THEATRE AND CONGRESS CENTER IN LLEIDA - MECANOO

Works begin on la Llotja

Construction has now begun on La Llotja, one of the most prestigious projects of Catalunya, Spain. In 2005 Dutch architects, Mecanoo won the international competition for this 16,000 m2 theatre and congress building. Designed as if it had grown from the Spanish soil the € 35 million building will include a total of 1,400 seats. The building is composed of different pieces of buildings linked together by sound-absorbing foyers while the cantilevered building gives shade on the outer forecourt to allow for outdoor events despite the strong Spanish sun. (...) WAN

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P.D.M. THE FORDHAM SPIRE (2010, CHICAGO)

SANTIAGO CALATRAVA (ESP)

The city where the skyscraper was born just can't get enough of these supertowers. The Chicago Spire is the latest in a series of super-tall projects proposed since the mid 1990's. Some, like the Trump International Hotel and Tower, come to fruition. Others, like 7 South Dearborn, do not. Just how far this project will get remains to be seen. But the real estate and political climate in which it is proposed put the odds in its favor.

This is the first Chicago project for Spanish architectural superstar Santiago Calatrava, though he has graced the shores of Lake Michigan before with the Milwaukee Art Museum's Quadracci Pavilion. Its position at the point where the Chicago River drains Lake Michigan puts it in the center of the city's skyline, and out in front of any of the thousands of photographs taken by tourists cruising the lake each day.

In form, this building lives up to its name. It truly is a spire with a tapering form topped by a needle. In a New York Times article about the building, it was compared to a drill bit, a blade of grass, and a tall twisting tree. Others have compared it to a lighthouse, which could end up being its nickname because of its location. The inability to quickly categorize the construction is what you come to expect from a Calatrava design -- something both geometric and organic. Something that take a simple form and twists it in the wind like so many of his other bridges and buildings. In this case, each of the building's floors are anchored to a central column, but slightly off-set. Then each floor is rotated slightly as the tower rises higher. The result is, indeed, something very much like a drill bit. Initial plans call for the bottom 20 floors to be occupied by a hotel, while the rest of the building is filled with luxury condominiums. (...) Chicagoarchitecture.info

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PROYECTO DEL MES

AWARD WINNING APARTMENTS

Germán del Sol Architects design "green" apartment building in Madrid

This is an 80 apartment building and a parking lot, developed in Vallecas, a small town that is part of Madrid, by ”EMV” (The Madrid Municipality Housing Company), that is owned and managed by the City of Madrid. This project was awarded when German del Sol won the XII Bienal de Arquitectura Latino Americana in October 2003. (...) Worldarchitecturenews.com

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PROYECTO DEL MES

CRYSTAL CLOUD OF KNOWLEDGE

Coop Himmelb(l)au Architects unveil new Lyon museum

The opening of the visitor’s pavilion at the construction site of the Musée des Confluences took place on October 8 at Quai Perrache, Lyon. The Musée des Confluences does not consider itself as an exclusive temple for the intellectual bourgeoisie but as a public place providing access to the knowledge of our age. Stimulating a direct and active use, it is not only a museum site but also a venue in town. (...) Worldarchitecturenews

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PROYECTO DEL MES

MASERATI MUSEUM (Modena, Italy)

Designed for the fast lane Future Systems

UK firm pulls off Italian job
Future System's Maserati Museum is due for completion in 2009. The museum nestles in the grounds of the turn of the century Enzo Ferrari house in Modena, a submerged, soft blue form appearing to grow out of the surrounding landscape. The house being modest in scale has determined the height of the museum. (...) Worldarchitecturenews

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