998 for its high conservation, landscape and recreation values. It is one of the largest remaining bushland remnants in the urban area of the Swan Coastal Plain, covering 437 hectares.
Reabold Hill
Be amazed by the spectacular views of Perth when you visit Reabold Hill. Designed for disabled access, the raised boardwalk offers a unique bushland experience en route to the highest natural point on the Swan Coastal Plain in the metropolitan area. At 85 metres above sea level, you can see the Indian Ocean, Perth city, Rottnest Island, Kings Park and Botanic Garden, and even glimpses of the Swan River.

Lord Norman Foster at 71

Funding sought to finance major expansion
Lord Foster of Thames-side has appointed bankers to examine the possible sale of part or all of his world-leading architectural practice. Foster and Partners, which was broken into six autonomous design groups two years ago is believed to need cash to realise its expansion plans. This includes increasing the number of offices from the current 13 to between 20 and 30. Speculation has put the practice's current value at £300m - £500m GBP. However city financial observers are casting doubt on this price as commercial property is thought to be at the top of its cycle and this is an area which the practice is heavily dependant on making it vulnerable. Foster, who is 71, is believed to have called in specialist corporate finance firm Catalyst Investment to review the funding requirements. In the last accounts filed at Companies House, for the year ended April 2005, the company revealed pre-tax profits of £2.5m on turnover of £44.5m. The London based practice has overseas offices in Beijing, Dubai, Istanbul and Kuala Lumpur which reflects the increasingly international mix of its business, during that year the company generated 12 per cent of its turnover from the US and 9 per cent from China. The bulk of the business, however, was still in the UK, which generated 43 per cent.

WorldArchitectureNews 22.01.2007

Hash Run At Perth Hill

Monday run at Perth Hill- 15th Jan.2007

Khairy Jamaluddin

Hari Raya Aidil Adha 2006 Celebration with The Honourable Dato' Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi, Prime Minister of Malaysia.
Date: 30th December 2006
Venue: Puteri Nasi Kandar
339 Albany Highway,
Victoria Park, Perth.WA.

With all the fame created around Prime Minister Dato' Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi's son-in-law, it seems surreal to post along side with Khairy Jamaluddin in front of Puteri Nasi Kandar.





Khairy Jamaluddin (born January 10, 1976) is a Malaysian politician. He is the son-in-law of Malaysia's Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi. Khairy's political and financial influence has been described as substantial, with some calling him a future Prime Minister by virtue of his connections. He is married to Nori Abdullah, and is the Deputy Chief of the United Malays National Organisation (UMNO) Youth wing, a post he won unchallenged in the 2004 UMNO Annual General Meeting with influence of his father-in-law.
Khairy was born in Kuwait City, Kuwait. He is the only son of former diplomat Dato' Jamaluddin Abu Bakar and Dato' Rahmah Abdul Hamid.
Khairy had his secondary education at the United World College of South East Asia in Singapore, and his university education at Oxford University in the United Kingdom. While at Oxford, he studied at St Hugh's College, and graduated with a degree in Philosophy, Politics, and Economics (PPE).

Springfield Land Corporation

"When I first dreamt of creating a city like Greater Springfield there were those who dismissed the idea as too ambitious. But fortunately, there were also those who shared my vision and had the drive, determination and resourcefulness to help bring it to life.
Today, Greater Springfield is a resounding success, with even greater prosperity on the horizon. I am proud to invite residents, business enterprises, community groups, educational institutions and government bodies to join in living the dream. Our future starts now and together we can make it an even more exciting and rewarding reality than we ever imagined."

MAHA SINNATHAMBY

Chairman – Springfield Land Corporation

I met Mr. Maha on the AMWA Awards night. I was impressed by his

directness and openness on opportunities and mental toughness.

I see his success as a benchmark that we should emulate.

Metamorphosis in Paris

Californian architect Thom Mayne to design tallest building in Paris

Plans have been just been unveiled for a vast glass office block that will become the tallest commercial building since Eiffel tower. Skyscrapers are banned in the historic centre of Paris with high-rise buildings confined to the La Defense district to the west of the centre. Once described as Paris’s “mini-Manhattan”, La Defense is one of Europe’s biggest purpose built business districts, created under Francois Mitterrand’s direction in 1989. Recently La Defense has begun planning a new generation of high-rises to compete with new urban business quarters in Moscow, Madrid and Amsterdam. Designed by Californian architect Thom Mayne of Morphosis fame, the “Phare” (lighthouse) tower is a gently sloping eco friendly glass construction complete with wind turbines on its roof. At a cost of 900m Euros (£610m) the building, which will offer 130,000 square metres of office space, is due to be completed in 2012.

Aya Matsuura

Individual

Each person's personal vision is unique. What we 'see' are electrical signal conducted through our visual system. The truth is images do not 'enter' into our eyes, because our eyes and nervous system are part of the whole phenomena. Each person perceives his individual image of the 'same' thing.