Albert Speer's son helped design the architecture of the Beijing games. But the similarities with Berlin 1936 don't end there. Guardian | related

Murals have begun to appear on the security wall in the Shia district of Sadr City, Baghdad, as part of a multi-national $100,000 project to improve the area. Guardian + full entry...

A road in the small Dutch town of Hengelo is to be paved with air-purifying concrete in a trial that could lead to a breakthrough in the fight against rising pollution, scientists said Wednesday. Physorg + full entry...

For nearly half a century Henry Wood, a Boston architect has kept Clingstone — a faded, shingled and, yes, very rough 103-year-old mansion set on a rock in Narragansett Bay standing, through his own hard labor and that of others. He and a crew of family and friends who share his passion for the place’s “deep bohemian funk,” have dedicated their time and skills (plumbing and wiring experience are always particularly welcome) to keeping the place from slipping into the water forever.
NYT
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Archinect member dml955i points out a neighbor dispute in Seattle. Apparently the neighbor of the Morrell Residence by E.Cobb Architects is not too happy with the design, so he posted a big sign calling out the "Jackass" of a neighbor who is wrecking his lake view.

Brazilian artist/designer Athos Bulcao passed away at the age of 90 this past Thursday at the Sarah Kubitschek Hospital in Brasilia, Brazil. Bulcão was best know for the architecturally-integrated interventions he produced in federal buildings of Brasilia, which were planned by Lucio Costas and designed by Oscar Niemeyer... + full entry...

A German town’s decision to require solar-heating panels has thrown it into a vehement debate over the boundaries of ecological good citizenship. NYT

The Chicago Tribune explains what it takes to get a job as a volunteer docent for the Chicago Architecture Foundation, "one of the most respected volunteer programs in the world". Read

The glass facade of OMA's CCTV headquarters in Beijing has been completed – just in time for the opening of the Olympic Games. BD + full entry...

SCI-Arc Gallery presents Voussoir Cloud, a site-specific installation by San Francisco based architecture and design practice IwamotoScott in collaboration with Buro Happold.
Opening reception: Friday, August 8, 7-9pm. Bustler Events + full entry...

Robert Adam's design for Grafton Hall, which was recently approved by Chester City Council, will be built instead of Ushida Findlay's ultra-Modernist, competition-winning "starfish" scheme from 2001. Opening a debate about the meaning of "innovation".
AJ

Announced today, Dutch Mecanoo architecten, led by Francine Houben, have been selected to design the new £193 million Library of Birmingham. The new Library will be developed on a prime site on Centenary Square, and is scheduled to open in 2013 and promises to be the largest library in Europe. Bustler

Given the astounding expectations piled upon the National Stadium, I’m surprised it hasn’t collapsed under the strain. More than 90,000 spectators will stream through its gates on Friday for the opening ceremony of the Olympic Games; billions are expected to watch the fireworks on television. At the center of it all is this dazzling stadium, which is said to embody everything from China’s muscle-flexing nationalism to a newfound cultural sophistication. NYT | Slideshow | Interactive Graphic | prev. 1|2|3 + full entry...