Jan 27, Cleveland

With help from Chicago architects, federal officials unveiled an innovative design that leave the exterior of Cleveland's aging federal building in place and wrap a new metal and glass skin around it. This type of design, known as a "double wall," is expected to cut energy costs and give the stolid steel-and-glass building a fresh skyline identity, making its appearance change constantly in the light...more

Jan 27

Experts inside and outside the profession discuss some of the critical issues architects will face in the next 10 years—from reinventing suburbia and expanding urban infrastructure to exploring new materials and leveraging new technologies...more

Jan 27, Hanoi

Hanoi is to receive a highly sustainable urban district courtesy of Skidmore, Owings and Merrill following an international competition for the Green Tech City project, instigated by Blenheim Properties. The masterplan drawn up by SOM intertwines elements of local culture and urban heritage with state of the art design methods which aim to reduce the demand for non-renewable resources...more

Jan 27, China

City planners in south China have laid out an ambitious plan to merge together the nine cities that lie around the Pearl River Delta. The "Turn The Pearl River Delta Into One" scheme will create a 16,000 sq mile urban area that is 26 times larger geographically than Greater London, or twice the size of Wales...more

Jan 27, London

Work has started again on Rogers Stirk Harbour & Partners’ £340 million Cheesegrater tower in the City after a string of delays. Contractors are back on site and pressing ahead with piling works which will underpin the tapering 47-story Leadenhall building. The news follows the deal struck between developer British Land and one of North America’s largest commercial real estate investors, Oxford Properties, to develop the 224m-tall building...more

Jan 26, Paris

Paris is reviewing its ambitions of “greatness”. However, within a country where speed is not necessarily a condition of efficiency, and where “quality of life” is elevated to “the art of living”, a purely geographic and territorial expansion based upon the American model is unfeasible.
At the outset, we imagined the tower from an initial volume, which we considered a “spatial texture”...more

Jan 26

History keeps disproving predictions that the supertall skyscraper, as a developer’s building type, was destroyed when the two 110-story towers of New York City’s World Trade Center went down. Last year alone, 66 towers taller than 200 meters opened their doors, breaking the 2007 record of 48. Of these, eight are taller than 300 m...more

Jan 25, Mumbai

Believing that even the most glamorous and dynamic cities have their share of problems, students of the premier Veer Jijamata Technological Institute (VJTI) in Matunga have sought to find engineering solutions to common and long-standing problems plaguing cities, including Mumbai...more

Jan 25, Dallas

One of Dallas’ most successful real estate projects is up for sale. The One Arts Plaza building in downtown’s Arts District has been considered a prototype for high-rise mixed-use development since it opened in 2007. Project owner Billingsley Co. has decided to sell the Flora Street tower of One Arts Plaza...more

Jan 25

CTBUH Member Dan M. Frangopol, currently serving in the inaugural position of the Fazlur R. Khan Endowed Chair of Structural Engineering and Architecture at Lehigh University, was named a Distinguished Member of the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE). ASCE’s highest accolade, distinguished membership recognizes eminence in a branch of engineering...more

Jan 25, New York

Quadriad Realty met with the leadership of the Manhattan Times to discuss its plans to build either two or four residential towers on Broadway and Fairview Avenue to the east and W. 190th Street to the west. Quadriad president Henry Wollman explained his interest in pursuing one of two options, either of which would dramatically transform Northern Manhattan’s skyline...more

Jan 24, New York

Few would argue that Ismael Leyva's sliver glass skyscraper at 785 Eighth Ave. fits in with its neighbors. Soaring 43 stories, the building ruptures the grim composure of a low-rise block that, with its boarded-up windows and live adult videos, evokes pre-Giuliani Times Square. That's another way of saying, sometimes contextualism is overrated...more

Jan 24, Beijing

The design by TFP Farrells, BIAD, ARUP and MVA could be the tallest building in Beijing. The new ‘Z15’ Tower, located in the east of Beijing at the heart of the new CBD extension, will be over 120 stories, and more than 500m high. As part of this 30-hectare masterplan at the core of this district, the design incorporates 2,000,000m2 of office space, six-star hotels, luxury service apartments and high-end retail...more

