Protesters demand ban on Gazprom tower, Dubai must repay $50bn by 2012 and Foster and Partners' new Opera House on display.
RUSSIA
Thousands of protesters recently gathered in St Petersburg demanding that president Dmitry Medvedev ban the building of RMJM's 400m Okhta centre tower (pictured). The plans, recently approved by local authorities, have upset the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (Unesco), which said that the building will threaten the city's world heritage status.
DUBAI
Ratings agency, Standard & Poor's, has warned that Dubai's increasing level of debt means that it will have to repay $50 billion by 2012. The amount of money that the emirate's government-related entities (GRE) will have to repay is approximately 70 per cent of Dubai's estimated GDP. The building boom in the area first showed signs of weakness 12 months ago and 566 projects are on hold, according to Proleads.
UNITED STATES
Foster and Partners' Margot and Bill Winspear Opera House has opened in Dallas. A solar canopy extends from the building, shading a fully glazed, 18m lobby. Beneath this canopy is a pedestrian plaza. Inside the building, there are a series of welcoming spaces, which wrap around the red glass drum of the 2,200 seat auditorium. A 'grand staircase' flows from one side of the drum to the other, linking all lobby spaces together.
DENMARK
Nord Architects has won the competition for a new healthcare centre for cancer patients in Copenhagen. The design is based on the principles of healing architecture and the main building comprises a series of small, individual houses interconnected by a sculptural roof structure. The building is in close relation to the surrounding landscape consisting of an inner courtyard, terraces and themed gardens.
UNITED KINGDOM
Rafael Vinoly Architects and Bennetts Associates have revealed proposals for two new buildings in Oxford University's Radcliffe Infirmary redevelopment. The Mathematical Institute is a three block scheme with a set of five-storey wings joined by a two-storey entrance lobby. The new Humanities Building and Library will feature a two-storey copper and glass lantern rising above a subterranean library.
