We are sure that SO-IL‘s PS1 installation, Pole Dance, will be a hit this summer. On Friday we had a preview by Alan R Tansey and today, we found at Iwan Baan’s website another view on the installation. We hope you’ll be able to visit the project in person sometime.

Complete photoset at Iwan’s website, some photos after the break:

Looking for a new city to live? Maybe you should check this ranking first. ECA International has released the list of the 30 most expensive cities to live in. You can see that Tokyo took the first spot and Oslo moved from the 8th spot in 2009 to 2nd in 2010. The ranking is based on a basket of 128 goods including food, daily goods, clothing, electronics, and entertainment.

Two icons of Modernism—the Farnsworth House in Plano, Ill., and Philip Johnson’s Glass House in New Canaan, Conn.—will be the beneficiaries of a newly launched funding initiative by the National Trust for Historic Preservation that reflects the dialogue between the two properties. Modern Views: A Project to Benefit Farnsworth House and the Glass House has a funding goal of $1 million, which will go to the restoration of the Brick House at the Glass House and to restoration, maintenance, and operations at Farnsworth House.

We shared GENETO’s Ivy Building a few days ago, and we just got our hands on this video of the project. Be sure to check out the full story on the project, and enjoy the video.

Today, Switzerland played Honduras for the final spot in South Africa’s World Cup Round of 16. Sadly, they couldn’t go through and what started as a great World Cup for them (beating Spain in the first match), ended today without any luck. So to cheer them up, we selected five great houses from Switzerland we’ve previously featured. Check them all after the break!

Villa Vals / SeARCH & CMA Shouldn’t it be possible to conceal a house in an Alpine slope while still exploiting the wonderful views and allowing light to enter the building? Surprised that it was permissible to construct a pair of dwellings so close to the world famous thermal baths of Vals, the client seized the opportunity to develop the site, without disturbing the bath’s expansive views (read more…)

One World Trade Center has reached a construction milestone by rising 260 ft above street level. Upon its completion in 2013, it will become the tallest office building in the United States reaching 104 stories.

Graphisoft recently released ArchiCAD 14. ArchiCAD was a pioneer in BIM, a tool that has now become standard not only in terms of design and construction, but also for the life cycle of buildings. ArchiCAD has been available for ages for the Mac users, having a large install base on that platform. Their pricing program has made it affordable for new practices.

But back to this new version. Graphisoft has added several new features aiming for better, open collaboration, something very important in terms of pushing BIM as a standard tool on which different professionals can work together. In ArchiCAD 14 we find several workflow enhancements (such as IFC integration, a neutral data model not controlled by any vendor) to successfully bridge along different CAD/BIM/MEP packages, such as Autodesk and Revit, a big step towards an effective IPD (Integrated Project Delivery).

This version also includes BIM Server to further improve teamwork collaboration (64-bit version for the Mac), and Teamwork “Pack & Go” (to allow you to keep working with your team anywhere you go).

More on ArchiCAD 14 new features after the break:

The University of California, Berkeley just announced that they have chosen to work with Diller Scofidio + Renfro to design the new Berkeley Art Musuem + Pacific Film Archive (BAM/PFA). The site of the new museum is a crucial component for connecting the Berkeley campus while also activating the downtown arts and commerce districts.

The RIBA has announced that this year’s Stirling Prize will be shown on BBC Two’s The Culture Show, after viewing figures dipped to an all time low on Channel 4 last year.

Our friend and architecture photographer, Iwan Baan , just published on his website some of his recently shot images of Steven Holl’s Horizontal Skyscraper in Shenzhen, China . The project is a long mixed-use complex which includes office spaces, apartments, a hotel and even a public landscape. Baan’s photos illustrate Holl’s idea that the “building appears as if it were once floating on a higher sea that has now subsided; leaving the structure propped up high on eight legs.”

Complete photoset at Iwan’s website, more images and more about the project after the break.

Even though these hot months can be a bit stifling, we’re excited because the summer means that the PS1 installation by SO-IL (catch our coverage of the winning proposal here) is almost ready for the public! Upon watching SO-IL’s competition entry video, we are patiently waiting to experience the physical manifestation of the Pole Dance’s conceptual ideas about making space. While you can expect full coverage of the project, thanks to our reader, Alan R Tansey, we can share a sneak peak of the Pole Dance installation with you today. Enjoy!

More images after the break.

We just featured an article about London’s construction frenzy, which includes over half a dozen skyscrapers for the city. This new era will completely alter the city’s skyline as tall buildings will be sprouting everywhere to house new office, commercial, and residential activities. Of these new structures, Renzo Piano’s 310 meter high mix-used tower, The Shard (be sure to check out our coverage of the tower), will not only become London’s tallest tower, but also the tallest building in all of Western Europe. Of all of London’s new developments, we are excited to see this dynamic tower’s impact on the city and its relationship with London’s context and future neighboring skyscrapers.

We have new images to share from Renzo Piano Building Workshop and more video clips of the construction progress after the break.

What you’ve all been waiting for! Here’s our second selection of photos of our Flickr pool we’ve done on June. Selections are getting harder each time as we’re about to get to 20,000 photos! You can see all of our previous selections here. As always, remember you can submit your own photo here, and don’t forget to follow us through Twitter and our Facebook Fan Page to find many more features.

The photo above was taken by Bercy Chen Studio LP in Lake Austin, Texas. Check the other four after the break.

