Nouvel's, Louvre foundations laid, Abu Dhabi

Construction work has started on Jean Nouvel's Louvre museum in Abu Dhabi.The majestic domed building designed by French architect Jean Nouvel is due for completion in 2012. It will span around 26,000 sq ft on Abu Dhabi’s cultural hub, Saadiysat Island, and will cost an estimated €108m.Nouvel has been awarded the 2008 Pritzker Prize, the highest honor for architecture, for his creative experimentation and buildings that speak to their surroundings.
Approaching from the water, the shaded space shows its scattered light, which continues the sparkling light of the water onto the architecture.
“On a more abstract level, the museum is a ‘city’ with houses, streets and plaza’s that is ‘protected’ from the sun by a Buckminster Fuller kind of dome. The cupola becomes the ash that conserves a civilization.
“This development is indeed one-of-a-kind – from design aesthetics to constructions mechanisms – it is a piece of art in the making” said Lee Tabler, chief executive of developer Tourism Development and Investment Company.

Millennium Waters, Greenest Neighborhood in the World!

As expected the Vancouver Winter Olympics, made every effort to ensure that the Olympic Village, Millennium Waters, was as eco-friendly as possible, but while doing so they have actually managed to develop the Greenest, most energy efficient and sustainable Neighborhood in the world!

Millennium Waters, is located on Southeast False Creek across from the BC Place Stadium and its close proximity to the city center was only one of the many factors that resulted in receiving both a LEED Platinum certification for the entire neighborhood and a LEED Gold status for all of the buildings included in the village.

The newly-constructed village, features the city’s first renewable energy heating system, net zero energy building (a structure that produces as much energy as it consumes), natural and non-toxic building materials, devices capable of measuring the energy and water used by occupants, solar panels and solar hot water systems generating power for the households and many- many more eco features. Wow!

2.600 athletes and coaches are the current occupants of the Village although once the Games are over, individuals will be able to buy the award winning condos and homes and live in this greener than green, true mixed-use complex.

MVRDV Expo Building

World expos are fantastic. In the literal meaning. They show many kinds fantasies. They allow for this great opportunity to express excitement and admiration. The past has given a series of true world wonders that express that rare combination of entertainment and education, of research and achievement, like the Eifel Tower in Paris, the Sphere at the NY expo, the Montreal Habitat building, Buckminsterfullers dome in Montreal. What to add to this history? Can the chosen theme lead to a new powerful object?
The world expo in Yeosu focuses on the power and beauty of the oceans. How to express that the best? Could it be done by – simply- making a pure visible block of water that obviously expresses the beauty and the power? A block that is extracted from the ocean. This block is hollowed out, to create a great water space, where one is surrounded by water. Along the sides, above and below. Where light filters through and give every activity a glance. That can be used for the exhibitions, the gatherings, during and after the world expo. One is in the water. The water cube is constructed out of a surrounding wall with a series of water basins that are stacked on top of each other. Based on the maximum structural capacities of the glass facades and floors. It allows showing all the different aspects of the oceans!
The façade turns into a mini museum, into a library of the oceans! Thus the central water space turns into a cathedral like space that celebrates the oceans. With all the environmental differences in the world. The deep sea, the tropical parts, the mangroves, the reefs, etcetera. The basins are organized like a world map. So that any different sea can be shown and positioned clearly: the polar seas on top and the bottom, and the tropical parts in the middle. The coast lines of the contents are clearly expressed on the facade.

source: ArchDaily