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Every day we spend quite some time visiting architect’s websites (maybe even yours!) to be up to date with new and ongoing projects.

It’s a very fun part of our job, especially when websites have a good design and usability. However from time to time we stumble upon websites that are very difficult to browse, or present projects in a way that you can’t even understand them.

You know that we as architects have the ability to design “from a spoon to a city”, and a website should be among those things we can (and should) design, especially when it is one of our most important marketing tools. I’m not saying that you should learn HTML and code your own website, but as we know from our work, an informed client is a good client. Therefore, having a good idea on what your website should offer to its visitors can help you relate with the person you hire to maintain it, the same way we love when a client has a clear idea on how they want their building to be… and not asking for a “green roof” just because they read it in some random magazine.

Below you will find a few tips that can help you on this process. I’m very confident that some of you may already know about some of them, and it’d be great if you could share your comments based on your experience.

Like many large scale projects around the country, REX’s Museum Plaza, in the city of Louisville, Kentucky, had just broken ground and had given light to many dreams for the downtown community when the nation’s financial crisis hit the city. Needless to say, financing came to a standstill and funding for the towers the city had been hoping for was no longer an option. Their current construction loan of $140.5 million, city contributions, bonds and funds already put forth by the team was not enough to proceed in their construction efforts until positive news came their way at the turn of the month. More images and description after the break.

The Galerie Emmanuel Perrotin located in Miami’s Design District is an extension of a predominant Paris gallery. The renovation and addition by Oppenheim Architecture + DesignThe Miami gallery is an extension of a predominant Paris gallery. The design intention was to maintain the buildings original 1950s character, maximizing exhibition space, while simultaneously integrating the mechanical systems in an inconspicuous manner. The gallery will serve not only as an exhibition space but also as a residence for the gallery owner and as a living space for visiting artists. Photographs, and drawings along wiht a further description about the Galerie following the break.

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Architects: Oppenheim Architecture + Design Location: Design District, Miami, Florida Project Team: Chad Oppenheim, Juan Calvo, Leslie Abraham, and Carolina Jaimes Client: G.E.P. LLC Landscape Architect: Rosenberg Design Consultants: Vidal and Associates, Cornerstone Engineering General Contractor: Jack Green Project Area: 14,000 sqf renovation and 3,000 sqf addition Project Year: 2006 (renovation) Renderings: Oppenheim Architecture + Design Photos: Ken Hayden

Only in China could we find a video featuring the construction of the 15 story Ark Hotel built in 6 days. Located in Changsa this building is level 9 earthquake resistant and incorporates some sustainable practices.

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What does a life look like when viewed through Google Earth? On the surface, it simply looks like different settlement patterns that morph depending on the altitude setting. Some places have 3D buildings, but most do not. In a few cases, the 3D buildings were inaccurately rendered. The person who had done them had never actually visited these places from my life. He was merely going off the satellite image and guessing at building heights and shapes. I, on the other hand, posses a great deal of information.

What would it look like if I annotated these maps with my memories; if I extruded the buildings? The notations would be so dense as to obscure the territory itself. Should Google give the responsibility for these geographies to those who contain them within their memories? Maybe Google should hire me to be the custodian of my own territories, past and present.

More after the break.

Within this past month we featured STL and Sun & Associates‘ proposal for the Kaohsiung Competition. Now, Maxwan shares with us their design for a Marine and Pop Music Center. Their design, titled ‘LOVE COVE’, focuses on exposing the reality of the various activities that take place at the marine port through a visual showcase while engaging with the culture of the country. More images and architect’s description after the break.

Signaling the growing influence of China’s inland cities, global architecture, engineering and urban design practice RTKL, announced the groundbreaking of the first phase of Pearl River New Town, an 80-acre district in Chengdu that will form the heart of the city’s westward growth and modernization. More images and architect’s description after the break.

Architects Rene Daniels Ayala + Miguel Angel Lozano Vargas + Adriana Hernández Quicazan have designed a proposal from the housing of the Colombian Soccer Team, along with vegetal trails and sports fields, on the site of the main open and public space of Bogotá, the Parque Simón Bolívar in Bogotá, Colombia. The design proposes an articulation of the Metropolitan Park in its relationship to the rest of the city.

More information and images after the break.

The Cube mixed-use condominium complex, designed by Oppenheim Architecture + Design, represents the next frontier in multifamily high-rise housing in urban areas. In response to the individual needs of owners and the need of creating a sense of identity, this design provides the opportunity to not simply pick finishes and add fences. Future condominium owners are propelled to communicate with the architect their needs and day to day functions. Architectural assumption is thrown to the wayside, and Cube is the approach to condominium living in Miami.

Last week on ArchDaily we featured our interview with Chad Oppenheim founding partner of Oppenheim Architecture + Design. Be sure to check out the full interview here.

Follwing the break are words from the architect, along with rendering, and drawings of this future building.

