Hollywood studio DreamWorks Animation will partner with the company behind the London Eye Ferris wheel for a Shrek-themed attraction on the capital's South Bank. Shrek's Far-Far Away Adventure will be one of six similar sites across the globe. The attraction is due to open in summer 2015 and will celebrate the four-film animated fantasy saga about a grumpy green ogre that has so far taken more than US$ 3.5 billion at the worldwide box office, as well as other films from DreamWorks Animation. "The 1860 square meters experience will be based on a brand-new adventure being written by the DreamWorks team," said the studio and partner Merlin in a statement. "It will feature a Shrek interactive walk-through adventure, a character courtyard where visitors will be able to meet Shrek and his swamp friends, along with characters from Madagascar, Kung Fu Panda and How to Train Your Dragon." The attraction will be installed at County Hall, near the London Eye, the London Sea Life Aquarium and the London Dungeon, all of which are owned by Merlin. The theme park operator is the largest company of its kind in Europe. "We're excited to work with Merlin to build something that we think is going to be a singularly unique way to experience Shrek and his world," said DreamWorks Animation CEO Jeffrey Katzenberg. "This attraction is going to be unlike anything that currently exists and will undoubtedly become a new type of destination for families." The London Shrek attraction will be the first to open, with a further five sites set to be built between now and 2023.

At long last, the world's largest solar bridge at London's Blackfriars station is finally complete. Solarcentury and England's Network Rail partnered to cover the bridge with 4,400 photovoltaic panels. Formerly an energy hog, the bridge now provides Blackfriars station with half of the energy it requires to operate. Work on the world's largest solar bridge formally began on October 2011. The Blackfriars solar bridge stretches across the River Thames, transporting thousands of commuters every day from South London out of one of the busiest stations in the city. The station already accommodates electric trains, which make public transportation even greener, but with the new solar bridge is expected to make the station even more sustainable. First Capital Connect, which runs Blackfriars, estimates that the 4,400 photovoltaic panels will divert 511 tons of carbon emissions each year, drastically reducing the station's carbon footprint. Aside from providing renewable energy to the station, the Blackfriars Bridge will also serve as a symbol of London's quest to be a more sustainable city. The photovoltaic panels can be seen from both sides of the river, inviting tourists and locals to think about renewable energy. Solarcentury designed the bridge to incorporate the panels every step of the way, making a point that renewable energy is not an afterthought. Instead, it comprises a crucial element of the design.

A sprawling mansion regarded as one of London's finest homes has been put up for sale for a US$ 82 million - 300 times the average UK selling price. The eight-bedroom mansion - which features a steam room, gym and palatial swimming pool room - was built in 1896 for the MP Russell Rea, a Victorian shipping magnate from Liverpool. The home, in Hampstead, London, was made using terracotta detailing but has been comprehensively refurbished by craftsmen and fitted with every modern convenience, including a luxurious cinema room, with sofa bed style seating. The result is an eight-bedroom home with seven bathrooms, a staggering vaulted reception room, four further living rooms and a galleried hallway. The four-storey home, on Lyndhurst Road in Hampstead, London, also has large garden, outdoor swimming pool and separate staff flat. It has been put on the market with Beauchamp Estates for US$ 82 million - one of the highest asking prices for a home in the UK. At this price, the owner would have to pay seven per cent in stamp duty - meaning US$ 5.6 million would be going to the exchequer. Gary Hersham, managing director of Beauchamp Estates, said: 'The house is one of London's finest private homes, offering period features, great entertaining space and a most luxurious indoor pool.' The home is in the 'super prime' market and is twice the price of the average super prime home sold in the UK this year. It is 300 times the average UK selling price of US$ 270 thousand and 196 times the average value of a home (US$ 410 thousand) on the British isle. And the price-tag is only the beginning with running costs on a home like this thought to be around a quarter-of-a-million pounds a year. On average, homeowners in these sorts of properties pay US$ 3510 on council tax, US$ 33 thousand on utility bills, US$ 82 thousand on security, US$ 33 thousand on cleaning, US$ 49 thousand on a housekeeper, US$ 110 thousand on insurance and US$ 9830 on a gardener. Currently the most expensive mansion for sale in London is the mansion on Carlton House terrace for US$ 388 million. The second is the mansion of Saudi Prince Abdul Aziz bin Fahd in Kensington for US$ 164 million, and on the third place is the mansion Heath Hall in Hampstead for US$ 106 million.

In 2012 the US Government has unveiled more detailed plans for its new embassy complex at the heart of London's Nine Elms regeneration area. The scheme was awarded outline planning consent in 2010 and the new plans provide detail on the proposed appearance of the buildings, site layout, landscaping and access arrangements. Philadelphia-based architects Kieran Timberlake won the competition to build one of the most expensive embassies ever built. Construction on the new US Embassy in London designed by Philadelphia-based architecture firm KieranTimberlake broke ground on November 13. Slated to be completed by 2017 and located at a former industrial site in London, the crystalline cube will feature air-filled pockets on the exterior, which will help insulate the structure, orientation and shading to minimize heat gain, a large photovoltaic system on the roof and exterior of the building and a beautiful park. Embassy buildings require an extra layer of security, and the embassy park surrounding the building is both a lovely garden space for the employees and dignitaries to enjoy as well as a protective barrier. Although there are no fences or walls, security measures have been integrated into the landscape, which also includes a half moon pond on one side of the building. The exterior of the building is lined with air-filled pockets made from ethylene-tetrafluroethylene (ETFE), which help protect the building from the outer environment by providing optimized shade to minimize heat absorption and work as a thermal buffer. Thin-film photovoltaic will be positioned in the ETFE foils to generate energy, and will also be more visible to birds in order to reduce bird strikes. The roof of the embassy building (8,300 sq. meters) will be covered in photovoltaic, hiding the mechanical equipment and producing 345,000 kWh of energy.

Facebook's new headquarters for London and Dublin will receive the same treatment as the company's Silicon Valley campus with designs by architect Frank Gehry. The London office will take over three floors of a preexisting office space in Regents Park, giving Gehry the opportunity to redesign a renovation, while Facebook's Dublin office will be built from scratch in iconic Gehry style - both inside and out. The social media giant first linked up with Gehry last year, when they commissioned the architect to redesign their Menlo Park campus, an expansion that doubled the employee capacity. Now they have commissioned Gehry to help out with the two UK offices as the company continues to expand. Having outgrown its Covent Garden office, Facebook will have 86 thousand new offices at 10 Brock Street, an address familiar to social media as Twitter is also a tenant. The three floors will provide space for twice as many employees as the Covent Garden address, and may make some Twitter executives a little uncomfortable! Dublin employees will relocate to a new building designed by Gehry on Grand Canal Square, which will provide working space for thousand employees at an enormous 11 thousand square meters facility. While the project is still in the works and designs have not been started, it seems the Facebook/Frank Gehry partnership is going strong.