Architecture Film, The baby falling down the Odessa Steps.
The scene is well-known: the sequence of the baby falling down the Odessa Steps in Sergei Eisenstein’s movie The Battleship Potyomkin (1925) is one of the most influential films in movie history (many films pay homage to the scene like Brian De Palma’s The Untouchables). [...] Read
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The Basement Maze of Leavenworth, Kansas
It was reported last week that an "underground city" had been discovered beneath the streets of Leavenworth, Kansas. [...] Read
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Buildings That Can Breathe
A green designer says we need to save energy by making our architecture more efficient. [...] Read
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OMA / CCTV TV STATION AND HEADQUARTERS
Building CCTV TV Station and Headquartes Arquitects OMA...[...] Watch
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Bin Laden brother unveils £100bn plan for world's longest bridge
It sounds like a joke. The brother of the world's most famous terrorist wants to build the world's longest suspension bridge, linking two continents across the world's most dangerous waters. As if that's not enough, he also plans to build two new cities – one at each end. [...] Read
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Giant city tower would 'dwarf' the Four Courts
A major row is looming after plans were submitted for a gargantuan tower that would dwarf the historic Four Courts. The capital's former motor taxation office is to be replaced by an 11-storey office tower that will rise up behind the Four Courts buildings. [...] Read
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306090 call for submissions
The 13th volume of 306090 investigates the contradictory yet potentially productive tension between our drive to develop and our growing knowledge and emerging concern that such unregulated growth [...] read
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Cityspeed by Michael Young
Industrial designer Michael Young has designed Cityspeed, an urban bike for Taiwanese bicycle manufacturer Giant. [...] Read
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Wright’s Palmer House Put on the Market
The Frank Lloyd Wright-designed Palmer House in Ann Arbor, Michigan, acclaimed by historians as one of the architect’s best residential projects, has been put up for sale by the family of the original owners. The asking price is $1.5 million. [...] Read
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Can anybody beat Beijing? Is the US ready to compete for the 2016 Olympic Games?
Ambition? Vision? Economics? Arrogance? The amalgamated power of the society behind it? If you think it's all of the above, [...] Read
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Parks department chooses Bike Republic for Yeon-designed waterfront building
Cycling It's now official: the city's Parks department has selected Bike Republic as the new occupant of the waterfront Portland Visitors Information Center building designed by the great John Yeon. [...] Read
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Dockside Green: The World’s First LEED Platinum Community
Situated in Victoria, British Columbia, Dockside Green is a burgeoning community that has set its sights on becoming the first LEED Platinum community in the world. Its initial phase of development was recently completed, earning it an incredible 63 out of 70 points and qualifying it for LEED Platinum for New Construction. [...] Read
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Chocolate Factory on West Broadway Revealed Unwrapped!
Who knew that they used to make Tootsie Rolls down in Soho? The now-empty building at 325 West Broadway where the tasty treats were produced is about to become a bunch of sweet new condos. [...] Read
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The World's Most Expensive House Sold To Russian Billionaire
A month ago we heard rumors that Russian billionaire Roman Abarmovich had bought the world's most expensive house on the French Riviera. Turns out that the rumor was true but the buyer was false. [...] Read
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Church of God, Inflationist
Inflatable infrastructure for churchgoers has arrived on the sandy beaches of Sardinia, as a bouncy chapel has been installed for Christians on holiday. "Using compressed air it takes only five minutes to inflate," the Times reports, and it "comes complete with an altar, an apse and a confessional." [...] Read
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Weighing the two finalists for Yeon-designed former McCall's site
By the end of this month, the city Parks Bureau will make its recommendation to Commissioner Dan Saltzman on which of two finalists should be selected for redevelopment of the circa-1948 John Yeon-designed Portland Visitors Information Center (more recently McCall's restaurant). [...] Read
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Developments and Trends — Supporting Dynamic Social Security
In the light of our current PerfectCity poll it is time to focus on another factor. When we are talking about “Social security” we mean protection against socially recognized conditions, including poverty, old age, disability, unemployment and others – including public insurances, pensions and child allowances. [...] Read
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September 25th, 2007 at 12:20 pm
September 28th, 2007 at 12:22 pm
October 9th, 2007 at 5:24 am
October 10th, 2007 at 6:08 pm
October 18th, 2007 at 6:10 am
October 18th, 2007 at 6:25 pm
November 14th, 2007 at 8:15 am
The city will also have 38 other buildings which are stated in the developers’ plans but are not shown in models and photos for public consumption; and the developer has not imposed any environmental guidelines or made the same claims for these 38 other buildings.
