The city of Vancouver just approved a unique new tower that promises to be one of the greenest skyscrapers in all of Canada. The Exchange is a 31-story tower that will be built directly on top of the existing 11-story Old Stock Exchange building, which was built in 1929. The new building was designed by architect Harry Gugger, who previously worked for Herzog & de Meuron and is credited with designing the Bird's Nest Stadium in Beijing and the Tate Modern in London. The entire project is seeking LEED Platinum certification. The new 31-story tower will rest partially on top of and it will stand partially alongside the existing Old Stock Exchange Building. The Stock Exchange building will be completely renovated and incorporated into the new development, and it will become Canada's first LEED Platinum heritage conversion. The project, which is already being described as Canada's largest green office building, will feature a variety of energy-saving technologies. Shading louvers will be incorporated into the facade, preventing direct sunlight from hitting the building's windows, and reducing the need for air conditioning. The building will also feature a high-efficiency hydronic heating and cooling system. Solar thermal panels will provide hot water, and the building will feature storm water retention and reuse system. Inside, the building will feature lush landscaped sky gardens for workers to enjoy. Overall, the building's green features are expected to result in 50 percent less energy use, which will translate to a 35 percent reduction in energy costs. Construction on the US$ 200 million building is scheduled to begin in October, and the project is expected to be completed in 2017.

The 200 meter high "InTempo" towers in Benidorm were built as 'a vision of the future' and a symbol of Spain's reemergence from a crippling financial crisis. With 47 floors of living space it was intended to be the tallest residential building in Europe. But with only months until it is due for completion, contractors have hit upon a slight problem. They forgot to build a lift. The towers were originally designed to be only 20 floors high, but ambitious developers decided to double the scale of the project midway through. A lift exists for the first 20 floors, but beyond that there is only the stairs. And reports seen by Spain's El Pais newspaper suggest there is no more space for another lift or motor equipment. It is only the latest in a series of setbacks which have beset the project. It was due to open in 2009, but now joins a series of white elephants that have been caused by the country's deep recession. Furore over the Benidorm towers has grown in recent weeks, after the team of architects left. El Pais was given access to documents which revealed the extent of the catastrophes that have beset the tourist town's biggest project. The newspaper reports that not only did construction workers go for four months without pay in 2010, but they were also forced to walk up and down the half-constructed towers for months as a service lift was not built until the first 23 stories had been completed. The lift that was eventually installed collapsed in July 2011, injuring 13 workers. Ambulances reportedly struggled to reach them, because the area surrounding the construction site had not been cleared for vehicle access in an alleged bid to save money. The architects have resigned, despite the last eight floors - which will unite the two neighboring towers with communal gardens and pools - remaining incomplete. And amid further financial problems, the building has now been taken over by Spain's so-called 'bad bank', which was set up to consolidate the country's most toxic assets. In what has come to symbolize the madness of Spanish boom-time investment, the original bank investor Caixa Galicia asked the developer to raise just 3000 euro in capital in return for it offering 93 million euro towards to the project. Despite plans to open the twin towers to great fanfare in 2009, the block remains only 94 per cent complete. Only 35 per cent of the 269 units have been sold. It is now expected to be finished in December of this year, and the remaining flats will go on sale at a lower price.

