London, England

Lasers and searchlights lit up London’s night sky to mark the completion and official opening of The Shard - Europe’s tallest building.

The tower, designed by Renzo Piano, will contain offices, exclusive residences, a hotel, restaurants and a viewing gallery.

The laser show projected from and around the Shard skyscraper, yards from the banks of the River Thames in Southwark.

Photographer: Ben Fitzpatrick/Newscast/PA

Courtesy The Guardian UK

Changsha, China

A Chinese construction company is attracting attention with a plan to build the world’s tallest building. In nine months.

Changsha-based Broad Group says the skyscraper, which will be located in China’s Hunan province and has been dubbed Tiankong Chengshi, or Sky City, will climb to a height of 838 metres. That’s 10 metres higher that the world’s current tallest building, the Burj Khalifa in Dubai.

Courtesy The Wall Street Journal China

Wimbledon, England

Tension over whether or not to put on the 1000-ton Centre Court roof has repeatedly surrounded this year’s rain-soaked Wimbledon championships.

It takes no more than a few minutes to close the 5,200 square metres of Teflon coated temara, however it can arguably make game-changing appearances.

Photographer: EPA

Courtesy The Telegraph UK

Madrid, Spain

Three teams made up of two all-star architecture firms, have been given the challenge to convert Real Madrid’s Santiago Bernabéu Stadium into “an architectural icon for Madrid and an internationally-recognized exemplar of sports infrastructure.”

The teams are Herzog and de Meuron with Rafael Moneo, Norman Foster with Rafael de La-Hoz and Populous with Estudio Lamela.

Photographer via Flickr CC User Madrid2011jmj

Courtesy Arch Daily

World Monuments Fund

World Monuments Fund invites nominations for the 2012 World Monuments Fund/Knoll Modernism Prize. The Prize will be awarded in Spring 2012 to a design professional or firm in recognition of innovative design solutions that preserved or saved a modern landmark at risk.

2010 Prize Winner Zonnestraal Sanatorium, Hilversum, the Netherlands

Courtesy World Monuments Fund