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I’m picturing a slow motion pan across a crowded beach as a phalanx of red and yellow, burkha-clad lifeguards sprint towards a flailing kid on an inflatable camel.

Roll credits.

Opened at the end of 2010, the Sheikh Zayed Bridge in Abu Dhabi was designed by Zaha Hadid to evoke the undulating sands of the desert. 

When approaching the bridge along the new highway, the compressed perspective gives you a distinctly different impression of the long undulating form.

Also completed in Abu Dhabi, Captial Gate designed by RMJM stands adjacent to ADNEC (Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Center). The 35 story tower leans 18 degrees to the west as it rises, making it, according to the erstwhile Guinness Book of Records, the world’s furthest leaning man-made tower. All I know is that it played havoc with figuring out the levels on my camera.

At one point in time, Raha Beach, stretching eastward along the Arabian Gulf from Abu Dhabi, was nominated as the largest construction site on the planet. Projects such as Ferrari World and the Yas Island Formula One Grand Prix Circuit justifiably captured the the world’s attention. While several other projects have since completed, when driving around the area recently, it soon became apparent that many of the cranes were either stationary, or gone altogether.

The remarkable Aldar HQ Building challenges the imagination but is still surrounded by great swathes of raw earth. Add a strong crosswind, raining punishing showers of grit and grime upon all in its path and you begin to wonder whether it’s all a strange mirage.

Rubbing your eyes and getting closer to the building only heightens the sense of the surreal.

Still in Singapore, the final phase of Kohn Pedersen Fox’s Marina Bay Financial Center is nearing completion. Continuing the expansion of Singapore’s central business district around towards the Marina Bay Sands, the deep blue glazed MBFC project includes a large public open space that will become a focal point for both business and residential communities alike.

The addition of a third office tower and a second residential tower to the waterside cluster brings with it an extra burst of activity in the public plaza linking the various ground level lobbies and subterranean retail center.

After a brief weather delay in Orange County (which roughly translates to there being a cloud in the otherwise endlessly blue sky), we squared off against the newly opened John Wayne Airport Terminal C.

As the existing terminals, designed by Gensler in 1990′s, were exceeding capacity, the firm was again commissioned to create an addition in keeping with the original. Six new commercial passenger gates, security screening checkpoints, three baggage carousels and two commuter passenger hold rooms were incorporated into the project. While keeping outward appearances consistent, David Loyola, Design Director at Gensler’s Newport Beach office, introduced new, more efficient lighting systems, daylight-filled connector links and a cleaner color palette, serving to contrast against  the new airport concessions.

An unseasonal storm front crossing through Southern California had delayed my showdown with John Wayne, so with a few hours to fill I turned off the Interstate in Garden Grove to visit the famed Crystal Cathedral and Tower of Hope. I’d driven past them many times en route to other jobs and despite the rain, was happy to get this opportunity to stop awhile.

Due to it’s rather grand scale, the 1980 Johnson-designed Crystal Cathedral somewhat overshadows the earlier and more statuesque Tower of Hope. Finished in 1968, the 13 story tower was designed by Richard  Neutra. Topped with a 90 foot neon-lit cross, the tower was the tallest structure in Orange County for more than a decade.

The staircase on the south-west corner is classic Neutra with the mass of the concrete treads playing off the slim steel rods as they cascade skyward.

Back over at the Crystal Cathedral, the darkening skies, perhaps echoing the recent financial challenges the Ministry has faced, provided a dramatic backdrop to the sleek, reflective forms of the carillion.

Most weekends, London’s financial district resembles a kind a Ghost Town, so when walking through the area early Sunday morning, it was no surprise to engage the apparition of a headless stockbroker.

When it opened in 2005, Dongguan’s New South China Mall was the biggest shopping mall in the world.  Seven years later it still holds that title though is probably a contender for the loneliest place on Earth as well. In the massive 7.1 million sq ft of lettable space there are slots for 1,500 stores. Of the 386 stores that opened in 2005,  a recent count revealed a total of 30 that were actually operating.

The mall has seven wings, themed on different parts of the world. These include a full size replica of the bell tower of Venice’s St. Mark’s Square, an Arc de Triomphe and various Egyptian motifs. An amusement park buried from view in the center of the mall is called Amazing World and features huge indoor roller coaster (still sitting idle), a multiplex cinema and the essential canals with Venetian gondolas.

The original St Mark’s Square Tower in Venice.

The replica St Mark’s Square Tower at New South China Mall

The full size Arc de Triomphe replica in Dongguan, complete with decorative wreaths commemorating the cities which fell under Napoleon.

Looking closely at the  wreath, one can see the city MOSCOW has been placed upside down by a hapless construction worker. Easy mistake when you think about it.

Elsewhere, the seven year old Egyptian statuary is falling victim to the ravages of time.

The more I looked around the city, the more curious connections to Western icons seemed to pop up. Of course we’ve all read about the volume of cheap Chinese knock-offs when it comes to items like fashion labels and movie titles. But seeing the Haiyatt Hotel I thought, moved things into a much grander scale.

Despite my general distrust of advance meteorological knowledge, the forecast low cloud for Shanghai was indeed coming true. Still, it made for some impressive views from the hotel room while waiting for more favorable conditions. Here, the Jin Mao Building and Shanghai World Financial Center dance majestically in and out of the passing clouds.