Architects: Oppenheim Architecture + Design Location: Design District, Miami, Florida Credits: Chad Oppenheim, Carlos Ramos, Giovana Henao, Kevin McMorris, Juan López, Carla Urreiztieta, Camilo Orozco, Ana Maria Calle, and Rodrigo Londoño Client: Nexus Development Group Project Area: 240,000 sqf Project Year: Estimated Completion 2012 Renderings: Dbox

If you are in the New York area, Columbia University is organizing a celebration for architect and critic Kenneth Frampton’s 80th birthday. This event, entitled Five Architects: A North American Anthology , is a conference curated by Frampton on Saturday, November 13 running from 10 am – 6 pm. The five architects will include Steven Holl of New York, Rick Joy of Tucson, John + Patricia Patkau of Vancouver, Stanley Saitowitz of San Francisco and Brigitte Shim + Howard Sutcliffe of Toronto. The diverse group represents a varied body of work which, although quite distinct and different, share certain values, such as a particularly sensitive feeling for the impact of both craftsmanship and climate on the generation of form and a seemingly, equally shared concern for the expressive tactility of material and the articulation of structure under the impact of light.

This summer, C.F. Møller Architects informed us of their shared first prize for a competition to design a new Opera and Culture Center in Norway. The firm just shared with us that the jury has recently selected C. F. Møller Architects as the final winner (Norwegian firm Space Group in collaboration with the London firm Brisac Gonzales was the other first place contestant). As we’ve previously featured, the new center will create a vibrate cultural community for opera, dance, plus educational and mixed programs. The winning proposal, entitled Kulturkvartalet, forms an entire cultural district where the “light and lively facades create an ever-changing play of light and shadow.” Set to be inaugurated in 2014, the center will connect the various activities with a network of pedestrian streets, squares, and a nearby park. The project will abide by the environmental standard BREEAM.

More images after the break.

We’ve been featuring a lot of great interviews lately that you need to check out! So here’s our last five: Philip Enquist, Steve Dumez, SO-IL, Michael Graves, and Chad Oppenheim after the break!

AD Interviews: Philip Enquist, SOM When I visited Chicago, I had to visit one of the key actors on shaping a city that breaths architecture, from big part of the skyline to the Millenium Park: SOM. I have visited SOM before, to interview Craig Hartman at the San Francisco office, but Chicago was were it all started back in 1936 with Louis Skidmore and Nathaniel Owings, and John O. Merrill who joined in 1939 (read more…)

The AOD shall receive a contract for US$ 250,000. Last date for Registration is 15th December 2010. Winners will be announced in the third week of February 2011. For details please log on to: www.spireteccompetition.com.

The trio of KNIPPERS HELBIG Advanced Engineering, POHL Architekten Stadtplaner and STEINMETZDEMEYER Architects have been awarded 1st Prize for their proposal for the international architectural competition for the new building of the Trade Fair Park Luxembourg and train station Luxembourg-Kirchberg. Additional images, a brief description of the competition and the architects description after the break.

The mixed-use Campus Center designed by Oppenheim Architecture + Design for Miami Dade Community College will make a statement within the skyline of the tropical city. Popular for its flowing spaces from interior to exterior, the architects capitalized on Miami’s climate creating an open-aired campus design complete with arcades, quads, and plazas. The design incorporates a variety of materials and sustainable practices including a steel frame exo-skeletal system, clad and aluminum with clear glass aluminum window wall system, solar panels in portions of the roof, and vertical shafts wind turbines.

Here you can check out our interview with Chad Oppenheim founding partner of Oppenheim Architecture + Design featured last week on ArchDaily.

More details, drawings, and photographs about the Campus Center by Oppenheim Architecture + Design after the break.

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Architects: Oppenheim Architecture + Design Location: Miami, Florida Project Team: Chad Oppenheim, Carl Römer, Eduardo Quintero, Carlos Ramos, Germán Brun, Juan López, Sebastian Velez, Robert Moehring, Gianpaolo Pietri, Helen Zhao, Hugo Mijares, Joshua Sacks, Lizmarie Esparza, Francisco Llado, Piero Valtolina, and Santhosh Shanmugam Developer: Gregg Covin Development Client: Miami Dade Community College Project Area: 2,500,000 sqf Project Year: Estimated Completion 2012 Renderings: Dbox and Olalekan Jeyifous

Breaking the Surface will explore the new science and aesthetic of the architectural surface, especially in regard to how the study of biomimetic form and the parametric turn in design are informing new modes of design and construction. The panelists include Cecil Balmond, an architect and designer, hailed by London’s Guardian as “one of the most important forces in contemporary architecture today,”; Professor Harry Ruda, a “surface” breaking scientist and Director of U of T’s Centre for Advanced Nanotechnology; and Nader Tehrani of Office dA, one of the designers of the new Daniels Faculty expansion and the head of MIT’s Architecture Department. This thought-provoking discussion will be moderated by Dean Richard Sommer.

