Capsule's End Kisho Kurokawa's building, the Nakagin Capsule Tower, one of the few standing examples to the Metabolist Movement, is scheduled to be razed. The building was completed in 1972 in the affluent Ginza neighborhood with an outer layer of prefabricated residential units. The Metabolist Movement featured modularly formed cities. The main concern of the towers was the presence of asbestos and inefficient land use. Kurokawa and Japan's four major architectural organizations suggested keeping the towers and just replacing each unit with a more updated box, however management does not agree... Link

Voided Towers Zaha Hadid's master plan for the Business Bay area of Dubai calls for 2 towers but Zaha interprets them as a huge sculptured cube. The Opus Project's neighbors will be the Dubai International Financial Centre and the World Trade and Convention Center, giving it a distinguished location. The project consists of three towers that appear to be one with a distinctive void. The building claims a AAA-class rating and a 87 percent space efficiency. The project will be launched in October 2007. Link

Energy of Its Own The newly proposed Al Taqa skyscraper in Dubai was designed to generate all its own energy through means such as wind turbines and solar panels. A vacuum glazed glass will be used to reduce the amount of heat absorbed from the high temperatures of the area. Air conditioning will use convection principles and pull cold air in at the bottom of the building and suck it out at the top, using seawater to cool the air. Link

Unusual Demolition The Leadenhall Building at 122 Leadenhall Street in London, revealed in 2003, will be built according to British Land. In order to reduce the demolition time of the current building on site, the contractor, McGee has demolished the bottom floors leaving only the upper floors supported by the central core of the existing building. This will allow the contractor to begin the foundation of the new Leadenhall Building while simultaneously demolishing the remainder of the existing structure. Link

Wind Turbines The Bahrain World Trade Center in Manama consists of two 50-story towers shaped like sails and support three wind turbines that are located on bridges between the towers. Atkins of Dubai, choose this design to take advantage of the harbor breeze to provide a renewable energy source. The turbines will make 11-15% of the tower's electrical demand and Atkins claims the sail-like shape of the towers helps to funnel onshore winds between the towers Link

Changing Colors The New York Times Building designed by Renzo Piano will be the first high-rise to use ceramic sunscreen on the facade in the United States. The ceramic tubes create a light reflecting wall that changes color throughout the day. A ground floor garden, open to the sky, was placed adjacent to an auditorium and provides a integration of architecture and nature. The 865 ft tower will peak with the ceramic wall extending past the roof in a white crown. Link

Qatar Palm In the heart of Doha, Qatar, a new tower is planned to stand 245 m high in an area hoped to become a central business district. The building is shaped like a palm tree to signify surviving in the intense heat of the desert. The design accommodates flexibility in requirements for potential tenants - serviced but unfinished floors allow diverse uses of the space. Projects such as this have investors eyeing Qatar as the next Dubai in the commercial and travel industry. Link

Mexican Tall The winning entry in a design competition is a 40-story tower in Monterrey, Mexico which will be the tallest in the city and the fourth tallest in Mexico. The design is an abstract sculpture to serve as the city's icon - a sculptural addition during the day and a beacon of light at night. Green elements include rainwater collection, storage and re-use for irrigation and toilet flushing, waterless urinals, and maximum day lighting. Link

News Bites

C40 Large Cities Climate Summit meets to discuss the role of large cities in reversing/reducing the impact of global warning. Link

NY's most eco-friendly skyscraper expected to rise over the next year and seeks platinum certification. Link

First NY Building Code updates in 40 years outlined and reflects lessons learned about emergency evacuations and fire safety from 2001 World Trade Center attack. Link

Chase Bank wants more tax breaks for developing one of the five office towers at ground zero or it threatens to leave NY Link

Leslie E Robertson donated photos and drawings of Twin Towers to Skyscraper Museum which will make the more than 500 images available through its VIVA2 online archive. Link

A 300,000 gallon liquid-column damping system, the largest in the US, is tuned to dampen wind movements that cause unsettling motions for people on the top floors Link

In a new 43-story building, SMC Alsop creates a new building type that fuses art, sculpture, and architecture Link

"Problems Building Up for Tall Buildings" by Tim Smith Link

Bristol, the UK's leading green city, will be home to its tallest ever environmentally friendly 40-story tower Link

Yorkshire's tallest office building completion ceremony celebrates 32-story tower. Link

Wind-powered rotating skyscraper unveiled to resemble the sensual shape of a belly dancer. Link

Proposed 312m tower will produce more electricity than it uses and helps maintain Dubai's stance as international trendsetter in building technology Link

World's first prefabricated skyscraper - design concept introduced by Rotating Tower Technology International in Italy. Link

Incheon and Seoul propose skyscrapers to keep up with neighboring Taiwan, China, and Hong Kong. Link

After a recent earthquake, Thailand is reminded of its need to increase its preparedness for extreme events in the design of its structures. Link

State's Industrial Infrastructure Corp gives the okay to new skyscraper district and landmark building. Link

News from CTBUH Country Leaders

Ibrahim Al Saudi, Saudi Arabia's CTBUH Country Leader writes about the relaxation of Saudi's building regulations. Link