The proposed 388-meter, 108-story Australia 108 tower has been given the green light by the Victorian Planning Minister, Matthew Guy. The city council had initially opposed the project because of fears it would overshadow the Shrine of Remembrance, a monument to the World War I dead of the Australian state of Victoria. Australia 108 will feature 600 apartments, the nation's highest hotel and restaurants seemingly floating 84 stories above the city. The 108-storey tower, which will be the 18th-tallest building in the world, is planned to rise near the 297 meters tall Eureka Tower. The new skyscraper designed by Nonda Katsalidis. He explained the Australia 108 will be the most speedily constructed skyscraper and could dominate Melbourne's skyline in little more than four years. He also added that during construction will be used prefabricated structural sections. Currently the tallest skyscraper of southern hemisphere is Q1 Tower. The 323 meters tall skyscraper put into operation in 2005 again in Australia. The tallest skyscraper in Melbourne is Eureka Tower, which is 297 meters tall.

When a few years ago, different architects spoke about vertical forests, nobody believes, that this structures is certainly more than just a fantasy. But in fact the world's first vertical forest construction nears completion this year, in Milan. In addition, Agora Garden, an inhabited and cultivated vertical garden in the Xinyin District of Taipei, is currently under construction. A competition for the project was won by Vincent Callebaut Architectures in 2010 with a design inspired by two encircling hands clasped together and the helical structure of DNA. Once completed the 42,335 square meter luxury residential building will incorporate nanotechnologies and vertical gardening into the residents' everyday life to make this one of the most eco-friendly structures in the city. One of the more visually arresting aspects of this ambitious project is the 90 degree twist of the tower, the sinuosity of which, the practice explains, "corresponds to the universal musical symbol of harmonic revealing the notion of ultimate balance praised by the project". The result is such that the shape of the structure morphs depending on where the onlooker is standing, for example its east/west elevations draw a rhomboidal pyramid whereas the north/south elevation is a reverse pyramid. These suspended gardens not only bring an aesthetic appeal to the Agora Garden project but will provide the building's residents with orchards, organic vegetable gardens, aromatic gardens and medicinal plants. The vertically-wide planted balconies will be accessible for all residents and will also include rain water tanks for the irrigation of the suspended gardens, nests for birdlife, composting facilities for converting waste into fertilizer and garden furniture for their own enjoyment. The planting beds are to be covered by a layer of white natural stone to protect the foliage from excess heat. To enter the Agora Garden property, users will pass through a cluster of mature trees and cross a mineral moat which will be installed to enhance the privacy of residents. In the Conceptual Design Proposal, the architects explain: "In the heart of the vegetable lung, the pedestrian square opens itself on a mineral and aquatic glade." Plants that cascade into the lower basements are provided with sunlight which penetrates through a circular light well that also illuminates the car parks, swimming pool and fitness centre. The location of these luxury 'sky houses' means that residents will have exquisite views of the C. Y. Lee & Partners and Thornton Tomasetti - designed 101 Taipei tower and the city's Central Business District. Once the project is completed in 2016, the residential units on offer will give much flexibility to potential inhabitants. The fixed central core separates the vertical circulations with the towers rotated storey by storey at 4.5 degrees. Each 540 square meter apartment is entirely free of columns as the levels are connected at both ends by two spiralling mega-columns coated in green walls, ensuring optimum living conditions for residents.

As we reported earlier, Kensington & Chelsea Council was poised to grant approval for scheme to reconstruct the 17th century mansion of Russian billionaire last week. Roman Abramovich has won a three-year battle with planners for permission after making a series of compromises, which were forced on him by neighbors anxious at possible loss of light and increased traffic. His US$ 15 million plan to refurbish the mansion has been met with fury from neighbors who have described the proposal's approval as "bad news". Particularly hard-hit will be residents of nearby apartments, whose complaints about losing their views of the Thames were airily dismissed in the committee's report. The businessman aims to excavate beneath the Grade II-listed house, which was once home to artist James Whistler, to create a two-storey basement. He is also going to convert part of the building into an art studio to house his collection of valuable modern paintings that he has bought along with his 31-year-old partner, Dasha Zhukova.

Google has been cleaning up existing buildings in cities across the globe, from San Francisco to Berlin, turning them into colorful work and play environments that are the envy of every cubicle worker. But now the company has unveiled plans to build a structure anew as an extension to their current headquarters in Mountain View, California. The corporate giant gave Vanity Fair the scoop on the green-roofed expansion, which was conceived in collaboration with Seattle-based design firm NBBJ. The 102 thousand square meter extension to the existing Googleplex in California will be constructed on an adjacent 170 thousand square meters site and will featured nine bent rectangles linked by bridges and a host of verdant courtyards and pathways. The buildings will be up to four storeys high and will be organized in accordance with employee work patterns. In other words, departments that work well together will be near each other, and there will be the usual communal and social spaces that encourage cooperation and creativity. One bridge will lead to a green roof and outdoor cafe and the entire complex will be heated with radiant flooring. This less energy intensive system will be the largest of its kind in the United States.

This week in Armenian city Dilijan will start the construction of new social housing project, told the director of the National Association of Social Housing Ara Nazinyan. In September last year Dilijan City Hall and the NASH signed a contract about the program. The new project with total area of 1.1 hectares will be built in the west of Dilijan with completion in several phases in 2013-14. The new social block will include nine 2-story new developments and reconstructed one 4-story building. The project loan provided by the Dutch DIGH company. Note, that in 2011 during his visit to Netherlands, Chairman of the Trustee Council of the National Social Housing Association, Secretary of the RA National Security Council Arthur Baghdasaryan and Chairman of Dutch International Guarantees For Housing Eric Berzhen signed an agreement which will provide new opportunities for social housing development in Armenia. According to this contract, 3 million Euros will be provided to Armenia to solve low and middle income family housing problems, at the first phase of cooperation. The National Association of Social Housing intended to build social housing also in Ashtarak and Hrazdan. First social houses in Armenia were built by the government in Yerevan, Goris and Maralik. For example in Maralik the government built 3 buildings and now in 59 apartments live orphanage graduates, invalids and single old peoples. 2008 economic crisis especially hit the real estate market. The construction of new buildings becomes less profitable even in well developed countries due to low demand. After this many countries began to build social houses. Today, for example, half of residents in Hong-Kong, 25 percent in USA live in social houses.