Foster + Partners Thames Hub proposal has continuously made progress throughout the year of 2011, however reports say the practice is facing some opposition in the new year. In early November, Foster + Partners revealed the £50bn project that plans to include a £20bn high-speed Orbital Rail line around London; a new £6bn Thames Barrier and crossing; and a £20bn international Estuary Airport, with annual capacity for 150 million passengers.

Urban Intervention is challenging you, the innovative designer, to create a multidisciplinary design team able to conceive the new vision for Seattle’s public space in the coming century. “Design ideas should harness Seattle’s history of innovation and civic engagement to inspire the next generation of great public spaces, connecting interaction and innovation to meet the challenges of the future”.

The 9-acre site is located within the 74-acre Seattle Center campus, neighboring the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, Experience Music Project, Space Needle and other cultural assets. The top three finalists will receive $30,000, allowing them to further develop their ideas into the second phase. The grand prize winner will receive an additional $30,000 cash award.

Continue reading for more important dates and information.

The mayor of Montréal, Gérald Tremblay, recently announced the winning project in the architecture competition for the new indoor soccer center at the Saint-Michel Environmental Complex (SMEC). The jury has chosen the concept developed by Saucier + Perrotte & Hughes Condon Marler Architects from among the four submitted by the finalist firms. The daring and creative project is one more step toward the completion of this long-awaited project, which will provide Montrealers with access to a sports center that is not only functional but boasts a modern design meeting the highest standards of quality. This public building, a testament to the talent of our local architects, will be incorporated into the SMEC, one of the largest parks in Montréal. More images and project description after the break.

Our friends from Cebra gave us two signed copies of their book ‘Cebra Files 02‘ for us to organize a small giveaway between our readers! All you need to do is tell us which are your 3 favorite projects from Cebra (check them all here) and a small explanation of why do you like them.

Back in June, we shared JDS‘ winning mixed use project for Hangzhou, China. Conceptualized as the iconic link that fuses two prominent parts of the city, the Hangzhou H project is a dynamic experiment of formal expression. The tiered volume opens pedestrian connections at the ground level, and supports a generous landscape that functions as a rain water retainer on the roof level. The young firm has just received the necessary building permits, and will begin construction in March of 2012. We’ll keep you covered on the building’s progress, and be sure to view our previous coverage of the winning competition proposal here.

In this temporary pavilion by Mark Talbot and Tyler Survant just outside of Louisville, Kentucky, the controlled collision of ruled surfaces generates arched passageways and vault-like spaces. In addition to defining a social milieu at the threshold of lake and land, the pavilion provides shade from the summer sun by day and magnifies the light of campfires lit beneath it by night. More images and project description after the break.

The project, Diamond for Dementia by Haugen/ Zohar Arkitekter, is a winning entry in a competition for upgrading an outdoor electrical supplier in a healthcare center for people suffering from dementia. The project intention was to transform the supplier’s old concrete walls into a jewel, a diamond, giving a focal point to the space, which the user could relate to as a steady though ever-changing reference. Since dementia is a condition that impacts one’s memory and other sensory related functions that many of us may take for granted, this project can provide a healthy experience for patients suffering from the condition and a rewarding experience for visitors and other users at the center. More images and architects’ description after the break.

Frank Lloyd Wright’s Fallingwater has joined a rapidly growing list of interactive apps catered to architects and architecture fanatics. Brought to you by planet architecture, you may now explore the iconic 1930’s Pennsylvania home right from your media device. Get a behind-the-scenes tour through hundreds of photographs, floor plans, archival drawings, VR panoramas and over 25 minutes of video clips from the documentary film “Frank Lloyd Wright’s Fallingwater”. As architecture continues to join the interactive world of apps, we cannot wait to see which architect or project will be next! Learn about the Zaha Hadid Architects app here.

Continue after the break for more screenshots and video.

                   Federal Reserve Bank of NY (unbuilt) | One United Nations Plaza                    Courtesy of Museum of the City of New York

The Museum of the City of New York is host to several exhibits focusing on the architectural environment of the urban setting. Through February 5th, the museum is hosting a collection of Kevin Roche’s work in Kevin Roche: Architecture as Environment. This exhibit features elegant projects that span through Roche’s career and features variety of styles and influence throughout.

For more on this exhibit, follow us after the break.

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London-based architect David Chipperfield has been officially named as the new curator for the Venice Biennale 2012, the world’s largest architecture exhibition. More information after the break.

Founder of Amateur Architecture Studio and Head of Architecture at the China Academy of Art, Wang Shu was the first Chinese architect to hold Harvards Graduate School of Design (GSD) Kenzo Tange professorship. The Harvard lecture honors architect Kenzo Tange by bringing distinguished architects from around the globe to the GSD.

Maide Inc. recently released an app that controls 3D programs over the wifi network from the iPad. The app now works with Maya, 3DS Max, Sketchup, Rhino and Solidworks (Beta). The company is just one step closer to controlling all CAD software through multi-touch applications. Check out the video above for a demo on the app.

As Manhattan grows and progresses, change, with regard to building performance, is inevitable. Many newly constructed buildings uphold sustainable standards from the start; yet, the city is overwhelming settled with existing structures that need some upgrading – case in point, the retrofit project of the Empire State building that will cut energy usage by close to 40% and carbon emissions by over 100,000 metric tons over the next 15 years.  As the city tries to put its greenest face forward by retrofitting older buildings and adding sustainable features, zoning laws from the 1960s did not account for, and thus, in some cases do not allow, such changes.

