The Norwegian Government has revealed plans for the construction of the world's first ship tunnel through a mountain to help ships navigate a dangerous section of the country's south-western coast. The government has agreed to provide US$ 274 million for the Stad Ship Tunnel, which will be built to a height of 45 meters, width of 36 meters and will span a length of 1.7 kilometers. The proposed tunnel, which is being planned by Nordfjord Vekst, would bypass the Stadlandet (Stad) peninsula in Selje, Norway linking two fjords near the towns of Teigen and Berstad. Peaking at 645 meters, the Stad peninsula is a mountainous divide between the Norwegian Sea to the north and the North Sea to the south. The project is being proposed to reduce navigation on the existing shipping route, which exposes vessels to some of Norway's most dangerous waters, where currents and waves come from different directions, which has contributed to 46 accidents and near-accidents since 1945. The Stad Ship Tunnel would be the world's first shipping tunnel capable of accommodating large cargo and passenger vessels of up to 16 thousand tons. Royal Academy of Engineering associate Robert Benaim told the BBC that the project would include the construction of a cofferdam at either end of the tunnel to keep the water out until excavation is complete. Nordfjod Vekst project director Randi Homborstad said: "As the sea is the backbone of transport along the west coast of Norway, public transport could be upgraded with improved regularity in cargo services and a new year-round high-speed passenger ferry service between the coastal cities of Bergen and Alesund." Construction of the new tunnel is expected to commence in 2018 and would take around four years to complete.

Yet in the end of 2011 Germany's Porsche design Group and a local developer Dezer Properties planned to build Porsche Tower in Miami with "Sky Garages". Now in April 19 construction work is starting on the Porsche Design Tower Miami, a luxury residential high-rise with a notable features for car enthusiasts including an auto elevator and "sky garages" attached to its apartments. The 60-story tower has 132 residences and more than 50% of them are under contract, representing more than US$ 400 million in sales. The building's residences range in size from 390 to 1600 square meters and cost from US$ 4.5 million to US$ 25 million. The building will have a 33 month construction window and is scheduled for occupancy in the first quarter of 2016. While the building has numerous amenities the one getting the most attention is an automobile lift system that allows owners to park their cars next to their units regardless of the floor. The system is a departure from the usual underground parking garages founds at many large residential buildings. The tower will also include a plunge pool, outdoor summer kitchens on the balconies, a spa on a sunset terrace, spa tubs, oceanfront ballroom, multipurpose clubrooms and a "Car Concierge" who looks after the resident's cars by coordinating washing, detailing, tire rotations and other maintenance services. This mechanism isn't new. In October 2012 in Singapore opened the new 30-storey Hamilton Scotts building in the ritzy Orchard Road area, which has an elevator for cars, which will deliver the vehicles to the "en suite sky garages", glass cases for cars next to the living room. The owner must drive the car into a garage and on to a turnstile, and then hop out and scan a fingerprint on a biometric scanner, which will use a computer system to send the car to the correct apartment. In 2010 movie star Nicole Kidman and her husband Keith Urban purchased luxurious apartment on the 12th floor in one of Manhattan's skyscrapers. This apartment also has a 32.5 square meter garage in the sky. A special car elevator lift the car to the owner's floor and then you can enter garage with entrance to the kitchen.

Construction of the massive Bakhtiari Dam is now officially under way thanks to an inauguration of the project by Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. The Khatam al-Anbiya (KAA), which is controlled by Iran's military, will build the double-arch concrete dam on the Bakhtiari River in the Zagros Mountains of Iran's southwestern Lorestan Province. The dam can hold 4.8 billion cubic meters of water, the largest reservoir in the country, and will produce 1,500 megawatts of electricity. The Chinese firm Sinohydro Corp. was contracted in 2011 to build the dam for US$ 2 billion, but the Iranian central bank cancelled the contract in May and turned over the project to the IRGC and KAA. No reason and notice of cancellation was given to Sinohydro. When completed, the Bakhtiari dam will be the second-tallest in the world after Tajikistan's 335 meters tall Rogun Dam now under construction. The new dam will have a height of 315 meters and a length of 434 meters when completed. Currently, the tallest dam is the Jinping-I Dam, an arch dam in China standing 305 meters high. The second-tallest is the 300 meter Nurek Dam also in Tajikistan.

