These weird, modernistic structures reveal a surprising freedom after the strict controls in 1920s Constructivism, Stalin's so-called Empire (or Gothic) style and Nikita Khrushchev's Modernism initiated in the '50s and '60s. — Los Angeles Times

For several years, the Gulf states have been engaged in an ambitious rebranding campaign, to establish themselves as a centre for art, culture and science. Leading academic institutions, like the New York University or Paris's Sorbonne university, have opened campuses in Abu Dhabi; major museums, like the Louvre and the Guggenheim are planning to build branches there. — Qantara.de

The Montreal UNESCO City of Design initiative aims at creating opportunities for designers in Montreal so as to give vital and tangible expression to Montréal’s status as a UNESCO City of Design.

First launched throught an investment of $1.2 million over three years (2007-2011), the initiative aims to fund design and architecture competitions as well as promote made-in-Montréal design initiatives via various digital communication tools. — Montreal UNESCO City of Design

Among 64 submissions, a team of Slovenian architects was assigned the 1st prize in the open competition for the kindergarten „Mavrica“ in the small town of Brežice, Slovenia. The municipality of Brežice in cooperation with the Chamber of Architecture and the Spatial Planning of Slovenia had invited applications for this public project. The winning team comprises Ljubljana architects Breda Bizjak, Lidija Dragišić M.A., Katja Florjanc, Emir Jelkić, and Ajda Vogelnik Saje. — Bustler

Because MoMA is looking to expand, speculation is rife that the 30,000-square-foot folk museum on West 53rd St. is targeted for demolition. — archrecord.construction.com

I was driven instead by a curiosity about how the structures are used today and how they have settled into the everyday landscape. This is not a bunker archaeology or philosophy, as Virilio would have it, but a bunker sociology — a bunker acoustic ecology. — places.designobserver.com

Copenhagen's Bella Sky hotel, the largest hotel in Scandinavia, is scheduled to officially open next Monday, May 16. The hotel, designed by Danish studio 3XN, tries to become a new landmark on the Copenhagen skyline, symbolizing the identity of the modern Ørestad area, and also marking the capital’s increasing importance on the international convention and congress scene. — bustler.net

I know I have been on a Dutch rag as of late, but where else can you buy postage stamps that honor not just architects, but architecture, and not just timeworn monuments, but experimental work that has not even been built? As a kicker, the stamps are designed so that, if you hold them up to a Web cam, they turn into 3D models floating in front of your screen. — Aaron Betsky, Architect Magazine

The folk art museum’s building was designed by Tod Williams Billie Tsien Architects and opened in 2001. It was not clear whether it would be torn down. The folk art museum took on $32 million of debt to construct the 53rd Street building. But attendance never met expectations, and after sustaining investment losses in the financial crisis, the museum defaulted on its debt. — NYTimes.com

"People paid a lot of attention to these buildings because they cost too much money - money that should have been used where it was needed most," said resident Xu Linli as she walked home from work past the controversial office complex. — BBC News

Nearly half a century after Habitat 67, I worked five days a week in a cubicle in Safdie's latest high-profile creation, the United States Institute of Peace in Washington, D.C. And as I stared at a computer screen in my small slice of Safdie-dom, I wondered: What good has visionary architecture ever done for working plebes? — theawl.com

The CN Tower will add a new attraction this year that could make bungee jumping look like a walk in the park.

The tower’s new EdgeWalk will allow thrill-seekers to stroll outside on the world-famous tower on a 1.5 metre ledge that rings the main pod 356 metres (1,168 feet) above the ground. — cbc.ca

Most of these units have never sold, and though they were finished just three years ago, they are already falling into disrepair, the concrete chipping off the sides of the buildings. Vandals have stolen piping, radiators, doors — anything they could get their hands on. — nytimes.com