Jan 24, Kuala Lumpur

Once considered the tallest building[s] in the world from 1998 to 2004, the Petronas Towers designed by Cesar Pelli stand as a cultural and architectural icon in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.  Completed in 1998, the Petronas Towers are a reflection and homage to the dominant Islamic culture of Malaysia...more

Jan 24, Mumbai

An apartment block in downtown Mumbai is to be demolished following claims that it violated the city's environmental regulations. The 31-story Adarsh tower, which was finished in 2008, has been constructed too close to the coast, breaking Mumbai's building codes. The building was designed to provide homes for war veterans and widows…more

Jan 23, Dubai

The world's highest restaurant has opened in the world's tallest building in Dubai. At.mosphere, envisaged as one of the finest luxury dining and lounge experiences in the world, has opened doors to guests at Burj Khalifa, located in Downtown Dubai, a full-fledged lifestyle destination, described as 'The Centre of Now.'…more

Jan 22, New York

Vision 2020, New York City's plan for its waterfront, seems to offer something for every New Yorker: promenades along the shore, bucolic wetlands with lots of fish and wildlife, ferries and kayaks, industrial jobs, and new condos with waterfront views. Looming behind the plan's picturesque images of clear skies and kayakers, however, are the waterfront views from prime real estate locations…more

Jan 21, Langfang, China

Woods Bagot, HOK, and CW Group are about to turn Langfang, an old Chinese farming town, into a sort of Portland of the East. In China, where new cities spring up practically overnight, a group of architects is floating a radical proposal: develop a city that's already there, and do it as gently as possible…more

Jan 21, Toronto

Ever fancied going swimming in an infinity pool, above you only sky... and in front of you the CN Tower? Well soon if you're wealthy enough you'll be able to do exactly that in the Canadian city of Toronto. Anchored in the city center next to a PATH station, the proposals from Tridel for 300 Front Street West are for a 152 meter tall, 52 floor residential building…more

Jan 21, New York

New York City’s Mayor Michael Bloomberg announced the launch of the Urban Technology Innovation Center which will help fast track sustainable building practices by connecting building owners looking to be more eco-friendly with companies developing cutting edge green technology…more

Jan 21, Las Palmas, Gran Canaria

The architect fancies houses with generous ceiling heights, close to the traditional ones, enjoying the view as if from a watchtower. Large panels protected by deep shadows artificial-natural brise-soleil, and plant motifs in the thickness of the glass - so that nothing more is needed. Woermann Tower is a virtual forest…more

Jan 20, Calgary

After being held hostage by the recession, the south tower of Western Canada’s tallest skyscraper is going ahead after all, say developers. Michael Brown, a spokesman for the developers of The Bow, said an application for a permit to build the south tower called 600 Centre, has been forwarded to the city…more

Jan 18, Toronto

Construction on two highrise condo towers just north of the Ontario legislature in downtown Toronto will not meet any further provincial opposition. With a provincial election ahead, McGuinty signalled he's not about to cross newly elected Toronto Mayor Rob Ford by trying to block the 44- and 48-storey towers from being built…more

Jan 18, Chicago

What a surprise! In advance of mayoral forum on community development and the environment, a coalition of Chicago environmentalists issued a news release carrying this headline: “Chicago’s Next Mayor Will Support Green City Policies.” …more

Jan 18, Seoul

In Seoul, Korea, S-Trenue: Bundle Matrix was developed from the L-shaped podium tower by Mass Studies. Externally the tower is expressed by three slim vertical forms, composed of the central core, and two sides of unit towers, it continues extended to the podium and forms an “L” that as one element…more

Jan 18, Orange County

The buildings located at 5 Park Plaza at Jamboree Center and 18500 Von Karman at Irvine Towers in Orange County, California, are LEED-Gold certified and the landmark Symphony Tower in San Diego, California is LEED-Silver certified. In addition, Irvine Company Office Properties’ Hyatt Center in downtown Chicago received certification as the company’s first LEED-Platinum building…more

