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China builds its dream island; Qatar controversies continue; the internet slows down: Weekly News Round-Up for September 7, 2014

2014-09-15T20:01:00-04:00

Friday, September 12:

Vincent Scully Prize 2014 awarded to journalist and TV host Charlie Rose: The prize was established by the National Building Museum in 1999, and is named after the famed Yale art history and architecture professor who helped establish Louis Kahn and Robert Venturi. Rose was distinguished by his interviews of leaders in urban design and development.

Thursday, September 11:

Toronto set to unveil first museum of Islamic culture in North America: The museum is backed by Aga Khan, a "lesser-known royal" and spiritual leader of an estimated 15 million Ismaili Muslims, approximately 100,000 of which now live in Canada. The museum is designed by Pritzker winner Fumihiko Maki, and opens September 18.

Wednesday, September 10:

The long-lost design bible of the New York subway is (briefly) back in print: In 1967, the New York City Transit Authority asked designers Massimo Vignelli and Bob Noorda to create a solution to the subway system's inconsistent and confusing identity. Th...

Life in Ulaanbaatar's tent city is hard – but Mongolians won't give up their gers

2014-09-09T14:10:00-04:00

Though Ulaanbaatar’s sprawling informal ‘ger district’ lacks access to drinking water and sewerage, officials may struggle to coax residents to swap canvas for bricks and mortar

Ordos 100, directed by Ai Weiwei

2012-02-22T17:16:00-05:00

Directed by Ai Weiwei (China, 2012). Official Selection International Film Festival Rotterdam 2012. Ordos 100 is a construction project curated by Herzog & de Meuron and Ai Weiwei. One hundred architects from 27 countries were chosen to participate and each design a 1000-square-meter villa to be built in a new community in Inner Mongolia. The 100 villas would be designed to fit a master plan designed by Ai Weiwei.

Mongolia bids to keep city cool with 'ice shield' experiment

2011-11-15T18:01:47-05:00

Mongolia is to launch one of the world's biggest ice-making experiments later this month in an attempt to combat the adverse affects of global warming and the urban heat island effect. The geoengineering trial, that is being funded by the Ulan Bator government, aims to "store" freezing winter temperatures in a giant block of ice that will help to cool and water the city as it slowly melts during the summer.