Oglo Architects have recently shared with us their “Hollow Tower” for the Buenos Aires Vertical Zoo competition. Their sculptural proposal aims to act as a polarizing object amongst its surroundings in Buenos Aires without removing itself from the context of the city. Additional images and the architects description after the break.

Construction official begins today for OMA’s latest project, Maggie’s Centre Gartnavel. This facility is part of a pioneering project using thoughtful architecture and innovative spaces as tools for solace and healing. OMA’s design approach carefully composed a ring of interlocking spaces that provide moments of comfort and relief. With a flat roof and floor levels that respond to the natural topography, the rooms vary in height, with the more intimate areas programmed for personal uses such as counseling, and open spacious zones as gathering places creating a sense of community.

Located in a natural setting, like a pavilion in the woods, the building is both introverted and extroverted: each space has a relationship either to the internal, landscaped courtyard or to the surrounding woodland and greenery, while certain moments provide views of Glasgow beyond.

Architects: OMA Location: Glasgow, Scotland Client: Maggie’s Cancer Caring Centres foundation Project Area: 534 sqm Photographs: Courtesy of OMA

Currently under construction, the Film Theatre of Catalonia is a new building for the Cinematheque of Catalunya in the Raval, Barcelona. Mateo Arquitectura won first prize in 2004 for their design proposal and they were kind enough to share their construction photographs with us. Follow the break for more photographs and an extract of the meeting between Josep Lluís Mateo and José Luis Guerín about the Raval district in Barcelona.

Architects: Mateo Arquitectura Location: Raval, Barcelona Client: Generalitat de Catalunya Project Area: 7,515 sqm Photographs: Adrià Goula

Last week we featured really interesting articles, like The Challenges of Abandoned Architecture, about the Buzludzha Monument in Bulgaria. Also, two amazing project in Europe, a classic by Le Corbusier, and Kengo Kuma’s awarded design for the V&A at Dundee. Check them all after the break.

The Challenges of Abandoned Architecture : Buzludzha Monument / Gueorguy Stoilov Why would this building be abandoned when at one point it was such a significant symbol for the country? Buildings such as this that have been left to stand alone are calling out for architects to intervene and come up with well thought out solutions while being sensitive to its historical significance. At one time, the Buzludzha Monument, designed by Gueorguy Stoilov, was the most celebrated monument dedicated to the sociopolitical movement of communism (read more…)

Freeform + Deform, a creative collective from New York, shared with us their project ‘First Principle: Earth as Material”, presented at the Input_Output: Adaptive Materials and Mediated Environments symposium hosted by Temple University. More images and architect’s description after the break.

The 2011 RIBA Norman Foster Travelling Scholarship was launched today and invites applications from RIBA-accredited schools of architecture around the world. A £6,000 grant will be awarded to one student by a panel of judges which includes Norman Foster and the President of the RIBA. Regarding last year’s competition Foster stated, “we were greatly impressed with the breadth and quality of last year’s entries, but the proposals that really stood out for the jury were focused, setting out clear aims and looking afresh at a current issue. I look forward to seeing the many creative ways in which students will develop their research proposals early next year.”

Gansam Architects & Partners proposal for the SILO Recycling International Competition for the Yeosu Expo in Yeosu, South Korea. The design includes an expo gallery and visitor’s center that hopes to establish the feeling of the expo center with the city and its natural environment.

Read on for more images and information after the break.

Miami’s Design District will soon be home to not just another building, but to COR. The ambitious project to design the first sustainable mixed-use condominium in Miami has been getting a lot of buzz and rightfully so. At 400′ tall it represents a dynamic synergy between architecture, structural engineering, and ecology. Extracting power from its environment utilizing the latest advancements in wind turbines, photovoltaics, and solar hot water generation COR upon completion will be seeking a LEED Platinum certification. The polka dotted hyper-efficient exoskeleton shell simultaneously provides building structure, thermal mass for insulation, shading for natural cooling, enclosure for terraces, armatures for turbines, and loggias for congregating on the ground. Comprising commercial, office, fitness, live/work, and pure residential spaces (113 residences from studios to penthouses)—COR provides a uniquely flexible platform for­ lifestyle enhancement.

Last week on ArchDaily we featured our interview with Chad Oppenheim founding partner of Oppenheim Architecture + Design. Below is a portion of the interview regarding the design of COR, and the full interview can be found here.

Follow the break for drawings and renderings of COR, along with a list of environmental design techniques incorporated into the design.

Architects: Oppenheim Architecture + Design Location: Miami, Florida, United States Project Team: Chad Oppenheim, Carlos Ramos, Juan López, Carolina Jaimes, Juan Calvo, Hugo Mijares, Jessica Santaniello Barrera, Rodrigo Londoño and Camilo Orozco Client: Nexus Development Group Project Area: 480,000 sqf Project Year: Estimated 2011 Renderings: Dbox