Jan 18, Shenzhen

Tower after tower is built in China with glazed facades, economically shaped floorplates and a conservative look that shows little flair, but one project that is standing out from the crop, at least at aesthetically speaking is soon due to rise in Shenzhen. The Southern Bosera Building is a tower, designed by Hans Hollein…more

Jan 17, Cleveland

It's big, it's green, and it's shaping up as a national test case on how to balance architectural preservation with the need to address climate change. Experts say the upcoming $121 million renovation of the A.J. Celebrezze Federal Building in downtown Cleveland could be the first time a high-rise tower in the United States is wrapped with a new glass facade on all four sides…more

Jan 17, London

While the debate continues as to whether the world's first skyscraper was the Home Insurance Building built in Chicago in 1885, or New York's seven floor Equitable Life Assurance Building built in 1870, it seems that the British pipped the Americans to the post in terms of a design…more

Jan 17, Detroit

Detroit's dormant David Whitney Building is in line for renovation as a mixed-use project under a plan approved by the city's Downtown Development Authority. The elegant 18-story tower at Woodward and Grand Circus Park was designed by famed Chicago architect Daniel Burnham…more

Jan 17, Chicago

Chicago’s historic skyline has always been a source of pride for city residents. And while few new buildings are going up, building owners have developed a plan to capitalize on the latest advances: Smart-grid technologies that will convert the city’s iconic skyline into what backers call a “virtual green generator”…more

Jan 17, Abu Dhabi

Aedas and Arup are working together to attach a vast mashrabiya screen to Aedas’s headquarters for the Abu Dhabi Investment Council. The shading device, whose translucent components will open and close as the sun moves round the two 25-story Al Bahr Towers, will reduce solar gain by 50%…more

Jan 17, Hong Kong

This project called for the design of a new luxurious residential development; it takes advantage of the site's unobstructed waterfront and creates a special sense of urban exclusivity. To harmonize with the waterfront and the hill ridge, the 9 towers are arranged in a wavy form of three clusters…more

Jan 17, India

Wind and solar power may get the most attention in the realm of green energy, but tidal power is slowly edging its way in: Scotland, Korea, and even New York City all have tidal power projects currently underway. India joined the tidal power wave with the approval of a commercial-scale tidal power plant in the Gulf of Kutch…more

Jan 15, Hong Kong

As one of the most compact cities in the world, Hong Kong is a diverse and complex place where topographical constraints and unique historical circumstances have created extreme urban forms for the basic needs of city life. Hong Kong housing is predominantly based on the typology of the tower…more

Jan 14, Rotterdam

This design, based in Rotterdam, was influenced by a number of factors. The first is the desire to create a tall building that is adaptable over its lifetime, such that it can change function, density and even height if required. The second, inspired by the city’s vast container port, is the use of modular and prefabricated technologies to facilitate this adaptability…more

Jan 14, UK

The panel will include Roland Matzig, founder of RMP Architects; Bill Butcher, director of the Green Building Store; Anna Surgenor, Senior Technical Advisor at the UK Green Building Council, Zdenka Debartoli from Isover, a representative from the Passive House Trust and Ken Shuttleworth, founder of Make Architects and Antony Wood, Executive Director at the Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat…more

Jan 14, Reading

Sackville Properties who is planning to redevelop Station Hill next to Reading Station has secured development and investment partners to help the project progress. The proposals could have up to 80,000 square meters of office space, 900 residential units, 18,500 square meters of floor space for retail, a 2,000 square meter arts and community center, and a 10 Pin Bowling alley…more

Jan 14, Taiwan

The Tower rises slender and elegant with charismatic character. It embodies the spirit of Taiwan: strong lines, continuity highlight the determination and strength of people who steadily pursued formidable achievements and excellence. The unconventional form unlashes same vitality and vibrant energy the island radiates for innovation and progress…more

Jan 14, Tacoma

Downtown Tacoma is fortunate to have a handful of old structures that could easily serve as witnesses to the city's history: Old City Hall (built in 1893); Murray Morgan Bridge (built in 1913); Winthrop Hotel (built in 1925); and the Elk's Temple (built in 1915). Another structure to include on that list is the Washington Building…more

