World-renowned Japanese architect Fumihiko Maki is to design a Muslim cultural centre and university on the 67-acre King’s Cross development for the Aga Khan.

The 84-year-old Pritzker prizewinner has been appointed to draw up  plans for the two buildings by the Aga Khan Development Network, an 80,000-strong organisation headed by the leader of the world’s 15 million Ismaili Muslims. — standard.co.uk

In 2007 Rem Koolhaas sat in the Lock Tavern near the Roundhouse where the Stirling prize ceremony was taking place. He was shortlisted for the Casa da Musica. When he heard that the Museum of Modern Literature, Marbach, by David Chipperfield had won he went home. — bdonline.co.uk

Following a worldwide search for the most outstanding young talents in architecture, Rolex has announced the finalists for a year-long mentorship with renowned Japanese architect Kazuyo Sejima. — rolexmentorprotege.com

Not everyone liked the skywalks, which connect buildings Mr. Franzen designed at Hunter College on Lexington Avenue. Neighbors lamented the loss of sunlight. But Mr. Franzen, a Modernist subscriber to the form-follows-function credo, considered them the functional equivalent of ivy-covered walkways for urban students. It would “become the college community’s main street,” he wrote of the skywalk plan in 1972 in the college’s student newspaper, “well above rush-hour traffic at street level.” — nytimes.com

Stanton Williams’ Sainsbury Laboratory has won the 2012 RIBA Stirling Prize. The winner was announced at a special event in Manchester on Saturday 13th October. The building is situated on the northern edge of the University of Cambridge’s Botanic Gardens. — ribastirlingprize.architecture.com

The great disaster of March 11, 2011 differed from any other catastrophe since the 1755 Lisbon Earthquake. In the age of advanced technology and "strong" buildings, the tsunami flattened Tohoku coastline in seconds. The nuclear accident that followed further revealed the vulnerability of "big and strong" architecture. In the face of radiation, materials such as concrete and steel were insufficient, even though nuclear energy had been a solution for our drive to be bigger, stronger... — youtube.com

replete with two waterfalls that splash into plunge pools, Euro-style toilets inside individual private stalls and leather chairs custom-built extra wide to accommodate even the heftiest linemen...The locker room looks like a modern SoHo apartment — that is, if modern SoHo apartments had space for shoulder pads — all high ceilings and dim lights. — NYT

Parenting is not the only factor affecting women’s engagement in architecture, but for many it is a big challenge. Samara Greenwood tells her story of negotiating architecture and motherhood so far –  interspersed with thoughts from friends and colleagues. — archiparlour.org

This is truly a significant list of 36 teams. Those who have applied include Zaha Hadid, who is deemed the leading female architect in the world; Coop Himelb(l)au, who created the Akron Art Museum; Thom Mayne of Morphosis; and numerous other designers of note. Seven of the teams contain AIA National Firm Award winners, geographically located from Boston to Seattle. Many are recognized for their work across the country and around the world. — kent.edu

The Ullens Center for Contemporary Art is presenting a comprehensive retrospective including over 6 installations, 40 models and 270 drawings charting the seminal, cross-disciplinary work of Yung Ho Chang and his practice Feichang Jianzhu (FCJZ). — artdaily.org

SCI-Arc invited faculty members Ramiro Diaz-Granados, Elena Manferdini, Marcelo Spina and Tom Wiscombe to submit design concepts for a 1,200-seat pavilion that would accommodate graduation ceremonies, lectures, symposia and outreach cultural events with the neighboring Arts District community. The winning entry, League of Shadows, designed by Marcelo Spina and Georgina Huljich of PATTERNS, fully exploits the fundamental aspect underlying the pavilion, its temporal use as an outdoor event space. — bustler.net

Major League Soccer has asked SHoP Architects, the firm that designed the new Nets stadium in downtown Brooklyn, to prepare initial designs for a Major League Soccer stadium in Queens.

SHoP's name is on a July Major League Soccer proposal given to city officials, and obtained by Capital. Last night, MLS confirmed that SHoP is indeed working on the initial schematic designs for a stadium in Flushing Meadows Corona Park. — capitalnewyork.com

Perkins+Will has partnered with Infinite Family, a U.S.-based non-profit organization that helps children and teenagers from African communities virtually connect with mentors around the world and designed LaunchPad, a prototype computer lab where young people in Africa can communicate with mentors via face-to-face interaction thanks to high-speed and high-tech capabilities. — media.designerpages.com