HOK's pre-tax profits plummet, Hamburg erects a concert complex and a garden-like sports stadium takes root in China...
CHINA
NBBJ's design for the new Dalian Shide football stadium in China (pictured above) represents a shift in sports architecture towards a more organic approach. The design is intended to resemble a garden, with the land folding open to create two garden walls which support the venue. The stadium bowl will then be inserted between them. The walls contain VIP suites, the toilets, concessions stands and ticket booths and will be clad in plants that change colour depending on the season. The inside of the walls will consist of giant LED panels, powered by on-site renewable energy. NBBJ is hoping that the design will become a global icon for sustainable design by reducing energy consumption, improving energy efficiency contributing to clean air and developing a sustainable community.
UNITED KINGDOM
HOK has announced that pre-tax profits for its UK arm have dropped by 85 per cent since last year, from $3 million to just under $458,000. In May, the firm cut 10 per cent of its British workforce and last month, UK head, James Berry was let go. Two other architectural firms, Broadway Malyan and Hamiltons, have also struggled this year, with Hamiltons showing pre-tax profits halved to $2 million. "The more time goes by the closer we are to recovery but right now we can't identify when that change will occur. We hope it will be some time next year," said HOK's design director, Larry Malcic.
UNITED STATES
The City College of New York's Bernard and Anne Spitzer School of Architecture, Urban Design and Landscape Architecture has reopened after a complete redesign by Rafael Vinoly Architects. The building now features a central atrium allowing daylight to illuminate it. Partial mezzanine levels above studio floors accommodate the faculty offices, overlooking the open-plan design studios. The 12,540 sqm building also includes an exhibition space, rooftop open-air amphitheatre and an architectural library. There is also a separate facility for the City College Archiectural Centre, a group that provides planning and design assistance to community organisations.
GERMANY
The city of Hamburg is erecting a concert complex with a clear glass roof at a projected cost of $547 million. Germans are hoping that Elbphilharmonie will unite what is one of Germany's most socially divided areas. The complex is due to open in 2012 and will tower 91m atop a triangular-shaped warehouse on the waterfront that was built in the 17th century. It will be made of glass, with a roof of glass waves designed by Herzog and de Meuron. The complex will consist of three concert halls plus a 250-room hotel, luxury condominiums and a parking garage. Critics of Elbphilharmonie say that money spent on the complex should have been used to upgrade social services and infrastructure in poor neighbourhoods.