Jan 14, Chicago

Carlson Hotels is planning a $125 million upscale Radisson hotel for the first 18 floors of the Aqua skyscraper downtown. The hotel, slated to open fall 2011, would be the first Radisson Blu in the country and is part of the hotel group’s $1.5 billion plan to revitalize the Radisson brand in the United States…more

Jan 13, Beijing

Located in the heart of Beijing, the Central Business District (CBD) has emerged as China's primary global business address and is poised for an eastward expansion that will almost double its size. The CBD Eastern Expansion Plan defines opportunities for the growth of commerce, industry, culture and the arts…more

Jan 13

In a year dominated by news coverage of the new “World’s Tallest Building” – Burj Khalifa, Dubai – one may be surprised to learn that, besides being the year in which a building first surpassed the 600, 700, and 800-meter thresholds, 2010 has seen the completion of more skyscrapers than any previous year in history…more

Jan 13, New York

In developing One Madison Park, the client wanted to create a premiere luxury residence, featuring a variety of apartment types, each designed to maximize space and views. Adding to this challenge, the client wanted to expedite construction, requiring a phased construction sequence…more

Jan 13, East London

East London’s Balfron Tower has become the setting for a photo shoot designed to show the connection between the building and its residents. Artist Simon Terrill invited residents of the Erno Goldfinger-designed concrete tower to display themselves on their balconies and doorsteps and took a series of photographs…more

Jan 12

The turn of the last century saw a surge in the construction of high-rise buildings. The Pacific Earthquake Engineering Research Center (PEER) responded to this need by leading the Tall Buildings Initiative (TBI) to develop engineering design criteria that will ensure safe and usable tall buildings following future earthquakes…more

Jan 12, Milwaukee

Proposals have been sent forth into the world for a new tower in Milwaukee's modest downtown. To be known as Washington Square, the project is penned by Milwaukee based architects Rinka Chung, and already has potential tenants lined up in the form of law firm Godfrey-Khan. If approved the project will be the first major development in the area for years…more

Jan 12, Jeddah

Reports are surfacing that the $600m Lamar Towers project in Jeddah designed by RMJM has had its completion date pushed back from September 2011 to early 2013. Local newswire quoted Marwan Al-Nouti, finance manager of the project’s main investor Zahran Group thus: “The main reason for the delay, is the replacement of the main contractor…more

Jan 12, Shanghai

Shanghai Municipal Government issued a new regulation to tighten supervision of construction, after a fatal high-rise fire took 58 lives. The 22-article regulation covers eight aspects, such as construction processes, risk control, contractor market management and government supervision. It also regulates management of construction practitioners…more

Jan 12, Washington Heights, New York

The Upper Manhattan skyline could get a dramatic makeover under a new proposal to add four skyscrapers to Washington Heights, which would dwarf existing buildings in the area. Quadriad Realty Partners, a private New York-based real estate developer with developments in Queens and Brooklyn, is in the preliminary stages of planning four new mixed-use buildings…more

Jan 12

The statistic is everywhere — for the first time, more than half of the world’s population is living in cities. At the same time, technological advancements in information gathering provide ever-expanding opportunities to examine and assess the way we live. Making sense of this bounty of information, however, and learning how to find meaning from the data are daunting challenges…more

Jan 11, Auckland

The Deloitte Centre is one of the first high rise tower in New Zealand to achieve a 5 Star design rating with the New Zealand Green Building Council (NZGBC). Designed in a joint collaboration between Woods Bagot and Warren and Mahoney, the headquarters of the Bank of New Zealand is part green renovation of a historic Auckland building and part new eco high rise…more

Jan 11, Boston

With its sail-shaped design, Boston’s newest skyscraper is a 31-story invitation to the city’s newest gathering spot on the water. The glass-walled tower at the corner of Congress Street and Atlantic Avenue is the largest development yet in a decades-long effort to transform the Fort Point Channel into a contemporary waterfront with residences, restaurants, boating tours, and cultural institutions…more

