The crazy, twisting ArcelorMittal Orbit observation tower in London is now complete and final preparations are underway for visitors. Set to open right before the games begin in July, the spiraling red steel tower will provide views of the Olympic Park. The tower was designed by Anish Kapoor, engineered by Cecil Balmond, and is sponsored by ArcelorMittal, a sponsor of the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games and a global leading steel company. The tower, which is both a structure and a work of art, has been constructed out of 60% recycled steel and reaches a height of 114.5 meters. The ArcelorMittal Orbit is an observation tower located in the heart of London's Olympic Park and stands at almost 4,500 feet tall. The sculpture was designed by Anish Kapoor, and structural engineering was done by Cecil Balmond. Visitors to the tower will ascend via an elevator in the core to enjoy the observation deck at the top. The platform will afford panoramic views of up to 20 miles, encompassing the entire Olympic Park and London's skyline beyond. After their visit is over, visitors will be encouraged to descend via the 455 steps that were designed to make the visitors feel as if they were orbiting around the structure. Or just get really dizzy. ArcelorMittal, the sponsor of the tower and the Olympics, is a leading steel manufacturer and provided the material for the sculpture. Construction of the ArcelorMittal Orbit took 18 months and required 560 meters of tubular red steel to form the lattice superstructure. Almost 60 percent of the 2,000 tonnes of steel used in the sculpture were drawn from recycled sources. Steel was chosen for its unique properties including strength, modular structure, advantages of weight and speed of construction and recyclability. The exterior of the structure is outfitted with 250 colored spotlights that can be controlled and programmed for special effects. Cecil Balmond: "Anish and I were conscious from the beginning that the ArcelorMittal Orbit would be a lasting legacy to the city and so we wanted to stretch the language of the icon as far we could go. The Orbit is a hybrid, a network of art and structure, and its dynamic is the non-linear. You read into it multiple narratives in space."

Construction has begun on the Foster + Partners-designed Art Museum in Datong's New City, in China. The distinctive 32 thousand square meters museum will be largely submerged into the ground, with the four large interconnected steel pyramids which form its roof appearing to erupt through the surface of the surrounding plaza. The dramatic, unusual structure also assists with the museum's passive energy savings, as skylights placed within the north and north-west facing pyramids allow for maximum natural light while minimizing the impact of solar heat. Since the roof dominates the Datong Art Museum, comprising 70 percent of the building's exposed surface area, Foster + Partners added double insulation to the panels of the roof. This measure further reduces energy consumption while maintaining the precise climate control required within an art museum. The relatively narrow skylights which follow the roof line of each of the four interconnected pyramids allow for maximum natural light for appreciation of the art work, as well as serving as a "beacon" for the museum, illuminating the night sky. Forming only 10 percent of the overall structure, maintenance requirements will be minimal. The earth-toned Corten steel panels which encase the visible exterior elements of the museum will naturally weather over time, enhancing the impression that the museum has somehow erupted from the cultural plaza. The smooth, sloping entrance to the museum will lead visitors in the Grand Gallery. Separate areas, including a children's gallery, group entrance lobby, cafe, restaurant are arranged within sunken court yards, again provided with focused natural light. The interior can be additionally subdivided to allow for event and exhibition appropriate usage of the space. Scheduled to open next year, the Datong Art Museum will be one of four new buildings constructed in Datong's Cultural Plaza. When complete, Datong's new quarter will be the centre of the city's cultural life, with the new museum as its 'urban room' - a dynamic space, open to everyone to meet and enjoy its different displays and activities.

