From around the world this month we have claims of 2km high skyscrapers, AECOM taking out the top prize for their Rio Olympic Park design, Zaha Hadid Architects' Riverside museum in Glasgow is attracting plenty of attention and Chicago has appointing new members to its Landmark Committee, but without any architects.

GLOBAL

Yet more impetus in the 'mine's bigger than yours' game: Fresh off the back of the stunning designs of the 1km tall Kingdom Tower, it appears industry experts are already contemplating the possibilities of soaring higher.

Photo courtesy of architectureweek.com

The chairman of the Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat, Dr. Sang Dae Kim commented on the feasability of constructing a tower up to 2km high - “With the Kingdom Tower we now have a design that reaches around 1km in height. Later on, someone will push for 1 mile, and then 2km. At this point in time we can build a tower that is 1km, maybe 2km. Any higher than that and we will have to do a lot of homework.”

He spoke of the challenges of structurally entering new territory - “There might be constraints for the structural engineering — we don’t know many things. When you go up to one of two kilometres, we don’t have much information surrounding the wind conditions.”

BRAZIL

Rio de Janeiro's first international architecture competition has been won by AECOM for their master plan of Rio 2016 Olympic Park.

The English firm, also responsible for London's 2012 Olympic Park Master Plan, was chosen by the jury for its unique concept of operation, separate access for athletes and the audience, logistics for the transport system, the viability of implementation and access for parking.

Photo © AECOM

The announcement of the three winning projects and the three honourable mentions showed the global interest the competition garnered: a Brazilian, an Australian and a Portuguese firm received the honourable mentions. As for the three winning projects, the third place went to the project signed by Portuguese architect Tomás Fernandes Almeida Salgado; the second, to architect Ron Turner, representing an American firm which was associated with the Brazilian firms CDC (Coutinho, Diegues and Lamb) and MPG (Miguel Pinto Guimarães).

SCOTLAND

Zaha Hadid Architects‘ Riverside Museum in Glasgow, opened officially on June 21st, has welcomed over half a million visitors in its first seven weeks.

“It is wonderful to see that the new museum has captured everyone’s imagination,” said Zaha Hadid. “Such passion for innovation and discovery from all members of the community is very exciting.”

Photo courtesy of www10.aeccafe.com

“The Riverside Museum has been a huge hit since the day it opened to the public. We knew just how much visitors loved the old Museum of Transport at Kelvin Hall but even so, the reaction to the Riverside Museum has been phenomenal. The feedback from people has been overwhelmingly positive and we are already seeing visitors returning time and again to enjoy Glasgow’s latest attraction,” shared Councillor Gordon Matheson.

Located where the River Kelvin joins the Clyde, the design flows from the city to the river; the fluid design and linear structure of the building encompasses and adds to its surroundings.

UNITED STATES

Mayor of Chicago, Rahm Emanuel, has announced four appointees for the Commission on Chicago Landmarks - none of which have formal architectural or historic preservation training.

New to the commission are James Houlihan, the former property tax assessor of Cook County, Anita Blanchard, an obstetrician, Mary Ann Smith, recently retired from Chicago's city council, and Tony Hu, a restaurateur.

The Prentice Tower, Chicago. Photo courtesy of onewaystreet.typepad.com

“I’m sure they are all very intelligent and well-intended people, but it's not the same as having architects versed in the complexities of what we're trying to do,” said Gunny Harboe, principal at Harboe Architects, a practice that specialises in historic preservation.

The Commission on Chicago Landmarks recommends historic status for buildings and broader districts, and its Permit Review Committee reviews alterations to landmarked structures.

Tom Alexander, spokesman for the Mayor wrote in a statement, “The appointments by Mayor Emanuel ensure that each member of the Landmarks Commission offers the commission a different point of view, with no two members representing the same discipline and all of the members speaking to part of the broad spectrum of challenges facing the Commission.”