Jan 11, Mumbai

Clasping hands have long been a welcoming symbol for those extending hospitality to guests, an image that WS Atkins has pushed to the full with plans for a new luxury 380-bedroom hotel, plus assorted other uses in the Indian city of Mumbai. With a height of 300 meters and 62 floors, the scheme is being developed by an as-yet unknown developer to stand in the Ambika Mills area…more

Jan 10, New York

You may have walked by this building in Tribeca, New York a thousand times, but did you know about the forest on its rooftop? Defined by this cool green feature, 101 Warren Street is a two story retail podium mixed with a 35-story residential tower designed by firm SOM. Thomas Balsley Associates designed the 101 pine-tree forest…more

Jan 10, Mississauga

PERI's RCS climbing protection panel system is helping work on two curvaceous skyscraper towers progress quickly and safely. The towers are part of Canada's Absolute World City Center in Mississauga. The inner-city development consists of five apartment and office blocks with heights of up to 170 m. Due to the different rotations by different degrees at different levels, engineers have developed two climbing methods…more

Jan 10, Paris

Morphosis founder Thom Mayne has won planning for his 300m-high Paris skyscraper, the Phare Tower. Designed for the La Défense region on the north-west edge of the historic center, it is the city’s tallest new building since the Eiffel Tower. The tower, whose name means lighthouse, has taken years to get through planning in a city which had a ban on tall buildings…more

Jan 9, Leiden, Netherlands

Rotterdam-based practice Maxwan has completed the master plan for the transformation of the Central Station and its adjoining quarter in the city of Leiden, the Netherlands, transforming a typical neglected station area into a vibrant new high-density neighborhood. The master plan strengthens the connection between the historic city center in its south and Leiden's Bio-Science district in its north…more

Jan 8

It is never easy getting accurate information about ongoing projects in Saudi Arabia, and Jeddah’s kilometer-high Kingdom Tower is no exception. There were rumors towards the end of 2010 that an announcement on the progress of what is due to be the world’s tallest building by a fair margin would be forthcoming, but it was not…more

Jan 7, London

Plans have been submitted for the complete renovation of one of the first generation of tall buildings in the Square Mile. Developer NG Properties has applied for consent to completely overhaul the 21-story One Angel Court building. The modernization plan drawn up will see the octagonal tower stripped back to its core and re-clad with floor to ceiling glazing to create a gleaming new building…more

Jan 7, Japan

Wind power is the transformation of wind energy into a usable and universally-accepted form of energy, such as electricity. Wind turbines are used to make electricity, while wind mills are used for mechanical power or sails to propel ships. A new type of wind energy generator will be developed by Zena Systems, a Japanese company…more

Jan 7, China

Twelve years ago Andrew Lawrence, then a Hong Kong-based property analyst for a British investment bank, formulated what he called the Skyscraper Index, correlating construction of the world’s tallest skyscrapers with economic crises going back to 1873. Although the Index is somewhat fanciful, it has proved remarkably accurate…more

Jan 6, New York

Ju-Hyun Kim, a New York based Architect, has proposed a new approach to building theme parks - vertically.This skyscraper theme park project argues that there can only be benefits to building theme parks in a upright manner. Benefits include the fact that the theme park is close to where people live, reducing the need for long distance travel, and the environmental impact this creates, as well as having only a small footprint on the land…more

Jan 6, Brighton

Brighton is in the unusual position of having the potential to get two observation rides rather than the usual one that most cities seem to have. Construction is set to start on the Marks Barfield designed i360. This particular scheme features a 183 meter tall central shaft with a huge pod capable of carrying up to 70 people per trip up it…more

Jan 6, Bilbao, Spain

The Isozaki Atea project is an urban and architectural project in the heart of the city. It resolves two questions that town planning had previously been unable to solve: first of all, bringing the Ensanche to the River and secondly, linking the two urban areas of the Ensanche and Campo Volantín in a resounding yet sensitive manner…more

Jan 6, Basel

Swiss practice Herzog & de Meuron has unveiled images of a new tower for pharmaceutical giant Roche. The building, known as ‘Bau 1, at the firm’s Basel headquarters will have 41 stories and rise to a height of approximately 175m. It will contain office space for 1,900 workers, a 500-seat auditorium and a cafeteria…more