The RIBA is delighted to announce the launch of an international open design competition on behalf of The Royal Parks Foundation and Tiffany & Co. Foundation for the design of a new drinking fountain which can then be installed throughout the Royal Parks in London. The programme, called Tiffany – Across the Water, focuses on ornamental and drinking fountains in the capital’s eight Royal Parks and will see the creation of a stunning new fountain in St James’s Park, restoration of the Italian Gardens in Kensington Gardens, as well as improvements to drinking fountains to benefit the Royal Parks’ 37 million visitors each year.

Calatrava’s talent has produced sculpturesque bridges and transportation hubs worldwide, and now, his sustainably-focused museum for Rio de Janeiro will also gain international attention. The architect/engineer has just unveiled his design which will be part of a larger urban design project to transform Rio’s waterfront into a thriving cultural and residential community.

More images and more about the museum after the break.

By now, many of you have already seen all the stadiums of South Africa’s World Cup. And many of you may agree with me on this: Moses Mabhida Stadium in Durban is the most beautiful stadium of the World Cup. Designed by gmp architekten, Theunissen Jankowitz Durban, Ambro-Afrique Consultants, Osmond Lange Architects & Planners, NSM Designs, and Mthulisi Msimang, this venue will host one of the semi-finals on July 7.

Just over a month ago, we were happy to report that our field seemed to be through the toughest time, as the Architecture Billings Index had increased for the third straight month showing a sustained economic improvement. Now, we are definitely not so happy to share some information that a lot of architects assumed would happen. Following our strong spring, the AIA billings index dropped quite precipitously from 48.5 to 45.8 and every region declined. The rough month suggests that our recovery will continue to be long and frustrating, a worrisome reality that some professionals may have been anticipating. “I was a bit surprised by it, particularly the magnitude,” AIA Chief Economist Kermit Baker said. “It’s been jumping around for the past six to nine months, but this is a big drop after some pretty steady gains.”

A few days ago, we shared some information about the second segment of Field Operations and DS+R’s High Line, including construction shots to show the progress being made. Today, we share renderings from the firms which illustrate some of the cool features we can look forward to seeing. The second phase will include a “spur” – a framed space recalling the historical billboards that once attached to the railway, a “floating platform” which rests above the exposed girders, “Chelsea Thicket” – a dense stretch of trees and shrubs, a “flyover” where the walkway rises into the canopy of sumac trees, and of course, a grand lawn for lounging.

Take a look at the renderings after the break, and we’ve also included a video of the whole project to see how the pieces will come together.

Designed by GENETO, a Japanese firm,the Ivy Building is quite complex to the effect that the program changes so frequently. Although a small scale building, the programmatic needs shift from retail to office to residential, yet a wrapping staircase connects the fragment pieces into a whole. ”We wanted to create a new type of building by combining different kinds of program and propose a building that is opened to the society,” explained the architects.

On the occasion of the 2010 World Expo in Shanghai, INBAR and the Federation of Hong Kong Industries are organizing the International Bamboo and Rattan Products Ideas Competition to help drive green practices in cities around the world.

The preliminary design for the 22 million euro project ‘Mauritshuis building for the future’ was unveiled on June 22, 2010. The ambitious design links Plein 26, the art deco building opposite the Mauritshuis in The Hague which is part of the Nieuwe of Littéraire Sociëteit de Witte, with the museum by means of an underground foyer, thus doubling the square footage and increasing its potential. The project is expected to be completed by mid 2014.

Dutch architect Hans van Heeswijk’s preliminary design, in which light and clarity are prominent, does justice to the international status of the Mauritshuis. The facilities will be expanded to include a new exhibition hall, an auditorium for lectures and conferences, and an education space. A new entrance will be created at the front of the building so visitors will fully appreciate its elegant façade. The shop and the café will also be refurbished. Construction will begin in 2012 and the project is expected to be completed mid-2014.

More images and a video after the break.

When the Trenton Parking Authority proposed a design challenge to improve the area, KSS Architects responded with an adaptive re-use strategy that transforms an existing structure to activate the site’s surroundings. Currently, the site is occupied by an old brutalist parking garage dating back to the 1970′s and lacks any recognition of its important history – just south of the project site is Mill Hill Park, where American and British soldiers fought the first and second battles of Trenton during the Revolutionary War. The architects’ proposal acknowledges the site’s rich history while adding a sense of vitality to the prominent edge of the downtown area.

Architects Lifschutz Davidson Sandilands and food consultant Ford McDonald have released the first images of their designs for a 50,000 sqft fit-out in a new department store on Moscow’s Tsvetnoy Boulevard. The team is providing three floors of food retail and restaurant space, including a spectacular destination rooftop café.

More images and architect’s description after the break.

As we are inching closer to the weekend, perhaps you might find yourself letting your inner child run loose by catching Disney/Pixar’s latest creation, “Toy Story 3″. We just found out some fun news from Architectural Record that the team of animators is supervised by David Eisenmann, an architect. After attaining his architectural degree, Eisenmann was working in San Francisco when he spotted a Pixar job posting. Eisenmann has climbed the ranks from set dressing for Pixar’s previous films, “A Bug’s Life” and “Toy Story 2,” to now overseeing all animation. And there’s a ton of elements to be animated, “We had 2,600 unique models in the daycare center alone,” Eisenmann says. When an artist on “Toy Story 3″ asked Eisenmann what kind of personal artwork he does outside the studio, he answered, “I came here as an architect. My artwork ‘outside,’ is my work in here.”