Parisian buildings get into the Christmas spirit, London 2012 updates its sustainability plan and construction of minarets banned in Switzerland.
FRANCE
Jean-Charles de Castelbajac has livened up the Bazaar de l'Hotel de Ville in time for Christmas by adding bright neon lights to its exterior (pictured). He has also given the Publicis Drugstore at the top of the Champs-Elysees a makeover. Coloured glass panels were put in front of the windows, allowing colours to flow into the building. The installation, known as Pop Your Xmas, will run until 20 January 2010.
UNITED KINGDOM
London 2012 has released its latest sustainability plan, outlining how the Olympic Games and Paralympic Games will set new standards in sustainability. Measures taken by the ODA to improve sustainability include minimising the use of steel, the almost 100 per cent naturally ventilated Velodrome and the use of high recycled foundations in the Aquatics Centre. Two key areas addressed in the plan are carbon and waste management.
SWITZERLAND
The nationalist Swiss People's Party organised a referendum where 57.5 per cent of voters approved a constitutional ban on the construction of minarets. The Party described them as symbols of a rising political power that could transform Switzerland into an Islamic state. Political parties in Austria, Belgium and France have used the Swiss vote to call for a similar ban in their countries.
UNITED STATES
Peter Bohlin has claimed the highest honour attainable by an individual architect by winning this year's American Institute of Architects' Gold Medal. Bohlin is a founding principal of Bohlin Cywinski Jackson, which has won over 400 design awards. Pugh + Scarpa Architects won the 2010 AIA Firm Award and Michael Graves took out the AIA Topaz Medallion for Excellence in Architectural Education.
LEBANON
Alex Cochrane Architects has won provisional planning consent for a $3.1 million private housing scheme in Beirut. The 1,000 sqm development will replace a car park that has existed since the 1982 Lebanon War. The war was inspiration for the development, which has irregular light openings puncturing the facade. Access to a communal garden at the back of the site has been included in Cochrane's design.