Jan 6, New York

As a part of the Empire State Building’s green makeover, the iconic tower’s manager, Malkin Holdings, just announced they’ll be adding green energy to the building’s list of environmental credentials. They just brokered a deal with Green Mountain Energy — a carbon offset supplier — to buy 55 million kilowatt-hours per year. The energy certificates are backed by NRG Energy‘s wind power facilities in New Jersey, and will cover the ESB’s entire annual energy usage…more

Jan 6, China

Saudi Arabia will help China build a $1.3bn luxury hotel modeled on Dubai’s Burj Khalifa, according to newspaper reports from Beijing. The People’s Daily Online quoted a senior official as saying that graphics and planning of the ‘seven-star’ hotel had already been completed. The announcement was made at a press conference on Wednesday. Wang Hongzhong, chief official of the Mentougou district…more

Jan 6

Imagine bioengineered mushrooms that would provide insulation between densely packed apartments. “Hushrooms,” they are called. Or space capsule-like homes that would allow the eco-minded to live off the power grid? Or a kitchen in which the walls transform into virtual screens and keyboards that help you brew a cup of tea? It all sounds very sci-fi, but there’s just enough real material in “Hyperlinks” to keep us from rolling our eyes…more

Jan 6, Burlington, Canada

This highrise condominium project is going up at Appleby Line and Upper Middle Rd. in Burlington with a heating and cooling system that utilizes the solar power absorbed by the Earth. Ironstone is going to be a little piece of energy-saving urban chic set amidst suburban big box-store malls. To achieve the downtown feel, Toronto architect Roland Rom Colthoff of Raw Design designed the building with street-level retail space, loft suites…more

Jan 6, St. Petersburg

St Petersburg governor Valentina Matviyenko has announced that the controversial Gazprom office building, the Okhta Centre, will be relocated away from the city’s historical heart. It was victory for people power, the project having attracted vociferous objections. Plans by Russia’s gas monopoly Gazprom to erect a needle-like tower, dubbed Gazoscraper, next to the 18th-century Smolny Cathedral had prompted fierce public op-position…more

Jan 6, Xiamen, China

To improve current fire safety in Xiamen’s high-rise buildings, a 90-metre-height aerial ladder will be put into service in the city, according to the latest information released by the Fujian Fire Brigade. At present, the highest aerial ladder in Xiamen is only 70 meters, making it difficult for fire brigades to rescue victims in high-rise buildings which are above 70 meters…more

Jan 5, Tirana, Albania

The Albanian city of Tirana could soon have two spangly new towers if proposals for a new development around the city's train station are approved.  Aptly, but maybe a tad obviously named the Train Station Towers, the design for the project is the work of Albanian architectural firm BaksvanWengerden, in collaboration with Cie architects.  With both standing at 85 meters, the intention is not to hit a breathtaking height but rather to be discreetly iconic…more

Jan 5, China

A US-based authority on global tall buildings aims to expand its presence in China, as the building tall trend continues to advance in major Chinese cities. The Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitats (CTBUH) will mirror its presence in the GCC – where it has representatives in Qatar, Kuwait and the UAE – and recruit local representatives in Beijing, Shanghai and Guangzhou…more

Jan 5, Chicago

Tenants at Kingsbury Plaza, an apartment building in River North, had a New Year's resolution made for them by management firm The Habitat Co. this year: Quit smoking. Or move. Kingsbury on Jan. 1 began a yearlong transition to becoming a smoke-free building. If successful, Habitat, which manages more than 3,300 market-rate apartments in eight Chicago buildings, may apply it to other properties…more

Jan 4, Seattle

The condemned McGuire building in Belltown is set to be demolished sometime in the next year-and-a-half, according to documents released by building company Lease Crutcher Lewis on Tuesday. The building, which was completed in 2001, is 25 stories high and contains more than 270 apartment units. Hundreds of people were forced out of those units last year when severe structural defects were discovered…more

