Schwarzenegger gives LA football stadium tick of approval, KPF architects follow Polisano's lead and the ground breaks on the world's second tallest building.
UNITED STATES
Californian governor, Arnold Schwarzenegger has signed a bill exempting a proposed LA football stadium in the City of Industry. The Schwarzenegger said the development will generate more than 18,000 jobs and more than $762 million for the area, while opponents are concerned about its environmental and traffic impacts. The 75,000-seat stadium is being planned by MEIS Architects.
UNITED KINGDOM
Up to 40 architects are said to be leaving Kohn Pederson Fox over the next few weeks for the new practice formed by its former UK director, Lee Polisano. Last month, Polisano left KPF with five partners to set up PLP Architecture. It is rumoured that along with a number of staff, PLP also took four projects with it, including an Abu Dhabi hotel and ther Heron Plaza in London.
SOUTH KOREA
Ground has broken at the site of the world's second tallest building, located in Seoul. At 640m high, Digital Media City Landmark tower was designed by Samoo and will comprise 133 floors. The building is being constructed on the last pocket of undeveloped land in Seoul, adjacent to the World Cup Stadium used in 2002. It is due to be completed in April 2015.
THAILAND
Fars Studio has been named the winner of a national design competition for the Chao Phraya Memorial and Museum in Nakorn-Sawan. The competition was held by the Nakorn-Sawan Municipality and the Association of Siamese Architects to create a landmark symbol for the significance of the river in this region. The bridge-like design blends traditional Thai architecture with state-of-the-art technology on a 15,000 sqm area.
KAZAKHSTAN
The Astana National Library received the Future Community category award at Cityscape Dubai on 6 October, with the 33,000 sqm library breaking ground later that week. The building was named after the first president of the Republic of Kazakhstan and will be one of the cornerstones of Kazakh nation building.
