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In the second quarter of this year, investment spending by the federal government dropped below 1.4 percent of gross domestic product for the first time since the 1940s, according to the latest data from the Bureau of Economic Analysis. OK, at 1.397 percent, it wasn’t much below, and federal government investment as a share of GDP isn’t exactly a closely watched economic indicator. But the decline through the decades is still pretty striking... — bloomberg.com
Justin Fox tracks the decline in U.S. government spending over the years, noting infrastructure investments have largely been replaced with spending on social insurance programs. With private investors taking the lead, Fox argues U.S. infrastructure suffers as there are many vital projects which... View full entry
Eunpyeong Hanok Village was selling locals hanok, the traditional Korean tile-roofed residences that have, after hundreds of years, increasingly been destroyed and replaced by towering steel structures; indeed, not since the 1930s have hanok been constructed in significant numbers.
The decline of vernacular architecture in the face of global urbanization is, of course, hardly new, though traditional Korean hanok are a particularly stark contrast to modern city living.
— The New York Times
A new housing development, Eunpyeong, in northern Seoul is solely dedicated to constructing traditional Korean hanok houses. The design adheres to certain guidelines on proportion and design, with a low center of gravity, a courtyard, and an orientation towards nature. The hanok's popularity... View full entry
The environmental review period for the $1-billion Hollywood Center development has kicked off, and an initial report for the project offers up new details on what's to come.
The proposed mixed-use complex, slated for 4.5 acres of surface parking that wraps the iconic Capitol Records Building, would consist of four new buildings containing a total of 1,005 residential units - including 133 apartments to be set aside for extremely-low- and very-low-income seniors.
— urbanize.la
Previously: Hollywood Center towers proposed near Capitol Records Building View full entry
Created by architects Raumlabor, the Floating University in Berlin invites students and experts from all over the world to explore solutions for future urban challenges. It’s said that the things we learn at university today will be outdated by the time we graduate. So what does a learning environment look like where students research cities of the future? — popupcity.net
Berlin-based firm Raumlabor have created a floating university running through the summer months to explore new learning environment possibilities. Located in a rainwater basin in Berlin, the temporary structure is under constant development with students, professors, and experts implementing... View full entry
Skyscrapers as tall as 70 stories are part of a developer’s ambitious plan to bring 23,000 jobs and 5,000 homes to the Chicago River on the city’s North Side.
Those are among new details that Chicago developer Sterling Bay unveiled Wednesday night during the long-anticipated first public meeting for its planned Lincoln Yards project, a more-than-$5 billion development planned for at least 70 acres along the river between Lincoln Park and Bucktown [...].
— Chicago Tribune
The master plan was designed by Skidmore, Owings & Merrill and CBT Architects with James Corner Field Operations as the landscape design contributor. Image: Skidmore, Owings & Merrill View full entry
Whether these new apartment buildings can endure another major storm does not seem to be a concern for most residents, who are glad to have new options in inventory-starved markets. Critics, though, ask whether the neighborhoods can withstand the surge of new development and the stress it will add to an already strained infrastructure. These new buildings might remain unscathed in a flood, they say, but what about the damage caused by the torrent around them? — The New York Times
A dramatic shift is underway on the Williamsburg waterfront: The ruins of the former Domino Sugar Refinery, a neighborhood landmark since the 19th century, are in the process of being transformed into an 11-acre megaproject. Four new buildings are on the way, as is a renovation of the massive factory building [...]
Domino Park, a six-acre green space that hugs the edge of the development, opens on June 10.
— Curbed NY
Curbed New York documents the transformation of the former Domino Sugar Factory where one piece of the massive revitalization—the James Corner Field Operations-designed Domino Park—will open to the public this Sunday. (Prepare for spectacular views of the Manhattan skyline.) View full entry
A hardscrabble half-mile stretch along the Chicago River's South Branch would become a vibrant neighborhood of cutting-edge architecture, parks and a riverwalk in the plans a developer unveiled Thursday for the last big piece of empty land near downtown.
Developer Related Midwest plans a transformation of the vacant, relatively isolated 62-acre site into a vibrant neighborhood of homes, restaurants, cultural institutions and businesses...