The developers behind the PGCC are deceiving the public using a common trick known in this time of increasing environmental consciousness - greenwashing.
November 14th, 2007 at 9:41 am
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SwjqrTab z0
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/PGCCcampaign
THL
November 14th, 2007 at 2:06 pm
Check out http://www.penangwatch.net/pgcc
November 14th, 2007 at 2:56 pm
November 19th, 2007 at 6:37 am
November 20th, 2007 at 1:57 pm
November 29th, 2007 at 5:17 am
The Penang Turf Club is an area regularly prone to flooding. Use of geologically or environmentally sensitive areas for high density development as proposed by the PGCC will have adverse impacts on the surrounding ares especially in term of flood control. Drastic alterations of a ground surface, such as compaction or paving can reduce the infiltration capacity of a surface, which can cause a serious reduction in groundwater recharge and an increase in runoff. The proposed development density of nearly 30 units to an acre may result in increased cost to local governments and other public agencies. As the local government will be force to provide more public services such as flood control, public transportation, sanitary sewage, storm sewage, solid waste collection and disposal. In many situations, the cost of providing these services to such high density commercial development is much higher than the revenues to local governments resulting from the expanded tax base. What is the cost per arce will be when utilities, flood control, transportation, and subsidiary governmental entities’ costs are included? The public would like to know how the state government can justify such kind of urban sprawl without taking into consideration the public expenditures that will incur to maintain the so called development.
The local community object to the development, arguing in part that the area was prone to flood and not suitable for development. The flood hazard mitigation effort by the state government also appears to have been carried out on an ad-hoc basis with a lack of strategic catchment planning and poor commitment to their maintenance. Flooding in the surrounding area is expected to be exacerbated by insufficient urban drainage capacity if the development is allowed. How much million the state government is expected to spend on stormwater control projects? Turning the Penang Turf Club into greenways and trails may result in reduced costs to local governments and other public agencies. Establishing a greenway in an area prone to hazards, such as flooding, may decrease costs for potential damages. Greenways and associated vegetation can also help control water, air and noise pollution by natural means, resulting in potential decreased pollution control costs. Greenways and trails may promote physical fitness, leading to decreased public health care costs.
The local community cannot efford to allow this project to take place, it is not just the traffic congestion that will haunt the resident, but the potential uninvited hazard that will surfaced at their living room when it rain; FLOOD!
Image how the muslim community nearby going to pray when the state mosque is flooded when it rain. Image how ridiculous when the Governor of Penang, has to be evacuated each time rain water flood the official residence at Residency Road. Image how the rich and famous have to be evacuated each time it rain when rain water flooded Jesselton ,York Road,Scotland Road, Hospital Road and surrounding areas. Is this what you call development, a pride to Penangites?
December 19th, 2007 at 5:13 am
By NIK KHUSAIRI IBRAHIM
north@thestar.com.my
PENANG: The RM25bil Penang Global City Centre project is a holistic initiative for sustainable growth that will benefit all Penangites.
The project is not just to spur economic growth, explained Equine Capital Bhd executive chairman Datuk Patrick Lim.
“The role of the developer goes beyond just the construction aspect. We are looking into future growth in all aspects.
“That is why we have engaged the best technical people, local and foreign, to find scientific and methodological solutions.
“We are not only looking at the issues brought up by NGOs, but we are going deeper into many other aspects,” he told The Star on the sidelines of the “NCER: Unleashing Penang’s Potentials” at a hotel here yesterday.
Some 300 participants representing various NGOs and interest groups took part.
“We are looking at the broader view, with input from many experts participating in the seminar,” he added.
Among the topics discussed were the economy, research, traffic, public transportation and sustaining mobility. Lim said the seminar was not organised to gain popularity.
“We are here for an open discussion and accountability. There will be more such seminars and public forums in the future,” he said.
The ecological impact of the project would be discussed in subsequent seminars, he added.
“We are committed to Penang. We are prepared to share with everyone. This is our corporate social responsibility,” he said.
The PGCC project that would take up 105.2ha of the current Penang Turf Club, will include the construction of international hotels and a mini-philharmonic centre.
It is expected to create about 30,000 jobs, of which 5,000 would be generated during the construction phase. The entire project is expected to take 18 years.
The project is undertaken by Abad Naluri Sdn Bhd, an associate company of Equine Capital Bhd.
December 21st, 2007 at 9:10 am
February 3rd, 2008 at 10:44 am
March 4th, 2008 at 1:13 pm