Archinect - News

Webuild wins $4.7 billion contract to deliver NEOM's Trojena artificial lake

2024-01-19T14:41:00-05:00

Italian contractor Webuild has won a $4.7 billion bid to deliver the central manmade water feature included in the Trojena mountainside resort concept that forms a vital part of Saudi Arabia’s NEOM megadevelopment for 2030.

The contract calls for the construction of three dams and an artificial lake feature plus a new structure called the Bow that will house its 3,600-guest hotel and residences, complimenting a ski resort and network of experiential nature areas and wildlife reserves.

The roughly 1.7-mile-long lake itself will become the largest manmade body of water in Saudia Arabia, the firm says. Elevations at the site range from 4,920 to 8,530 feet. Bechtel had been previously contracted as the project manager. NEOM says they aim to have things completed in time for Trojena to host the 2029 Asian Winter Games.

Philip Gullett, the Executive Director – Region Head at Trojena, said in an update: “We have already completed around three million cubic meters of excavation at the la...

Can nature sue an architecture project? A lake in Florida thinks so

2022-04-22T12:12:00-04:00

In what has been dubbed a milestone in U.S. legal history, a lake has filed a lawsuit against a developer in Orange County, Florida. Lake Mary Jane is suing property developers Beachline South Residential in Florida state court over the developer’s plans to construct a new development on the north side of the lake, converting 1,900 acres of wetlands and forests into a mixed-use residential, commercial, and office development.

The lawsuit, filed on behalf of the lake by attorney Steven Meyers, claims that the development would “adversely impact the lakes and marsh who are parties to this action,” causing injuries that are “concrete, distinct, and palpable.” As a deep-dive article in The New Yorker notes, the case marks the first time that an inanimate slice of nature has sued an entity in a U.S. courtroom, sparking a debate over the extent to which natural objects have rights.

The proposed Meridian Parks development. Image via City of Orlando

The proposed development, named Meridian P...

14th-Century Italian village resurfaces from lake for the first time in over 70 years

2021-05-20T19:37:00-04:00

The submerged Italian village of Curon is resurfacing for the first time in over 70 years.

Located in the northern part of the country near Switzerland, the village, dating back to the 14th Century, was once home to hundreds of people. However, in 1950 construction began on a large dam in order to produce hydroelectric energy and to unite two nearby lakes, Lake Resia and Lake Curon. In order to complete the project the town was flooded, with the only remnants being a centuries-old bell tower that has partially remained visible above the water. Through this striking visual, the lake gained popularity and even inspired a book and Netflix series.

Now, for the first time in decades, the old town is fully visible. The lake, which lies in South Tyrol, the Alpine region that borders Austria and Switzerland, was temporarily drained to allow for repairs, revealing the remnants of the former village. According to the BBC, locals have been exploring the site, sharing photos and videos of wea...

Christo comes to London

2018-04-11T15:57:00-04:00

And now he’s going to float a 150-tonne sculpture on a lake on London. Is it an allegory of the west’s oil dependency, an indictment of how we’re polluting the planet, or both? Christo shakes his locks and smiles. “I have no reason to justify myself as an artist. I cannot explain my art. Everything I do professionally is irrational and useless.” This, he thinks, is exactly as it should be. “I make things that have no function – except maybe to make pleasure.”

Artist Christo chats about his new Mastaba sculpture coming to London this summer: a giant trapezoidal prism of 7,506 stacked steel barrels to float on the Serpentine Lake. It will be his first large artwork in Britain.

Christo, The Mastaba (Project for London, Hyde Park, Serpentine Lake), Collage 2017 Pencil, wax crayon, enamel paint, color photograph by Wolfgang Volz, technical data and tape on brown board, 21.5 x 28 cm, Private collection, Switzerland. Photo: André Grossmann © 2017 Christo

Plans for a much bigger Mastaba with 410,000 barrels outside of Abu Dhabi first appeared several years ago but were never realized.

The accompanying exhibition Christo and Jeanne-Claude: Barrels and The Mastaba (1958–2018) will be on view from June 19 through September 9 at the nearby Serpentine Gallery.