— chicagobusiness.com
The currently undeveloped site along Chicago's river has been named "The 78", declaring its scale large enough to add to the city's official number of 77 neighborhoods. The site is also rumored to be a contender for Amazon's HQ2 if the city is chosen, which would require reworking current plans. ... View full entry
Chicago-based architecture firm Studio Gang has signed on to design an eye-catching 26-story apartment and hotel tower in Chinatown.
The widely-respected firm has designed numerous projects in Chicago, San Francisco, and New York, including the expansion of the American Museum of Natural History. This would be its first in Los Angeles.
— la.curbed.com
Studio Gang has released plans to design a high-rise in Los Angeles' Chinatown, a space near the rapidly evolving Arts District downtown. The developer Compagnie de Phalsbourg, a French real estate investment company, brought on the firm to design the mixed-use building. The new project will... View full entry
Developer MP Los Angeles has announced plans to construct Hollywood Center, a $1-billion mixed-use complex near the Capitol Records Building in Hollywood.
According to MP Los Angeles, the project - which was filed today with the City of Los Angeles - will feature the largest on-site affordable housing component of any market-rate development in the history of the city.
— urbanize.la
The landmark Capitol Records building sits right adjacent to the proposed Hollywood Center development. Image: MP Los Angeles.Handel Architects and James Corner Field Operations will be in charge of designing the two 35 and 46-story high-rise towers, two 11-story mid-rise buildings, and two civic... View full entry
Azizi Developments will begin work on what will become the world’s fifth tallest skyscraper in the third quarter of the year.
Being developed at a cost of $816m (AED3bn) on Dubai's Sheikh Zayed Road, the 570-metre tall, 122-storey residential and commercial tower will house residential apartments on the first 100 floors, and a luxury hotel on the remaining 22.
In an update, the Dubai-based developer said that it is currently consulting with Atkins to finalise the design based on its feedback.
— constructionweekonline.com
It looks like there's new life in a flagship development on Dubai's Sheikh Zayed Road: after a previous proposal for the supertall Entisar Tower by AE7 with Meydan was sold to Azizi Developers, the company announced plans to work with global architectural firm Atkins on the designs and make the... View full entry
The City quietly told developers this week that it will no longer fund a 150-unit affordable senior housing project proposed in the wealthy Forest Hill neighborhood, citing rising costs and neighborhood pushback. [...]
Neighbors have also railed against the project at community meetings since 2016 when the project was first funded, claiming impoverished tenants at the affordable housing project would endanger their neighborhood.
— San Francisco Examiner
Google on Wednesday unveiled its plans for a striking new development in Sunnyvale’s Moffett Park, where thousands of the company’s employees could work in more than 1 million square feet of offices. The search giant filed a proposal with Sunnyvale city officials late Wednesday for a two-building, 1.04 million square foot project, called Caribbean, that would be large enough to accommodate 4,500 Google workers. — mercurynews.com
Google's massive expansion plan in Sunnyvale include two buildings designed by Bjarke Ingels Group (BIG). Renderings of the new project show a complex named the Caribbean featuring long inclines allowing employees to walk, bike, or skate to any level of the building. Located on Caribbean... View full entry
While 2017 saw developer Related Midwest remain tight-lipped on its plans for the site of the defunct 2,000-foot-tall Chicago Spire project, a rendering showing a pair of very tall skyscrapers rising at 400 N. Lake Shore Drive recently reignited speculation regarding the site’s future redevelopment. The rather slender image surfaced online, credited to Britain’s Zaha Hadid Architects. — chicago.curbed.com
Another rendering for the vacant Chicago Spire site recently surfaced online. The image was confirmed as a proposal from Zaha Hadid Architects; however, the developer Related Midwest will not be pursuing the design. While the project will not be built, the organic towers are certainly a... View full entry
300 Biscayne, one of several planned towers that would be Miami’s tallest at 1,041 feet above ground, has launched its website and unveiled a batch of exterior renderings, notes The Next Miami. [...]
Another large residential project comprised of nearly 700 “smart apartments” is planned to rise next door at 400 Biscayne by the same development team, Greybrook Realty Partners and Property Markets Group.
— Curbed Miami
Downtown Miami may soon gets its very own supertall stacked-boxes tower; and at a height of 1,041 feet, 300 Biscayne can — according to its website — claim the title of "tallest residential tower south of New York." Rendering: ArX SolutionsRendering: ArX SolutionsRendering: ArX SolutionsAll... View full entry