Spiderman sets his sights on world's tallest tower, a wind and solar powered roof in Perugia and a centre that converts sewage to heat opens in Canada.
DUBAI
Alain Robert, the French "spiderman" renowned for climbing the world’s most famous buildings with his bare hands only, has set his sites on the Burj Khalifa. Robert has previously climbed the Empire State Building, the Sears Tower and Taipei 101. He believes that the Middle Eastern heat could slow him down, but is still eager to give the world’s tallest tower a go.
ITALY
Coop Himmelblau has designed the Energy Roof in Perugia, powered by both wind and sun. It is self-sufficient and the west wing of the canopy is covered in transparent solar cells. The east wing captures the wind and generates energy through five wind turbines placed within the structure. The roof acts as a canopy over a gallery below and also connects a nearby metro station to the city centre.
CANADA
An energy centre in Vancouver that uses sewage to create heat and hot water was switched on late last week. The $30 million False Creek Energy Centre plans to create enough heat to warm the Olympic Village and thousands of new homes and businesses. The Centre will reduce greenhouse gas emissions in the neighbourhood by more than 50 per cent compared to the use of natural gas for heating.
UNITED KINGDOM
Europan 10 is an international competition where architects under the age of 40 are asked to develop innovative urban projects for 62 European cities. Among the 56 winners was a project by RALA Architects, led by Ross Lambie, for regeneration proposals for Dublin. A team from Langdon Reis Architects for a scheme for Vardo in Norway also won.
CHINA
KCAP Architects and Planners has won the masterplanning competition for the development of a 50 ha site at the southern edge of the Olympic Park in Beijing. The development will house residential, commercial and office spaces, two public transport hubs, a series of hotels as well as cultural and community facilities. The plan is projected to start this year.