Jan 3, Cincinnati

Moving Day is fast approaching for the first new occupants of Great American Tower at Queen City Square - the region's newest, tallest skyscraper. By mid-January, Great American Insurance Co. expects to begin moving the first of 2,500 employees into the 41-story tower, which is nearing completion after more than two years of construction. The $320 million skyscraper is the largest construction project downtown since 2003…more

Jan 3, Santiago

This building is designed to accommodate residents, commercial activity, and clean the Mapocho River. Is this what the Jordan River needs? Despite valiant efforts by Friends of the Earth Middle East (FoEME) and other worthy organizations, the Jordan River is in a perilous state. This 156 mile long river is ecologically essential to Israel, Jordan, Lebanon, the Palestinian Territories, and Syria…more

Jan 1, Chicago

Imagine a story book skate in the sky with the city lights behind you and a SKYY® High Cocktail to look forward to after you finish. Or, if you're own storyline includes kids, enjoy a morning of figure-eights or first steps on ice, followed by hot chocolates all round in the Café at the Hancock Center Observatory. From January 1st, they’re opening a synthetic ice skating rink at more than 1,000 feet - and it'll be a world first at this height…more

Jan 1, Dubai

The clock struck 12 in Dubai and the city’s iconic tower Burj Khalifa sparkled in the luster of a thousand lights, fireworks and laser beams. 2011 was born. The New Year was ushered in style with the world’s highest fireworks organized by Emaar Properties, the developer of Burj Khalifa.  Positioning Dubai in the league of Paris and New York for New Year’s Eve celebrations, the Burj Khalifa gala was a unique triumph for the city…more

Dec 31, Columbus

A local developer has acquired the debt on the Atlas Building, hoping to redevelop the Downtown office building into a hotel, apartments or offices. The company's president said fixing the building and bringing it up to code could cost as much as $18 million. First, however, the company has to gain possession of the building through foreclosure proceedings or by acquiring the deed from the current owner…more

Dec 31, Toronto

It has been a long while since the Tuscan rock face of Canada's tallest office tower actually sparkled. Dulled and graying from 35 years of exposure, dangerously warped by the temperature swings, moisture and pollution of a Toronto climate, the Carrara marble of First Canadian Place is not exactly known for its beauty. Lately, its fame owes more to the $100-million that owner Brookfield Properties Corp…more

Dec 30, Mumbai

The high-rise committee, appointed by the state government to approve proposals for skyscrapers in the city, has directed the civic body not to accept any new proposals until the committee frames guidelines for such buildings.  The newly appointed high-rise committee met for the second time on Tuesday. Various issues and 14 proposals for high-rises in the island city were discussed…more

Dec 29, Boston

The John Hancock Tower, a 62-story glass skyscraper in Boston’s Back Bay, was one of the first real estate trophies to run into trouble when the speculative property boom abruptly ended two years ago. With the market in free fall, Normandy Real Estate Partners and Five Mile Capital Partners bought the building at a foreclosure auction 18 months ago for $660.6 million or about half the price in 2006…more

Dec 29, New York

One Madison Park has been listing for more than a year now, the 50-story tower perched over Madison Square serving as one of the most visible victims of the real estate boom on New York's skyline. In November of 2010, one of the building's few buyers, Bruce Eichner, took a $40 million stake in the building to help bail it out…more

Dec 25, Adelaide, Australia

Approval of a 22-story hotel proves the new City Council has a progressive outlook, architects say. The state's Development Assessment Commission has passed plans for a 22-story hotel on Currie St following a recommendation for approval from the City Council's planning board. Pruszinski Architects managing director Paul Pruszinski said the council's support sent a positive message to the market that Adelaide was open for business…more

Dec 23, New York

We figured we'd never live to see the 26-acre Hudson Yards megaproject rise over the huge train yard on the West Side, but the Related Companies recently said that the first tower could be on the way soonish.  And Related's designers have apparently been busy little bees, because the Observer got some new renderings of what some parts of Hudson Yards might one day look like, including that first office/residential skyscraper…more