Recently, the city has introduced its latest initiative, Zone Green, which Amanda Burden, Chair of the City Planning Commission, has called the most comprehensive effort of any U.S. city to sweep aside zoning obstacles to the construction and retrofitting of green buildings. ”Removing zoning impediments to green buildings will give building owners more choices to make investments that save money, save energy, and improve the quality of our environment,” explained Burden.

More about Zone Green after the break. 

Warming Huts v.2012, an arts and architecture competition on ice in Winnipeg, Canada, recently announced the winners which demonstrate a collection of varying interpretations of shelter.

Frank Gehry will design a hut made from large blocks of ice entitled, FIVE-HOLE. The blocks are slated to be shipped from Montreal especially for Gehry’s project. Three huts were chosen from over 40 other entries in the open design competition. The winning designs, WIND CATCHER, Ice Pillows, and ROPE Pavilion represent Norway, Czech Republic and New York respectively. The fifth and final hut, entitled HOTHUT, came from a call to University of Manitoba Architecture students who competed in teams for the final coveted spot. More images and information on the winning proposals after the break.

Carrilho da Graça Arquitectos recently won the international competition for the protection project and musealization of the Gallo-Roman villa of Séviac, in Montréal-du-Gers, France. The project sets up a protective device and does not relate to a known typology that is a technical device with its own logic – a homogeneous-looking device that creates an event – which does not compete with the archaeological remains, but rather gives a new insight into the importance and influence of the villa. The event: to take this opportunity to give contemporary architecture its legitimate place in Gers. More images and architects’ description after the break.

In typography, the ‘Counter’ is the space contained by letters (this is where monkish Irish Illuminators famously had space to play). For the monks, the space between the letters was as meaningful as the letters themselves. In ‘Counterspace’, the winning proposal by CODA for the Europan 2011 competition in Dublin, the linear forms of the traditional rows are transformed and interwoven to create a range of counterspaces: from enclosed collective space for safe children’s play, to urban plaza for adults’ lattés. Just like on the 19th century street of industrial terraced Dublin, the life of the community happens in the space between the rows of housing, in the counterspace. More images and architects’ description after the break.

Since Wim Wenders’s new documentary “Pina” hit the theaters this month, the online world hasn’t stopped talking about the German film director’s plan to create a 3D documentary film on architecture. In a recent interview with the Documentary Channel, Wenders revealed his plans stating, “I have actually already started a long-term project, another documentary in 3D. It will take several years, but it’s going to be about architecture. I have always wanted to do a film about architecture, and I have a lot of architect friends. But that is another subject I never really knew how to approach with film. I realized through PINA that architecture is something that could have a real affinity to this medium. We started shooting already, but it’s at the very, very beginning. That’s going to be my next documentary project in 3D, but I would definitely also do a narrative film in the future in 3D as well.”

Continue reading for more information and videos.

2011 is coming to an end, and we prepared a three-day special remembering the best of the best from this incredible year in architecture.

The comments in a post are one of the most important aspects for us. It can generate a positive debate towards a specific project or architecture news, it gives us feedback and it allows you to interact with other readers from all over the world.

A 72 cm house in its narrowest point, Apple’s campus in Cupertino, Libeskind’s Military History museum in Dresden, the 2011 Pritzker Prize winner, and an inverted ‘earthscraper’ in Mexico are among our most commented of 2011. Check them all after the break.

The winner and two runners-up of the Philips Livable Cities Award have started their projects. You can follow the progress of the recipients – from Yemen, Argentina and Uganda – as they document their process on their blog and video diary. The Philips Livable Cities Award is a “global initiative designed to generate innovative, meaningful and achievable ideas to improve the health and well-being of city-dwellers across the world”. The awardees received grants that will allow them to bring their ideas to life, improving the livability within their local communities.

Continue reading for videos and more information on the three award-winning projects.

Bosco Verticale, by Boeri Studio (now recognized as Barreca & La Varra and Stefano Boeri Architetti), is a high-density tower block that experiments with the integration of a lush landscape within the facade of the architecture. The Vertical Forest, currently in construction in Milan, Italy, deal with the concept of regenerating the lost forests on the ground within the inhabitable space of buildings. The towers are 80 metres and 112 metres tall. Together they will have the capacity to hold 480 big and medium sized trees, 250 small size trees, 11,000 groundcover plants and 5,000 shrubs – the equivalent of a hectare of forest. For more on this project, follow us after the break.

Architects: Boeri Studio (Stefano Boeri, Gianandrea Barreca, Giovanni La Varra) Location: Milan, Italy Design Phase: 2006 – 2008 Construction Phase: 2008 – 2013

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The proposal for the Metro Station 20 by MSB Architects aims to create passing spaces, with the creation and delineation of structures and trees that provide the amenities for this occupation. Assuming that the city will grow to this area, this project may be structured in this new area of the city through the creation of common spaces – above and below ground – with a philosophy of unity at a visual and functional language. More images and architects’ description after the break.

Check out this fun video of students from Carleton University enjoying a series of cool architecture installations at their annual public gala.  This year, Barry J. Hobin & Associates Architects and GRC Architects with Wall Sound-Lighting.com and Graphic Carleton Services sponsored the efforts to transform the open hall with architectural interventions and installation art to create one of the largest student organized events in Ottawa.  We love the tunnel that changes color and the metal slides on the grass – what’s your favorite?

YanPaiXi Village, designed by Regional Construction Studio, is located in Guzhang County, Western Hunan. The houses in the village are surrounded by terraces which were built along the mountain and are divided into a number of large and small blocks by channels which are generated by nature. The society is steady and the residents are sincere and honest. Inspired by this village, the device attempts to explore an inter-growth prototype by implanting this “light” model in an urban and rural space. More images and architects’ description after the break.