Dubai's Real Estate Bubble

To signal its recovery, Dubai is planning to build a real estate bubble, literally. It's a 600 meter tall building shaped like a soap-bubble, that is largely empty except for a roof top space for bars and restaurants. The large lobby also has some retail space. The building is designed by renowned firm Hawks International, and will be developed by Dubai real developers...

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Tour First - La Défense

Tour First (formerly Tour Axa) is nearing completion. I designed the tower's external envelope while at KPF 5 years a...

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Jean Nouvel to design this year's Serpentine Pavilion

Jean Nouvel has been chosen to design this year's Serpentine Pavillion. The bright-red structure, to be made from  steel, glass, plastic and fabric,  will feature table tennis tables and an auditorium. It stands out from the schemes of the last few years which tended to be under-stated. The bright-red colour in particular is a nice touch, we've had enough modest...

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Photographs of Le Gray Hotel, Beirut Central District

The recently completed Le Gray Hotel in Beirut is the last project I worked on with Kevin Dash. It is operated by Gordon Campbell Gray, who's behind the One Aldwych and several other high-end hotels. The hotel is in a conservation area with very strict guidelines governing the exterior appearance of the building down to materials, details and massing. The hotel takes its cues...

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Why London needs more skyscrapers.

Read my argument for why London needs more skyscrapers in Culture Wars&nb...

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Design your own London skyline.

A great tool has been launched by  Hayes Davidson one of the leading visualisation firms in the UK, it lets you design your own London skyline. It does have some limitations because you can only use existing designs, but still great fun. So what did I decide to do with it? Of course, put the Burj Dubai in London. That immediately shows you how modest the buidlings that...

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iEmbassy: The new American Embassy in London looks like it's designed by Apple

My first reaction was that the building looks more like a dumpling than a beacon of democracy, but on further reflection, it looks like it's been designed by Apple. Welcome to the new iEmbassy!The proposals for the new American Embassy building in London were unveiled yesterday. The new building intended for a site close to the River Thames in Wandsworth will replace the Eero...

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