Estimated costs for the European Central Bank's new headquarters in Frankfurt have more than doubled. As has been happening with so many major projects in Germany, its construction has been plagued by poor planning, oversight and execution -- and endless delays. — Der Spiegel

A 28-year-old Richard Meier received his first and by far most modest commission from the artist Saul Lambert back in 1962. “Lambert had purchased a very small site on the ocean, on Fire Island,” says Meier, “and said, ‘We don’t have very much money—actually, we have $9,000 to spend on the construction of this house. Could you design something for us?’ ” — New York Magazine

"Echoing Plateau" by Toshiki Hirano was one of twelve semi-finalist entries for the Waterfront Gateway Design competition to redevelop the waterfront and downtown communities in the historic City of New Rochelle in New York. Unfortunately, Hirano's team had to decline continuing in the competition when the team ran into issues finding a developer to work with after the first stage. — bustler.net

The only geodesic dome movie theater in the world, Becket’s design was inspired by Buckminster Fuller—and the nation’s midcentury obsession with landing on the moon. Built to resemble a giant spacecraft, the Dome boasted futuristic floating stairways—a first for any movie theater at the time. Simultaneously projected images using three 35mm cameras were so cutting-edge, the Dome’s own original projector—the Norelco Universal—would win a Technical Academy Award in 1963 [...]. — Los Angeles Confidential Magazine

For those who do not believe travelers’ tales, there is the Chinese government’s own report, from 2010, concluding that home ownership rates in China were then nearly 90%. This compares with a world average of 63% and a U.S. average of 65%. — Forbes

The tiny Austrian village of Krumbach has commissioned international architecture firms to build avant-garde bus stops.

The "Bus:Stop" project was conceived by Krumbach's cultural association, which hired prominent Austrian architect Dietmar Steiner to act as curator. Though he counts major architects from around the world among his contacts, he chose to maintain a boutique feel: "No starchitects, just small offices with sculptural interest." — spiegel.de

"Google Barge...A floating data center? A wild party boat? A barge housing the last remaining dinosaur? Sadly, none of the above. Although it's still early days and things may change, we're exploring using the barge as an interactive space where people can learn about new technology."

Please forgive me, but if you decide to build what looks like quite a substantial structure out on the water, you might have some vague idea of what you're going to do with it. — news.cnet.com

Facebook is taking its friendship with Frank Gehry across the Atlantic, reportedly signing the Los Angeles architect to work on new office space in Dublin, Ireland, where the company already has a major presence. He will also design new office space for Facebook in London. — latimes.com

China's wealthy patrons like Mr. Lu's family are underwriting a major cultural boom, spending billions of yuan on grand buildings to showcase impressive collections of art, antiques and other cultural rarities. Their largesse and ambitions echo American industrialists who sponsored the arts in the early years of the 20th century... — online.wsj.com

NEXT architects from Amsterdam and Beijing recently won first place in a bridge design competition for Meixi Lake near the Changsha capital in Hunan, China. The new bridge is a major part of a development project for the new Dragon King Harbor River district. — bustler.net

SAA Architects from Singapore and UK-based Benoy unveiled the design concept for the Changi Airport Terminal 4 during the T4 groundbreaking ceremony on Nov. 5. SAA won the commission from the Changi Airport Group back in mid-February 2013. — bustler.net

The Two, a sales office for a new residential development in the Southern Chinese city of Xiamen has received a Distinguished Building Award from the American Institute of Architects Western Mountain Region. The architects — Tucson, Arizona-based firm Line and Space — designed the building already with its future purpose in mind, allowing it to easily transform into a Community Art Center once development is complete. — bustler.net

Following a strong architectural language of repetition, movement, rhythm, and proportion the ‘weeksville heritage center’ designed by American firm caples jefferson architects PC serves as a gateway to a 19th century african-american freedman’s settlement. the sustainably built complex is located in brooklyn, new york and features a new two-story, 23,000 sq ft building and 41,000 sq ft of landscape that redefines the site’s context. — designboom.com

Shot with the full cooperation of nypl.org and their rad labs team. Seems like most likely the first drone ever flown inside the NY Public Library. — boltron.com