As reported Russian media, Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin officially appointed Ruben Mulkijanyan to the position of capital's Chief architect. Since 1996, the Moscow Committee of architecture was headed by Alexander Kuzmin, but on July 12 he resigned. After an unexpected announcement of Moscow's Chief architect's resignation, his deputy Oleg Rybin also wrote his resignation. After this the Moscow Mayor has officially appointed to this position an Armenian architect Ruben Mulkijanyan. Mulkijanyan began his career not in architecture, but in automobile industry. At first he worked in "ZIL", then in a motor-car factory. After studying at the Institute of Land Engineers he began to work at the Moscow Architecture and Urban Planning Committee's department of planning and development. Since then over 40 years he has been in various positions, and the last 5 years he was Moscow Architecture and Urban Planning Committee's chairman deputy. He participated in reconstruction projects such as "Olympic", "Dynamo", "Locomotive" stadiums, the building of Academic science and even the Great Theater. The experts' opinions, whether a temporary position to become permanent for the Armenian architect, are different. The group of architects believe that he can do the job well, as he had a great experience, another group-no. However Alexander Kuzmin is on vacation until August 14 and hence the election of a new chief architect in the offing.

The Chinese government has recently launched a series of "eco-friendly" communities in a number of cities with the intention of promoting a more sustainable culture among the people. The communities feature green spaces, solar panels and other alternative energy sources and encourage inhabitants to develop sustainable habits. China is building more eco-cities designed to be low-carbon and energy-saving than any other country, according to a survey by the University of Westminster in London, USA Today reported. America came second in the study. One of the biggest ecologically friendly cities will be Tianjin Eco-City, a joint development between the Chinese and Singaporean governments that will cover almost 30 square kilometer of wasteland and salt pans near Tianjin, a major port city southeast of Beijing. More than thousand people will move in this year, joining 100 residents and it is expected to reach a population of 350 thousand people within the next ten years. According to Inhabitat, designed by Surbana Urban Planning Group, the city is being built just 10 minutes away from the business parks at the Tianjin Economic-Development Area, making for a commute that should be a breeze with the development's advanced light rail transit system. Eco-City will make use of the latest sustainable technologies such as solar power, wind power, rainwater recycling, and wastewater treatment/desalination of sea water. In order to reduce the city's carbon emissions, residents will be encouraged to use an advanced light rail system, and China has also pledged that 90 percent of traffic within the city will be public transport. The development also features some beautiful public green spaces. As reported USA Today, in recent years, more than 200 Chinese cities have announced they will build large housing developments that seek to reduce energy use and motor vehicle use and thus the amount of carbon put out by power plants and tailpipes. Some projects have stalled, while others appear to be promotional gimmicks by commercial developers. Some innovations fizzled, such as the roof gardens suggested by Singapore. They died in the district's polluted soil and windy, dry climate. Some partnerships are going nowhere. The Shanghai government and British design firm Arup have failed to complete a promised eco-city in Dongtan. The project near Shanghai appears stalled as does Wanzhuang, another Arup eco-city near Beijing.

Living big in 40 square meters of space takes some creative planning and ingenious space-saving design, and this small apartment in Tel Aviv is a great example. Israel-based SFARO turned a cramped space into one that feels like a never-ending roundabout. By moving all the main utilities, storage and programmatic units into a central cube, the apartment is now a one-bedroom space with excellent circulation and lots of light. Housing prices in Tel Aviv have soared in recent years and many people are unable to afford moving, but still want to upgrade or improve their space. As a result, many have resorted to remodeling their spaces, no matter how small. The owner of this small apartment decided to transform her cramped studio space into a more luxurious 1 bedroom that also included storage units, a large separate kitchen and a full size queen bedroom. SFARO completely transformed the long narrow 40 square meters apartment by gutting the space and creating a new circulation. They moved the utilities, kitchen, bathroom, storage and other programmatic areas into a central multi-functional cube. Now there are four distinct zones around the cube: hallway, living room, long galley kitchen, and bedroom. Sliding doors store away into the cube and allow the owner to open or close spaces depending on the time of day, guests or needs. Built-in storage keeps items neatly packed away and bright white finishes help bounce light around to make the space seem much larger.

Europe's tallest building has been officially unveiled in London. The Shard, a 95-story tower which stands at 310 meter, dwarfs almost everything around it, including nearby Tower Bridge and St Paul's Cathedral. It was officially named on July 5 as the highest tower in Europe, in a ceremony carried out by Britain's Prince Andrew, the Duke of York. In 2009 the building was officially launched by Qatari Prime Minister Hamad bin Jassem al-Thani, whose country funded the building, and Queen Elizabeth II's son Prince Andrew. The 95-floor building has a glass facade covering the equivalent of eight football pitches, while the volume of concrete used in its construction could fill 22 Olympic-sized swimming pools. It has capacity for 12 thousand people and will contain a five-star hotel, 600 thousand square meters of office space, luxury restaurants and shops. The jagged-tipped skyscraper will also house 10 apartments, reportedly costing up to US$ 78 million each, which on floors 53 to 65 will be the highest residential properties in Britain. The US$ 705.4 million project was 95 percent funded by Qatar. The Shard's inauguration marks the completion of the exterior of the building, located on the south bank of the River Thames at London Bridge, while work on the inside is expected to continue into 2013. The skyscraper, whose name was coined by its Italian architect Renzo Piano, is still significantly shorter than Dubai's 828-metre Burj Khalifa, the tallest building in the world. It takes over from Capital City Moscow Tower as the highest in Europe, but it is expected to be surpassed before the end of the year by Russia's planned 332 meter Mercury City Tower. Recently, France also unveiled plans to build Europe's tallest tower "Hermitage Plaza Towers" , but its construction hasn't started yet and its only 320 m tall. But the building's futuristic silhouette has angered traditionalists who say it has dwarfed older landmarks such as St Paul's Cathedral and the Houses of Parliament. English Heritage, the body responsible for protecting historic sites, says the skyscraper mars a view of St Paul's, which was London's tallest building for 250 years (1710-1962).

The theme selected by the UIA Council for the World Day of Architecture to be celebrated on 1st October 2012 is: Architects are city changers, reported the site of International Union of Architects, UIA. With this theme, the International Union of Architects hopes to contribute to the movement initiated by the United Nations through their World urban campaign 'Better Cities, Better Lives'. City dwellers will make up 70 percent of the world population in 2050, and cities must enact drastic changes in order to accommodate the citizens of the 21st century and offer them living conditions conducive to personal development and well-being. Architects will play a crucial role in this evolution by their capacity to meet the challenges of global urban sustainability and develop the tools needed to create resilient and sustainably liveable cities. On 1st October 2012, the World Day of Architecture will be an opportunity for the world's architects, the UIA Member Sections and its work programs to demonstrate the role they can play in changing our cities for the future.