The Blue Planet, a swirling vortex designed to suck you in to learn about life under the sea, opens in Copenhagen. Designed by 3XN, The Blue Planet is now Europe's largest aquarium and is devoted to education about aquatic animals as well as the important connection between water and the planet. Filled with 7 million liters of sea water, the aquarium has a variety of exhibitions to introduce the young and old to different animals and environments. Naturally, the aquarium is also dedicated to saving endangered species, improving water quality, protecting habitats and raising environmental awareness. The Blue Planet, is the newest version of the Denmark Aquarium in Copenhagen dating back to 1939. Located on the shores of (Oeresund), the aquarium has a picturesque view of the sea and convenient access to roadways and the city. Design of the project began back in 2007 through an international competition, which local firm 3XN won with their swirling proposal. Construction was completed in 2013 with an official opening date of March 22nd of 2013. The design is meant to draw you in, like a whirling vortex and pull visitors down into the depths of the water to explore and learn about life under the sea. Kim Herforth Nielsen, Creative Director and Principal at 3XN, who is the architect of the building explained, "Our wish was to bring our visitors all the way down to the world of the fish. Therefore, the design of The Blue Planet is based on the story about water and life under the sea. We visualize the construction as a whirlpool which draws visitors into the depths to the fascinating experiences waiting among fish and sea animals from all over the world." Upon entrance into the center of the vortex, the public can choose one of four whirls, each with different exhibitions including the coral reefs, the ocean, Africa's lakes, the Amazon river, the Faro bird cliffs and even an exhibit about the ocean right outside the aquarium. The Blue Planet is home to 450 different species and 20,000 fish and other aquatic animals, which include sharks, sea lions, dwarf crocodiles, moray eels, barracudas and much more. Water inside the aquarium is filtered and recycled in a closed loop system, while seawater is used to keep the entire facility cool. One of the whirls with indoor gardens and vegetation is naturally lit from above with skylights. The Blue Planet is devoted to nature conservation as well as raising awareness to water issues. The aquarium partners with researchers for scientific collaboration and work to reduce over-fishing, pollution and endangered species. It was also designed to be sustainable and self-sufficient as part of their mission to further and promote solutions that benefit the environment and nature.

Once a year, the whole world looks to the Nobel Center in Stockholm, Sweden to announce the Nobel Prizes. The center recently announced plans to relocate to a new building, and out of 140 architects, 12 have been selected to compete to design the new home of the Nobel Foundation and its related cultural and educational activities. Notable designers include OMA, Herzog & de Meuron, BIG, and David Chipperfield Architects. The majority of the selected applicants were from Europe and Scandinavia, with only SANAA's Kazuyo Sejima and Ryue Nishizawa chosen from outside the region. The Nobel Foundation's new building will incorporate areas for digital media, museum exhibitions, meetings, scientific conferences, a library, a cafe, and a shop. The architects have been asked to consider both the site's historical content and the natural environment in their plans. Each of the twelve firms will be expected to establish a close working relationship in cooperation with the client over the course of a very lengthy planning process. "The competition will begin once the majority of the project's financing has been secured. Encouraging discussions are currently on-going with several donors, and we are confident that we will secure the necessary financing to begin the architectural competition and carry out the project during the current calendar year." says Lars Heikensten, Executive Director of the Nobel Foundation. On December 1, 2011, the Nobel Foundation and the City of Stockholm signed a declaration of intent to work jointly towards the creation of a permanent Nobel Prize Center, to be located on Nybroviken, an inlet of the Baltic Sea in the heart of Stockholm, Sweden. They have agreed on a site on the Blasieholmen peninsula that is owned by the City of Stockholm.