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After months of inactivity, presumably while numerous tests were done on the structural integrity, a tower crane has appeared on the burnt, rusting carcass of the TVCC.

The building was set ablaze by wayward (and illegal) New Year’s fireworks in February 2009. Just a few weeks ago, the site manager who had procured the fireworks for the illegal show was sentenced to seven years in jail. Nineteen others involved in the deadly blaze were jailed for periods ranging from three to six and a half years.

Sometimes that specific place you want to put the camera is just out of reach. And if not just out of reach, then perhaps just a little in harm’s way. So it was no surprise to find ourselves out standing in the oncoming traffic to catch a distant view of the almost completed China World Trade Centre Tower 3, designed by Brian Lee of Skidmore Owings + Merrill. I’ve had the pleasure of working with Brian on a number of his recent projects including Beijing New Poly Plaza, Lenovo Beijing and Guangzhou Poly International Plaza.

Currently the tallest building in Beijing, China World Trade Centre Tower 3 is expected to open to the public later this year. With a luxury hotel on it’s uppermost floors and a retail podium connected through to the adjacent Kerry Centre, the new tower will provide a focal point for the expansive development around this new Central Business District in Beijing.

From a distance, the slowly tapering facade carries a delicate balance between the vertical  and horizontal elements. Closer up, the undulating pattern of the glazing become more pronounced and the facade takes on a more crystalline appearance.

Now that the dust has settled on reconstruction along the Bund, the local lads are out in force again with their kites, catching the early morning breeze off the Huangpu.

The refurbishment of the promenade, undertaken by NBBJ and partner firm Chan Krieger Sieniewicz was completed in time for the opening of the Shanghai World Expo on May 1st. As the day progresses, the Bund promenade becomes a major drawcard for tourists and local alike.

At dusk, the lights on the classic facades of the Bund provide a stoic balance to the brash sleekness of the glass and steel towers of Pudong.

The Iluma development in Singapore designed by WOHA with lighting consultants realitiesIunited was featured in the May 2010 issue of Architectural Record.

Having gazed across the mighty Huangpu over the past decade or so watching the skyline of Pudong emerge from the fields, it has been most interesting to see what was once a bizarre anomaly, slowly approach the very definition of normality.

Of course, the iconic Oriental Pearl Tower completed in 1995, could never be considered normal so is appropriately, still out there on it’s own after all these years.

After several years in rented premises, The Architecture + Design Museum in Los Angeles has finally found a permanent home on WIlshire Boulevard adjacent to the LA County Museum of Art. As part of their gala opening and fund raising event, I was invited to participate in the building of a 3D structure from a supplied kit of parts. The pre-cut kits were sent out to a cross section of designers, architects, and artists, ensuring a wild mix of responses.

In trying to think of a way to incorporate some photographic element to my response without it appearing like a blatant advertising opportunity, I was drawn to the irony of constructing a blatant advertising opportunity but with a twist.

Co-incidentally, I had photographed a well-loved LA landmark which happened to have my name on it. So it seemed the obvious image to stick on the billboard.

With the concept firmly etched in my head, I started on assembling the piece from the appropriate kit parts. It was during this process of construction, while unsuccessfully attempting to control the hair trigger on the newly acquired hot glue gun that I was reminded of my strong childhood dislike for building models. Throwing a few LEGO bricks together was totally cool. But messing with the heads of pins, a tube of Airfix glue and the tail section of a B-17 bomber just never really worked out for me. Besides, left to it’s own devices, the glue gun seemed quite capable of extruding a passable sculpture all by itself.

So while the A+D piece got there in the end, I dare say I’m better suited to manipulating 3D back into 2D rather than the reverse.

The opening gala was a great success with over 500 guests attending throughout the night. Here I was squeezed in behind Richard Meier’s exquisitely assembled piece.

The newly opened Red Bull Arena, designed by Rossetti Architects is home to the MLS New York Red Bulls soccer team. Nestled into Harrison, New Jersey and just across from Newark Penn Station, the ribbed, fabric roof cuts a striking silhouette in the heavy industrial landscape.

Indeed there are still several active trucking yards adjacent to the stadium, making for a ready reminder of the area’s heritage.

The new soccer-dedicated stadium puts the fans close to the action on the field. Designed to accommodate a full house of 25,000 spectators, the Red Bull Arena retains an intimacy not attainable within the vast stadiums previously borrowed from the NFL.

The Mission Bay campus of UC San Francisco is slowly but surely growing with the recent addition of a parking structure designed by local firm WRNS.

Contrasting the rather staid corporate research boxes surrounding it, the crisp white facade of new structure positively glows. Wrapped on two sides with panels of perforated metal, the north east tower acts as a wayfinding beacon through the tree-lined pathways, echoing the Legorretta designed Community Center across campus.

Cut with holes which vary in diameter and spacing, the perforated panels project an ever-changing array of shadows through to the interior of the structure as the sun moves.

Sweeping gracefully around a corner site in Beverly Hills, Michael Palladino of Richard Meier & Partners has designed a new corporate office for a prominent Los Angeles real estate firm.

Channel glass office walls offer individual privacy but bring a soft light through to the interior spaces. The central conference room features a skylight with operable louvre shades allowing views to the blue skies above.

An unfamiliar white blob on the distant horizon caught my eye a few days back. Somewhere near Berkeley, something big was afoot.

Trawling around just west of the university, the object in question soon revealed itself to be an enormous white elephant of a building, wrapped no doubt to minimize the release of asbestos dust during demolition and/or refurbishment. The presence of asbestos in these older buildings has been a major health concern and potential financial impediment whenever they are considered for redevelopment. The plastic wrapped facades would have done Christo proud and gave the whole scene a rather bizarre look, particularly with the textured wood and stucco structures along the surrounding streets.

Ironically, it turns out the building is the old California Department of Health Services.