News

New Zealand Twist

31 october 2017

A NZD$300 million (USD$ 209 million) luxury residential skyscraper by developer Hengyi Pacific is planned for downtown Auckland. Boasting 57 stories and 178 meters of height, the building could become New Zealand’s highest residential tower when completed, developers say. A laneway known as “Pacific Lane” will run between Commerce, Fort, and Gore streets. Plus Architecture’s leading architect, Jaimin Atkins, said the building’s glass façade was designed to reflect the surrounding city and waterfront, and the Maori Pikorua motif of two intertwined pikopiko ferns was meant to be represented in the “twist” pattern on the building’s exterior. Some of the 295 apartments within the building will offer views out to Great Barrier Island, Atkins said.

Mobius Strip in Thai Traditions

24 october 2017

AL_A, the architecture practice headed by RIBA Stirling Prize-winning architect Amanda Levete, has completed Central Embassy, a striking 37 floor tall retail, leisure and hotel tower in central Bangkok for Central Group, Thailand’s leading retailer and department store operator. 

Israel Diamond

17 october 2017

Measuring 400 meters in height, the 100-floor Intercity Tower has been granted planning approval. The ambitious initiative, planned by Miloslavsky Architects, began in June 2014 and has now been officially approved by the Israeli Finance Ministry’s district committee. When completed, the new tower would become Israel’s tallest, stripping the Moshe Aviv Tower of that designation.

Dubai Lighthouse

9 october 2017

The iconic luxury waterfront destination, spread over 20 million sq. feet, will include a 1400-berth marina as well as a cruise ship port and terminal, a shopping mall covering 3.5 million sq. feet, an events arena, luxurious residential buildings, hotels, offices, retail stores, public services, restaurants and cafes and ‘Dubai Lighthouse’. The project will create synergies with some of Dubai’s other iconic projects located in the area including Palm Jumeirah and the upcoming Bluewaters Island project. The destination will also be home to ‘Dubai Lighthouse’, a unique architectural icon. 

Golden Ring for Australia

2 october 2017

Woods Bagot has won a national design competition to create a dynamic mixed-use destination on the Gold Coast. Introducing a new icon to the city’s skyline, a development application has been lodged with the Gold Coast City Council to build a slender dual tower form that is set to be one of, if not the tallest residential building in Australia.

Stratospheric Height

4 september 2017

In a bid to get around terrestrial height restrictions, Clouds Architecture Office has proposed suspending the world’s tallest skyscraper from an asteroid, leaving residents to parachute to earth. New York-based Clouds Architecture Office drew up plans for Analemma Tower to “overturn the established skyscraper typology” by building not up from the ground but down from the sky by affixing the foundations to an orbiting asteroid.

Mystery in American Style

28 august 2017

Plans for a 1,400 foot (427 meter) skyscraper designed by Zaha Hadid Architects have been unveiled for midtown Manhattan. Located at 666 Fifth Avenue, the site’s existing building is owned by developer’s Kushner companies, who purchased it in 2007. The potential scheme would see ZHA add to its portfolio of North American projects, with the high line-adjacent 520 west 28th residences nearing completion.

Frankfurt for All

21 august 2017

UNStudio has been selected as the winners of an international competition to design a new mixed-use development on the site of the former Deutsche Bank offices in Frankfurt, Germany. Selected to complete the urban strategy for the district last March, UNStudio has now been unanimously selected to carry out the architectural redevelopment of the site, beating out third prize proposals from the teams of Dudler / Jahn and MSW / Snøhetta, and an honorable mention from Christoph Mäckler / CoopHimmelblau.

Altitude Race in Miami

15 august 2017

Historically, building heights in Miami have been restricted due to proximity to the Miami International Airport; these restrictions were recently loosened, allowing several new towers to stake claim to the city’s tallest tower, including One Bayfront Plaza and Foster + Partners’ ‘The Towers’ at 1201 Brickell Bay Drive, which is also being developed by FECR.

Australian Gothic

7 august 2017

Brisbane’s Hayes Anderson Lynch Architects (HAL) made a proposal for a unique Victorian Neo-Gothic-style inspired tower, reported recently the Brisbane City Council development portal.