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Large industrial enterprises aren't typically known for conducting business inside jaw-dropping office environments. Shenzhen-based HALLUCINATE Design Office certainly defies that assumption in their Midwest Inland Port Financial Town project in China's Xi’an International Trade & Logistics... View full entry
[T]he city of Bao'an in Shenzhen is setting its sights on revamping the 30 kilometer, 12-lane G107 highway...By rethinking the notion of a highway and envisioned with a series of utopian-like renderings, [Avoid Obvious Architects + Tetra Architects & Planners] proposed “a smaller, more fluid, multi-layered thoroughfare that will be a spectacular starting point of growth for an organic smart city.” — Bustler
Here's a preview of their proposal:Find more of the project on Bustler. You can also watch the video below. View full entry
Hoping to show the world his country is doing just fine despite sanctions and outside pressure over its nuclear weapons program, North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has put his soldier-builders to work on yet another major [skyscraper] project
Pyongyang’s new Pyonghattan, officially called “Ryomyong Street,” is to have the country’s tallest apartment building, at 70 stories, along with a 50-story building and a handful of smaller ones in the 30-40 story range.
— The Japan Times
“[Kim's] soldier-builders are now putting up the frames for each new floor at the reportedly breakneck-pace of 14 hours to get it all done by the end of the year.”More on Archinect:‘Pyongyang Speed:’ North Korea miraculously cranks out massive residential development for scientists in only... View full entry
Archaeologists in Cambodia have found multiple, previously undocumented medieval cities not far from the ancient temple city of Angkor Wat...Some experts believe that the recently analysed data – captured in 2015 during the most extensive airborne study ever undertaken by an archaeological project, covering 734 sq miles (1,901 sq km) – shows that the colossal, densely populated cities would have constituted the largest empire on earth at the time of its peak in the 12th century. — The Guardian
“That survey uncovered an array of discoveries, including elaborate water systems that were built hundreds of years before historians believed the technology existed. The findings are expected to challenge theories on how the Khmer empire developed, dominated the region, and declined around... View full entry
Some Pyongyang-watchers believe the changes are merely skin deep, and do not portend or reflect deeper political or economic changes. ‘There is still all this state influence. There is no free development [...] The production of the city has not yet changed. Only the shapes of the buildings have changed.’
‘There is this thing among North Koreans about developing...an architecture that is reflective of their society. So what is an architecture that reflects their society?‘
— Los Angeles Times
More on Archinect: ‘Pyongyang Speed:’ North Korea miraculously cranks out massive residential development for scientists in only one year Pyongyang's inner Wes Anderson shines through in its architecture, then and now As bicycle ownership in North Korea rises, Pyongyang introduces bike lanes View full entry
The announcement of the Asia Pacific regional winners marks the conclusion of the Holcim Awards 2014 competition. Following the winning announcements for Europe, North America, Latin America, and Africa Middle East, 13 projects from nine countries throughout the Asian content and Pacific region were announced during the awards ceremony in Jakarta, Indonesia. Three top-prize winners, five Acknowledgement Prizes, and five Next Generation Prizes received a total cash prize of US$330,000. — bustler.net
Check out a preview of some the winning projects below:GOLD: Protective Wing: Bird sanctuary | Chiang Mai, ThailandMAIN AUTHOR: Jariyawadee Lekawatana - Architectkidd, Bangkok, Thailand; Singh Intrachooto - Kasetsart University, Bangkok, Thailand; Chak Cherdsatirkul - Kaomai Lanna Resort, Chiang... View full entry
Though Ulaanbaatar’s sprawling informal ‘ger district’ lacks access to drinking water and sewerage, officials may struggle to coax residents to swap canvas for bricks and mortar — theguardian.com
The North Korean government has approved plans by two Norwegian artists to open an art academy in the country. Henrik Placht and Morten Traavik travelled to North Korea together for the first time in August to flesh out the proposal and to look for potential sponsors. So far they have received financial support from the Prince Claus Fund. [...]
“One of the reasons for us going to North Korea is that we don’t believe in sanctions and the boycott of art,” Placht tells The Art Newspaper.
— theartnewspaper.com
Since OMA won the competition in 2009, the Taipei Performing Arts Center in Taiwan is gradually coming to life with the recent celebration of its topping out ceremony. OMA design team leaders Rem Koolhaas and David Gianotten, Kris Yao and Willy Yu of KRIS YAO | ARTECH, Taipei city mayor Hau Lung-pin, and other city government representatives took part in the event. — bustler.net
According to OMA, the Center's three theaters are meant to encourage experimental theater productions, while the Public Loop invites public engagement from both inside and outside the Center.Here's a glimpse of the project:More photos and details on Bustler.Previously: OMA to Build Taipei... View full entry
The first feature of the Resilience Partnership will be the launch of a multi-phase resilience design challenge, focused on bringing people and organizations from a diverse set of industries together to collaborate on bold and innovative solutions to the toughest resilience challenges facing the three focus regions. — rockefellerfoundation.org
Since construction began in 2011, Populous just announced the opening of the Philippine Arena in Manila, Philippines. Commissioned by Iglesia Ni Cristo (the Church of Christ), the structure is described to be the world's largest indoor arena and will be able to accommodate up to 50,000 people. The arena was also designed to host a variety of church gatherings and major entertainment events. — bustler.net
Read more about it on Bustler. View full entry
Decades of socialism and military rule kept Myanmar — or Burma, as it was known — poor and isolated.
There was one upside, though. The economy was so lousy, there was no drive to demolish the big British colonial buildings in Yangon, Myanmar's largest city, and replace them with the glass and steel towers that now define much of the skylines in East Asia.
[...] remarkable architectural heritage, which has come into the cross hairs of developers trying to cash in on rising land prices.
— npr.org
Scenery at The Myrtle Flower Garden in Xiangyang, China will look quite different once the new hillside Myrtle Garden Hotel is built. Designed by graft lab architects and penda as a commission, the wooden haptic-structured hotel is ready to break ground within the next few weeks. — bustler.net
Sneak a peek of the new hotel:Head over to Bustler for full details.You can also click the thumbnails below for more images View full entry
Hundreds of colonial-era structures have been destroyed in recent years to make way for modern ones like the Centrepoint tower. Completed last year, the glassy 25-story skyscraper looms over a historic block that includes the dilapidated 100-year-old Supreme Court building and City Hall, which, with its white paint and intricately tiered roof, draws easy comparisons to a wedding cake.
The condition of many older buildings makes them targets for tear-down.
— latimes.com
In our last update, Reiser + Umemoto celebrated the groundbreaking of the Kaohsiung Port Terminal in Kaohsiung, Taiwan this past November.
Although there aren't any construction photos in the meantime, you can get a better look of the yet-to-be-built terminal with plenty of awesome images we recently received from the firm.
— bustler.net
For more, head over to Bustler. Images courtesy of Reiser + Umemoto. View full entry