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A 43-story tower designed by Australian firm Koichi Takada Architects proposed for a site in Downtown Los Angeles has gotten a new look and an updated set of uses. Initiated by Australian developers Crown Group, the glass-wrapped tower features a domed top with a crown decorated in... View full entry
In a $30 billion deal, Aon is buying Willis Towers Watson, a rival in business insurance and risk consulting, but it raises one question in the mind of most Chicagoans: What will happen to the Willis Tower name now that we’ve gotten used to calling it that?
The deal between the two London-based companies was announced Monday. Executives said the combined operation will use the Aon name, not Willis.
— Chicago Sun-Times
Willis Tower, which once reigned the skyscraper ranking as the world's tallest building for nearly 25 years under its former name Sears Tower, will likely not be renamed again anytime soon as the naming rights contract with Willis Towers Watson insurance does not expire until March... View full entry
The Los Angeles City Council has voted to support a Historic Cultural Monument (HCM) application for the Union Bank Square complex in Downtown Los Angeles. The designation makes the 40-story office tower, designed by New York City architects Harrison & Abramovitz in conjunction with... View full entry
There’s no question Austin is a boomtown.
A record-breaking 8.1 million square feet of office buildings is under construction in the capital city, according to CoStar Group Inc., as developers and investors try to capitalize on rising prices and continued demand for space. Austin ranks No. 2 in the country for office construction, behind Nashville — although the Texas capital has the momentum to overtake the Tennessee capital in the coming months.
— Austin Business Journal
The list of new Downtown Austin towers — under construction or proposed — contains the Pelli Clarke Pelli Architects-designed Block 185 for Google, the 36-story Indeed Tower, the Quincy by Ziegler Cooper Architects, the 66-story 6 x Guadelupe as well as a new University of Texas... View full entry
An eye-catching stepped luxury residential tower designed by Elkus Manfredi Architects is nearing completion in New York City. New York YIMBY reports that the 668-foot tower, 200 Amsterdam, topped out in August of this year. In the months since, the tower's crown has taken shape as its... View full entry
Beijing's latest, hotly anticipated skyscraper opened to the public today: the Zaha Hadid Architects-designed Leeza SOHO tower already made a big splash in architectural media long before it was even finished with its 623-foot-tall, full-height atrium (the world's tallest) and spectacular... View full entry
The Office of Metropolitan Architecture (OMA) New York office and developers Brookfield Properties and Park Tower Group have broken ground on a new 745-unit, dual tower complex on the Greenpoint waterfront in Brooklyn. Image courtesy of OMA/Bloom. The housing towers, rising to 300- and... View full entry
At a total investment of 24 billion yuan (S$4.65 billion), the 1.12 million square metre (sq m) Raffles City Chongqing is Singapore’s largest single development in China. In addition to the 235,000 sq m retail podium, the integrated development comprises the 201 unit Ascott Raffles City Chongqing serviced residence, 380 room InterContinental Raffles City Chongqing hotel, 150,000 sq m of Grade A office space and 1,400 luxury residential apartments. — The Business Times
After reaching structural completion only a few months ago, the Safdie Architects-designed $3.4 billion Raffles City Chongqing megadevelopment recently celebrated its phased opening. An earlier September soft opening of the enormous five-story shopping mall reportedly attracted a whopping... View full entry
Tall buildings do more than just help shape skylines. The architects who design these buildings, for example, often strive to create the most "alluring" structures using sometimes mind-boggling structural feats. The corporations and developers who commission these towers, on the other hand, seek... View full entry
Plans for a new 1,422-foot-tall tower designed by Adrian Smith and Gordon Gill Architecture haven taken a step forward in Chicago, where developers Golub & Co and CIM Group have unveiled their latest iteration of the spire. The four-sided tower is wrapped by curved and flat exposures and... View full entry
This post is brought to you by eVolo Magazine The eVolo Skyscraper Competition is an annual call to architects, designers, and urban planners around the globe to explore new ideas for vertical living. It is an opportunity for novel exploration, dialogue, and critique. How can architecture... View full entry
A huge stream of water visible from miles away gushed from the tiered west pyramid facade of One Liberty Place early Sunday morning, soaking the Center City Philadelphia sidewalk below.
Identified later by city officials as part of an ill-prepared fire system test, the liquid continued pouring out for approximately five minutes before coming to an abrupt stop.
— Billy Penn
According to Billy Penn, the spill was due to testing of the building's fire protection systems, required annually for certification. A spokesperson with the Philadelphia Fire Department explained that "newer buildings are equipped with special drainage systems that pull off most of the... View full entry
The Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat has published a list of "The 50 Most Influential Tall Buildings of the Last 50 Years" ahead of its 10th World Congress happening in Chicago next week. Celebrating the organization’s 50th anniversary this year, the high-profile roundup places... View full entry
Plans for a skinny skyscraper with a clever diamond-paned exoskeleton has won rave reviews from city planning commissioners, who predict it might be beautiful enough to earn a spot as one of LA’s most iconic buildings. [...]
If it’s ever built, that is.
— Curbed LA
The proposal for Olympic Tower, a showy 57-story skyscraper near the Staples Center in Downtown Los Angeles, has been inching through the planning process for some time now, and as Curbed LA reports, has recently managed to wow the city's planning commission. Designed by Nardi Associates, the... View full entry
Renderings have been unveiled for Avalon Tower, a proposed 70-story residential skyscraper slated for Jersey City. The 722-foot tower will contain 950 residences, including 505 studio apartments, 265 one-bedroom units, 160 two-bedroom units, and 20 three-bedroom units. The tower complex is... View full entry
