UNITED STATES
The American Institute of Architects is calling for community applicants for the 2010 Sustainable Design Assessment Team Program (SDAT). Under the initiative, architect-led teams are composed of volunteer professionals representing a range of disciplines, including urban design professionals, economic development experts, land use attorneys, and others. The approach is designed to address many of the common challenges communities face by producing long-term sustainability plans that are realistic and reflect each community’s unique context.
SCOTLAND
Scottosh firm RMJM has won the $613 (£300) million athletes’ village for the 2014 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow. The village will accommodate 8,000 athletes and officials during the event, with further housing being built on the site after the games. The athletes’ accommodation will also be refurbished to create family housing. Construction is expected to start in autumn 2010. The firm was also recently named planning consultant on the delivery of key venues for next year’s Commonwealth Games in Delhi.
BULGARIA
A new shopping centre in Burgas, Bulgaria, will be going ahead thanks to approval from the municipal authority. The project, by UK firm GMW Architects, is described as Bulgaria’s first green shopping centre. The scheme includes three connected streets of retail and leisure space with partial canopies to provide shelter from the elements. Paul Shedden, GMW project architect, said the scheme was “a significant departure from the shopping centres recently built in Bulgaria” and “a revolutionary project creating something unseen before in the country”.
SPAIN
Zaha Hadid’s futuristic library in Seville is coming under fire from local residents who say it would encroach upon protected green space. The future of the project looks shakey, after work was halted by the Andalucian High Court. Residents are angry that the building would take up around 8 per cent of the popular Prado de San Sebastian park. In a statement to the court, residents of the Calle de Diego de Riaño in Seville said: “The location of the new library clearly violates the requirements of protection inherent in the role of the Prado de San Sebastián as a part of the history of Seville”.
DUBAI
Nasser Al Shaikh, the former chairman of UAE developer Deyaar, has been relieved of all his Dubai government posts, including his role as assistant director-general of the Dubai Ruler’s Court for Foreign Affairs, without reason. Al Shaikh resigned from Deyaar over the weekend and yesterday left his posts as a board director of Dubai Islamic Bank and chairman of education provider Taaleem. In May he was also removed from the position of director of the Dubai government’s finance department. No reason was given for his removal.
