New Dehli strives for world heritage status, Calatrava's Calgary bridge a 'red waste of millions', and Russia names an architect for its new Opera House.
CANADA
The recently released design for a pedestrian bridge in Calgary (pictured above) has generated mixed responses for local citizens. Some have referred to the 130m tubular structure as a gaudy red waste of $24.5 million while others praised it as a sleek, elegant contribution to the town. Limited by City Hall's demand that no pillars go into the Bow River and that no high masts interfere with the nearby Eau Claire helipad, architect-engineer Santiago Calatrava designed the webbed bridge that stretches across the water with only a one per cent slope. The steel helix supports itself, needing no beams, arches, cables or lower supports other than embankments, hidden in the river banks.
INDIA
The Lutyens Trust and the Indian National Trust Art and Cultural Centre (INTACH) have joined forces in an attempt to have New Dehli named as a World Heritage Site. New Dehli was built as the capital of British India, according to designs by Edwin Lutyens in 1915 with neo-classical institutional buildings occupying ceremonial spaces and boulevards of bungalows lined with indigenous trees. The Lutyens Bungalow Zone froze development in the 26 square-kilometre zone in 1988, but encroachments around the area and pressure from property developers means that a stronger, firmed stance on development must be taken, says the Lutyens Trust.
UNITED KINGDOM
Designed by Norman Foster and Jean Nouvel, the Walbrook Square project in central London being deferred after Spanish property company, Metrovacesa, abandoned the project. Legal disputes between Metrovacesa and freeholder Legal & General have already caused the designs to suffer significant delays, but now it appears that the project will be scrapped altogether after Metrovacesa pulled out of the $602 million scheme. The Walbrook Square scheme planned to create a set of 22-storey tower blocks, already nicknamed 'Darth Vader's Helmet' because of its imposing design.
RUSSIA
Diamond + Schmitt has won an international competition to design a $454 million opera and ballet house at the Mariinsky Theatre complex in St Petersburg. The winning design was done in collaboration with St Petersburg architects KB ViPS. Mariinsky Theatre conductor and general manager, Valerie Gergiev praised Canadian-based Diamond + Schmitt for its design of similar projects, particularly the recently completed Four Seasons Centre, the first theatre in Canada built specifically for opera and ballet. Construction is expected to begin immediately.
QATAR
Allies & Morrison has announced plans for its first office outside the UK, with a new base in Doha, Qatar, opening later this year. The architect has been building a reputation across the Middle East, with a series of projects including the 35 ha, $6.4 billion Heart of Doha masterplan. It also has projects in Beirut, Bahrain, Cairo and Abu Dhabi. “The Middle East is a spectacular place in which to create new buildings. We have a flexible approach to our work that allows us to work across all the countries in the region. This gives us clues to achieving a truly contextual architecture,” said associate director, Simon Gathercole.