On April 16 in the capital of Azerbaijan, Baku, with the delay of 3 weeks, was completed the Baku Crystal Hall construction, where the next 57th Eurovision 2012 will take place in May. The construction of the concert hall with the capacity of 25 thousand seats (source Aliyev Foundation) began last fall, after signing the contract with German construction company Alpine Bau Deutschland AG in August 2011. The main designer of the Crystal Hall is the German GMP Architects, the author of the twin of Baku concert hall - Universiade Sports Center Shenzhen, China. Designers from the Swiss company Nussen also have been involved in the designing. The completion of such a huge building in a short term was made possible by the use of prefabricated structures and probably also Germans used the experience gained in Chinas' Universiade . The difference between the two buildings is small - Azerbaijani version has a closed roof and the facade is not transparent, but made of special metal sheets. According to some sources, the construction of complex cost about US $ 105 million, and for making a way to the complex approximately the same amount of money was spent. The new complex is located just opposite of Guinness record holder in 2010 - the Baku main Flagstaff with 162.0 meters of height. According to Azerbaijani media, a great role in implementing of the project played "Father of the Nations" - Heydar Aliyevs' Foundation. The president of the Foundation is the First lady of Azerbaijan Mehriban Aliyeva, and the vice-president is her daughter, Leila Aliyeva. Funding sources of organization is not clear, so the fact turned for country oppositionists into good tool for political struggle. During the construction, Human Rights Watch has repeatedly criticized the Baku City Authority for carrying out forced evictions against local residents, in order to allow the demolition of apartments to make way for the construction of the Baku Crystal Hall. One interesting point in this storey: in case of failure to complete this construction on time, the government parallel also organized and funded a major reconstruction of to the Tofiq Bayramov stadium with the cost of US $ 90 million.

The Titanic Belfast is the world's largest Titanic museum, and it is located at the site of the famous ship's construction in Northern Ireland, Belfast. The interactive museum took 3 years to build - the same amount of time it took to build the ship - and it opened just in time, on March 31, for the 100 year anniversary of the Titanic's launch. The Titanic's maiden and fatal voyage was made on April 10, 1912. The White Star Line ocean liner was originally constructed in the Belfast shipyard and the museum celebrates her craftsmanship and the people who built her. Irish Architecture firm TODD Architects is responsible for the design of the icy museum, which is clad in 3 thousand individual silver anodized aluminum shards, requiring sophisticated 3D modeling to complete. The museum's volume is meant to resemble four 27.5 meters high hulls although it eerily looks a bit like an iceberg, which was the cause of the ship's demise. Inside, the museum features 9 interactive galleries that explore the sights, sounds, smells and stories of the Titanic, as well as the city and people which made her. Visitors can explore how the ship was constructed, her launch, the lavish rooms of the wealthy, third class steerage, the timeline of the disaster, and then details about her watery grave. The building will also house temporary exhibits, a thousand seat banqueting suite, education and community facilities, catering and retail space and a basement car park.

Changzhou, China will soon have a massive new cultural center complete with an arts museum, a science and technology museum and a library, reported The Inhabitat. The complex will be designed by Hamburg-based GMP Architekten who has made natural daylight a vital design strategy. Skylights, atria, transparent facades and bright white surfaces will encourage light to reach the inner depths of the large facility. Generous landscaping, which includes a waterway right through the center of the Changzhou Culture Center will make this a desirable meeting place and a prominent landmark for the city. GMP Architekten recently won first prize in the international competition to build the culture center in the newly created Changzhou city center. The 350,000 sq meter project will be six times larger than the Louvre in Paris and will include a number of hubs such as an arts museum, a science and technology museum and a library. The center will also provide for service facilities that support the center for culture in the Xinbei district of the city. The basement will provide for an underground parking garage and the lower levels will be filled with retail shops and restaurants. The complex's form is created from 6 modular buildings with the same cantilevered and arced volume. Placed together, these modules create a much larger volume with a flat roof and large open pavilions in the middle. From the outside, each module looks the same, but varies significantly on the inside with different architectural functions to cater to the specific programs within. The facades are clad in staggered grey slate and transparent glass to move light through and around the space, while skylights and atria help pull light down into the modules. Finally generous landscaping will work to make the center a desirable meeting place and a water course that cuts diagonally through the site will be a prominent feature. Like a natural canyon, the waterway is a landscaping element, helps create a microclimate and pulls light into the lower levels.