AUSTRALIA
The Adelaide casino may relocate from its heritage railway station location to the heart of the CBD. The casino’s operator says the new site would boost the performance of its existing operations and deliver a range of expansion opportunities. The project, still in the early stages of planning, would require substantial funding assistance the state government. The company is also considering several alternative sites to promote the expansion.
UK
The British government has unveiled a $29bn funding initiative to kick start building projects stalled due to insufficient banking finance. Nearly 110 projects will be eligible for the financial support, including highways, schools and hospitals. The announcement follows the biggest decline in the UK construction industry in 12 years. It is hoped the funding will stimulate new infrastructure projects and safeguard jobs through the economic crisis.
JERUSALEM
Donors have pledged more than $8bn in assistance to rebuild the Gaza Strip. The reconstruction will be conducted subject to project-by-project approval, with the funding yet to be distributed. UN representatives remain uncertain whether Israel will open border crossings to large quantities of supplies, which will make rebuilding efforts “exceedingly difficult”. The funding is expected to be delivered by 2011.
INDIA
The designer of the New York City subway has been selected to model the new East-West Metro Railway in Calcutta. Lee Harris Pomeroy Architects (LHPA) will modernise and expand what has been labelled the ‘oldest and busiest’ transit system in India. The new railway will span 13.7km, include a tunnel under the Hoogly River, and link a number of suburban areas. It is estimated the system will accommodate 480,000 passengers each day when it is fully completed by 2014.
UNITED STATES
Frank Gehry has been forced to cut 50 per cent of his staff over the past year, the architect, who turned 80 this week, has revealed. Speaking to the LA Times, Gehry said a turbulent year has seen successive major projects, including the Atlantic Yards development in Brooklyn and Grand Avenue in Los Angeles, put on ice. “All my life I’ve wanted to do projects like that, and they never came to me. And then all of a sudden I had two of them … and they’re both stopped. So it leaves a very hollow feeling in your bones.”
