Prefabricated homes to be distributed in Germany, World Heritage Site high-rises given go-ahead and Brad Pitt recognised for his post-Katrina housing initiative.
GERMANY
Daniel Libeskind's first prefabricated home has been opened to the public in Berlin. The Libeskind Villa is the first of a series of 30 homes to be distributed worldwide. The houses will be distributed by Proportion with the aim of making the work of leading architects more accessible to the public. The house features wide sections of glazing and a timber frame covered with zinc cladding. Solar and rainwater harvesting systems were also included in the design.
UNITED KINGDOM
Liverpool planners have given the go-ahead for a $10 billion proposal to build high-rises in the city's northern Central Docks area, located in the World Heritage site buffer zone. Buildings will range between seven and 15 storeys, which according to city officials, will protect key views of landmark buildings, help conserve historic buildings, and encourage new developments and the demolition of existing buildings that have a negative impact on the urban environment.
UNITED STATES
The neighbourhood being built by Make It Right New Orleans, the housing initiative launched by Brad Pitt in the wake of Hurricane Katrina, has been named the "largest and greenest community of single family homes in the world" at the annual Clinton Global Initiative meeting in New York. The initiative has already produced 13 LEED Platinum certified homes and is building at least 150 sustainable, storm resistant LEED Platinum homes. Make It Right is a collaboration between Pitt, Steve Bing, Graft Architects, Cherokee Gives Back and William McDonough + Partners.
ITALY
Mudslides that killed at least 20 people in Sicily on 2 October were caused by poor drainage and illegal construction. Dozens of buildings collapsed in the worst floods to hit Italy since 1998, leaving hundreds homeless. The head of the Italian Civil Protection Service, Guido Bertolasco, blamed the construction of houses without permits for the deaths. Italy's leading environmental group, Legambiente, had been warning of the dangers in the area, saying that the houses were built in deforested valleys with no consideration for drainage.
CANADA
The Manitoba Hydro Place could soon become the country's most sustainable building. The 64,500 sqm tower has already been named the Best in Americas by the Council for Tall Buildings and is competing for the Best Building in the World prize, to be awarded later this month. Designed by Payne McKenna Blumberg Architects, the building is expected to operate on one-quarter of the energy of a typical office tower. Its two towers are splayed at the bottom to capture as much sunlight as possible and a closed loop geothermal system heats and cools water piped through the floors to heat and cool the offices.
