The proposed bicycle superhighway would, in addition to four lanes (2 in each direction) have exits but no intersections, two types of wind protection (low bushes as well as solid fencing) periodic bicycle service stations, and would take eight years to complete.

Total cost of the superhighway is estimated to be about 50 million Swedish crowns (US$ 7.1 million). — treehugger.com

We reported over the summer about the unveiling of the East River Waterfront Esplanade and mentioned plans to further extend it in coming years. Only six months later, Pier 15 just south of South Street Seaport, is now open. Designed by SHoP Architects, with help from Ken Smith Landscape Architect, the new two-story section features sharp angles, a colorful red roof, native flora, and a design that expands upon the existing esplanade. — InhabitatNYC

In the last decade, much has been written about architecture for the greater good, and it would seem that the field, as a whole, is invested in bringing design to underserved communities. Yet all of this talk — at conferences, in the press, at universities — has focused hardly at all on how to put together a career in social design. — Places Journal

BOARD's Europan 11 entry for the Dutch city of Deventer suggests abandoning the idea of agriculture in cities. — http://www.b-o-a-r-d.nl/projects.htm

Archinect member applet sounded offended by Sherin’s focus on passive technologies writing "The information you are writing is so main stream and only shows you are just discovering things known to first year architecture and design students". Yet, as Amy Leedham, correctly pointed out "While the passive strategies here sound obvious and simple, most people are not using them, hence the need to remind people."

It is no design flaw: encapsulated within the walls and ceiling panels is a gel that solidifies at night and melts with the warmth of the day. Known as a phase change material (PCM), the gel will help reduce the amount of energy needed to cool office space in the building - scheduled to house the molecular engineering department when completed this month - by a whopping 98 per cent. — newscientist.com

The collaboration of three Toronto-based firms, JET Architecture, JCI Architects, and Terraplan Landscape Architects, has won the commission to build the "Shobuj Pata" (Green Leaf) Eco Community Development in Dhaka, Bangladesh. — bustler.net

The Düsseldorf International Airport recently completed construction on one of the largest solar arrays in Germany. The 8,400 panel, 2 megawatt photovoltaic array spans the space of six soccer fields, and it was finished in time to start feeding power to the grid before the clock strikes 2012. — Inhabitat

Perched high above the town of Moos in the Italian Alps is a glowing pair of garnet-shaped structures that serve as a stop along the Timmelsjoch High Alpine Road. Modeled on the geological rock formations found in the Passeiertal valley and designed by Werner Tscholl, the pavilions are the first structures to be built along the road as part of the Timmelsjoch Experience. — Inhabitat

Nine New York Institute of Technology architecture students, three of them from Long Island, will bring their creative designs and skills to Costa Rica to develop a recycling and education center — longislandpress.com

This crazy building is a real live structure and it's also Australia's very first carbon neutral building. Recently completed, the Pixel Building is an office building located on the former CUB Brewery site in Melbourne. — Inhabitat.com

"We like to test things in-situ in order to understand their real performance rather than rely on manufacturers' claims," explained James Russill, EST's technical development manager — BBC News

A fusion of traditional Islamic architecture and modern sustainable design, Gaza’s new green schools will cost the same to build as their less-sustainable counterparts. — Green Prophet