Dec 23, Chicago

Residents of a Chicago high-rise said they have been banned from having natural Christmas trees due to concerns fire officials said may be overblown.  Several residents of North Harbor Tower in downtown Chicago said their leases state "only artificial Christmas trees and greenery will be permitted" and fliers are posted every year reminding residents of the ban and stating natural trees represent potential fire hazards…more

Dec 23, Bangkok

Despite drawing on local heritage and culture with ‘motifs and patterns found in traditional Thai architecture’, Amanda Levete’s Central Embassy building in Bangkok is a glitteringly modern structure, with extruded aluminum panels merged with vast areas of glazing. Work is due to start on the 1.5million sq ft 5 star hotel this coming February, combining elements of luxurious accommodation with entertainment and retail facilities…more

Dec 23, London

London mayor Boris Johnson has approved Rafael Vinoly’s £5.5 billion scheme at Battersea Power Station. At a planning meeting held at City Hall held yesterday (Wednesday), the mayor gave the plans the green light, claiming they would benefit London’s economy. Vinoly’s proposal, submitted by developer Real Estate Opportunities…more

Dec 23, Chicago

The Council would like to wish happy holidays to all our friends and supporters! CTBUH Headquarters will be closed from Friday, December 24th through Monday, January 3rd in observance of the holidays. To see the Council's holiday card sent to all CTBUH members, click here…

Dec 23, Beijing

A 500-meter-tall building is expected to be built in Beijing's Central Business District, making itself the highest in the Chinese capital.  The 122-floor skyscraper will stand on an 11,478-square-meter site that sold at auction for 6.3 billion yuan (948.15 million U.S. dollars).  The land where the building will stand is located on Guanghua Road in Chaoyang district, right at the heart of the CBD…more

Dec 22, London

British Land Co. and the property arm of Canada’s Ontario Municipal Employees Retirement System completed a joint-venture agreement to build a 47-story office tower in London. The Leadenhall Building, known as the Cheesegrater because of its shape, will be completed in mid-2014 at a cost of 340 million pounds ($526 million)…more

Dec 22

Award-winning architect Thom Mayne is certain of one thing: city populations will continue to grow - and that will be good for architects. Mayne says the tall apartment tower is about to come into its own. Big cities such as Tokyo, Paris, Los Angeles and London have reached their boundary limits. For all cities, at some point, ''there will be no choice''…more

Dec 22, London

The planning committee of the London Borough of Tower Hamlets has refused planning approval for two high-rise schemes proposed in the Isle of Dogs. The project, which would contain four towers ranging from 86 to 164 meters in height with 806 apartments and a 123-bedroom hotel was refused primarily on the basis of being too tall and too large…more

Dec 20, Abu Dhabi

Barcelona-based Nabito Architects' proposal 'A Desert Green', has won the Total Housing Competition in Abu Dhabi. The stairscraper is a superposition of individual singular garden houses with the same characteristic of horizontal sprawl, but liberating the land and concentrating the uses and the energy. It is a social collective of individualities…more

Dec 20, New York

Located on over two acres in Tribeca, at the southern tip of Manhattan, 101 Warren Street transformed an unsightly parking lot into one of the most sought after residential projects in the city. Tribeca’s first large scale luxury condominium, the one-million-sq ft project brought much needed services bridging Tribeca with the heavily residential Battery Park City…more

Dec 20

This scheme aims to extend the Lea Valley ‘green corridor’ – a series of parks and wetlands that stretch northwards from the site, along the river Lea – into the sky, by embracing vertical greenery within a tall building. The design comprises of two slender residential wings, offset from each other to maximize key views to the east and west and to promote cross-ventilation…more

Dec 20, New York

Extell Development got the green light from City Council to build Riverside Center on one the last major parcels of land at the edge of the Upper West Side. Among several concessions made to the community, the developer agreed to sink $17.5 million into Riverside Park, build a 100 square foot school, renovate a recreation center and build 500 affordable housing units…more

Dec 20, Hong Kong

Aedas and Rogers Stirk Harbour & Partners have beaten stiff competition from Fosters and SOM to land a $400 million project to design a customs processing center for the Hong Kong government. It will be built close to Hong Kong’s international airport on a reclaimed island as part of the 50km Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge…more