The historic magnitude 9.0 earthquake that struck eastern Japan back in March of 2011, setting off a cascading chain of events that ultimately resulted in an ongoing nuclear catastrophe, was unfortunately not "the big one" that has been predicted to strike Tokyo for many years. In anticipation of the Tokyo's next major seismic event, developers have been working on ways to reduce the potential damage. Elevated land-based islands are what Keiichiro Sako of Sako Architects is proposing for the Tohoku region of north-east Japan, another Japanese company, Air Danshin Systems Inc., has come up with another solution - they fit out existing houses to levitate in the event of an earthquake and Japan government officials consider building an alternative capital to allay fears of another natural disaster. Now two Japanese companies have unveiled plans to retrofit older skyscrapers with a device that could help to reduce the impact of major quakes on the buildings and potentially save lives in the process. Developed by real estate developer Mitsui Fudosan Co. and general contractor Kajima Corp, the several hundred ton seismic control device could suppress vibrations and counter the effects of a potentially destructive earthquake. The giant steel pendulums work by being hung on a building at rooftop level. In the event of an earthquake, they will apply force in the direction opposite of "long-period seismic motions," halving the amplitude of vibrations. The project will be unveiled on top of Shinjuku Mitsui Building, a 55-story skyscraper in Tokyo, in 2015 at a cost of US$ 51 million. The trial system will feature six pendulums, each weighing 300 tons. The system is also compatible with older buildings, meaning that all of the country's skyscrapers could be retrofitted with protection from seismic damage.

The Cardboard Cathedral designed by Japanese architect Shigeru Ban opened to the public on August 6 in Christchurch, New Zealand. The building was designed by Shigeru Ban as a temporary replacement for the city's former Anglican cathedral, which was destroyed by the earthquake that struck the city in February 2011. With an expected lifespan of around 50 years, it will serve the community until a more permanent cathedral can be constructed. The building features a triangular profile constructed from 98 equally sized cardboard tubes. These surround a colored glass window made from tessellating triangles, decorated with images from the original cathedral's rose window. The main hall has the capacity to accommodate up to 700 people for events and concerts, plus eight steel shipping containers house chapels and storage areas below. The construction of cathedral began last year. The cathedral had initially been scheduled to open in February, but was subject to a series of construction delays. "The strength of the building has nothing to do with the strength of the material," told architect. Even concrete buildings can be destroyed by earthquakes very easily. But paper buildings cannot be destroyed by earthquakes. It's also consistently low-cost. Shigeru Ban has used cardboard on a number of pavilions and structures in recent years, particularly on disaster relief projects. Other examples include a temporary gallery in Moscow with cardboard columns and a cardboard pavilion at the IE School of Architecture and Design in Madrid.

The Saudi Arabian government awarded US$ 22.5 billion in contracts to three foreign-led consortia on Sunday for the design and construction of a metro rail system in the capital Riyadh. The project, which will involve six rail lines extending 176 kilometers and carrying electric, driverless trains, is the world's largest public transport system currently under development, Saudi officials said. U.S. construction giant "Bechtel Corp" heads a group which won a US$ 9.45 billion contract to build two lines, the government announced. A consortium led by Spain's "FCC" won a US$ 7.82 billion contract for three lines, while Italy's "Ansaldo STS" heads a group that won a US$ 5.21 billion order. Design work will start immediately and construction will begin in the first quarter of 2014, the government said. The project would be completed in 2019. Designs for the Riyadh Metro call for 35.2 kilometers of twin-tube bored running tunnels and a further 13.7 kilometers of cut-and-cover work for a total subsurface length of nearly 49 km. Preliminary designs of the 176 kilometer metro system have been carried out by consultants Dar Al-Hanasah of Lebanon and Egis Rail of France. The Riyadh Metro or the so-called "Miracle of the Desert" consists of six main lines running a total length of 176 km with 94 stations, including 85 main stations, four transfer stations, and five park-and-ride stations. The proposed metro passes through areas near government buildings, commercial and health centers, educational centers and major universities in Riyadh and its suburbs. The metro will also connect the King Khaled International Airport (KKIA) through the city center and densely populated areas of Riyadh. Trains on the six lines will run at 40 km/h. All stations and carriages will be air-conditioned. The driverless electric trains will also be divided into first class, family class and single class carriages. Designs for the major stations were unveiled by the authority in May, with UK-based architect Zaha Hadid's design chosen for a station at King Abdullah Financial District, Norway's Snohetta chosen for a Downtown (Qasr Al-Hokm) station and Gerber Architekten of Germany's designs picked for a new hub station at Olaya.