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Finance: The Latest Architecture and News

2023's Public Architecture in China: Exploring Emerging Hubs and Established Urban Centers

In the dynamic landscape of contemporary urban development, public architecture is an essential force in reshaping cities. In fact, this element of urban regeneration can revitalize economies and reactivate surrounding commercial schemes. In this transformative era, cities across China have evolved into financial hubs, attracting world-renowned firms and architects who are redefining these skylines. In turn, these metropolises become embodiments of future innovation and lifestyle.

China's cities have become centers of modernity as a result of its explosive prominence in the world economy. These cities have become magnets for architectural marvels that go beyond simple functionality, from Shanghai's ceaseless reinvention to Beijing's cultural renaissance and Shenzhen's undeniable emergence as a global center in technology, research, manufacturing, business, economics, finance, tourism, and transportation, complete with the Port of Shenzhen, the world's fourth busiest container port. Overall, these cities are a crucial gateway in understanding the developing dynamics in metropolitan environments.

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The Second Studio Podcast: Should Architects Sell Floor Plans Online?

The Second Studio (formerly The Midnight Charette) is an explicit podcast about design, architecture, and the everyday. Hosted by Architects David Lee and Marina Bourderonnet, it features different creative professionals in unscripted conversations that allow for thoughtful takes and personal discussions.

A variety of subjects are covered with honesty and humor: some episodes are interviews, while others are tips for fellow designers, reviews of buildings and other projects, or casual explorations of everyday life and design. The Second Studio is also available on iTunes, Spotify, and YouTube.

This week David and Marina of FAME Architecture & Design discuss whether or not architects should sell their floor plans online. The two cover the financial benefits of selling plans, making good floor plans accessible to more people, the downsides of selling partial services, quality concerns, the future of the profession, prioritizing speed and efficiency in design, why architects are often not used on projects, and more.

UNStudio Begins Construction on Visionary Financial Forum in Georgia

UNStudio has broken ground on their TBC Forum in Tbilisi, Georgia, exploring a “new open, flexible and interactive approach to financial institutions.” Departing from the traditional closed, introverted typology of historic banking structures, the TBC Forum is founded on the design principles of flexibility, and transparency.

Situated in the natural surroundings of the Lisi Lake resort, the TBC Forum is strategically placed to form a contemporary yet respectful interpretation of the historic highland stone-and-mortar village of Shatili.  

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Mega-Tall Skyscrapers Herald Economic Depression, Says Barclays

The world economy has endured a series of crises over the past century, and architecture has recently been recognized as a harbinger of these crises. Two years ago, British finance group Barclays released an index of skyscraper construction projects that correlate with the occurrence of economic downturns since 1873. Many of the tallest buildings in the world have been built at times of severe economic struggle, the most recent being Dubai's Burj Khalifa, built during the Great Recession of 2007 through 2010. According to Barclays, "the world’s tallest buildings are simply the edifice of a broader skyscraper building boom, reflecting a widespread misallocation of capital and an impending economic correction."

All the major financial crises in the past century, and the buildings that predicted them after the break...