A 10-metre LED "beacon" to shine in Swansea, Venus Towers hits big money in Beirut and architects in Scotland face another tough year, in today's international news.
UNITED KINGDOM
Lighting artist, Peter Freeman, has designed a 10m tall LED beacon (pictured) which will act as both a public sculpture and an informal marker for the Swansea to Cork ferry service. The stainless steel structure, known as The Big Wave, will consist of 680 LEDs which will turn on at dusk and off at dawn. Its colour sequence will change according to the atmospheric conditions. "The form of the sculpture is a vertical wave reflecting the movement of the sea. During the day it will reflect the moving patterns of the clouds and the sky. By night, it turns into a surface of shifting light patterns influenced by changing atmospheric conditions," said Freeman.
SCOTLAND
Architects in Scotland are facing a tough year ahead as the government has cut expenditure by nearly 40 per cent, with funds for affordable housing dropping by $321 million to $653 million. Plans for the $743 million Glasgow Airport Rail Link, which was supposed to be taken forward by Atkins, have also been derailed. The cuts come at a time when Scottish firms continue to downsize their staff.
UNITED STATES
Calstar Products has created a brick that uses 90 per cent less energy to make and generates 85 per cent less carbon dioxide. Regular bricks are fired for approximately 24 hours at 1,093 degrees centigrade and can take a week to make. However, the US firm has discovered a way to create them at temperatures below 100 degrees, taking a total of 10 hours. Calstar bricks also use a significant amount of fly-ash, a byproduct of coal plants.
LEBANON
Beirut Central District's latest residential development, Venus Towers, is valued at around $500 million and spans across a surface of 7,510m in Marina, Solidere. All of the project's apartments come with a panoramic view of the sea or of Mount Sannine, with some enjoying views of both. Designed by Raphael Jose Moneu, the complex consists of three luxurious residential buildings, with a total of 162 apartments. Services include a swimming pool, gym, guest parking, fire detection and prevention systems and an automatic irrigation system.
IRELAND
Terry Pawson Architects has designed a $30 million performing and visual arts centre called Visual. Located in the town centre in the grounds of St Patrick's college, a 19th century seminary, the glass volumes of the centre are in contrast to the 18th century cathedral that stands next to it. The windows are a neutral grey, but transform into a colourful glow as the daylight fades. The building contains four galleries which will be used to house temporary contemporary art exhibitions, a 353-seat theatre, touring productions and professional groups.
