Demolishing tall buildings is typically a loud and messy process that produces a lot of dust and not a lot of building materials that can be salvaged. But Japan's Taisei Corporation is pioneering a new technique that preserves building materials and actually generates energy from the demolition process. The process, known as Ecological Reproduction System (Tecorep), uses huge jacks and an energy-generating crane to dismantle high-rises from the inside. Some of the most common demolition techniques used around the world include the use of wrecking balls, explosives and jackhammers-all of which are very noisy and disruptive, not to mention wasteful. But this new technique employed in Tokyo is much more environmentally-friendly. First, everything in the building that can be removed is taken out. Then, beams and concrete in the floors are dismantled, and they're taken down to the ground by a crane that harvests energy from descending. Giant jacks are used to keep the floors in place as structural elements are dismantled, which are then lowered. The building looks roughly the same from the outside throughout the process-even as the jacks are lowered and the building begins to shrink, it still keeps its roof. The novel demolition technique is believed to reduce dust by 90 percent, while also reducing the noise pollution caused by standard demolition techniques. But best of all, because Tecorep uses renewable energy to power its operations it reduces carbon emissions by about 85 percent.

UAE's Abu Dhabi Group and Pakistani real estate tycoon Malik Riaz signed a deal to invest US$ 45 billion in Pakistan including building the world's tallest building in Karachi. Under the agreement US$45 billion would be invested in Pakistan for various construction projects. Out of the total investment, US$ 10 billion would be invested in Islamabad and Lahore whereas the remaining sum would be invested in Sindh. These projects also include the construction of tallest building of the world (taller than BurjKhalifa, Dubai) in Karachi. Moreover, the project encompasses Sports city, Educational and Medical City, International City and Media City. The project also includes the construction of miniatures of Seven Wonders of the World. These projects will employ more than 2.5 million people and will boost more than 55 industries like cement, bricks, iron, steel and glass. These projects also are expected to represent all the social classes of the society and middle-class and lower-middle class will have equal representation. A distinguished feature of this project is the utilization of seawater to produce electricity. The projects will have their own grid stations. Moreover, a separate modern water treatment plant will be established to convert seawater into drinking water. The proposals for the 1000-meter Kingdom Tower in Jeddah, for the 1050 meters tall Azerbaijan Tower and for the 838-meter SkyCity in Changsha have also claimed the distinction of the world's next tallest building.

Mercury City, the tower Russian retail billionaire Igor Kesaev is building in Moscow's new financial district, overtook the Shard in London as Europe's tallest skyscraper, reported Bloomberg. The tower, which construction began in 2006, reached its full height of 339 meters, 29 meters more than the Shard, Kesaev's Mercury Development announced, citing Hamburg-based researcher Emporis. The 75-story skyscraper, designed by U.S. architect Frank Williams, who died in 2010, and Russia's Mikhail Posokhin, is due to be completed in the first quarter next year. Investment in the project totaled US$1 billion. The tower has about 90 thousand square meters of office space and 20 thousand square meters of apartments, according to the developer's website. The starting price for apartments in Mercury City is US $11.1 thousand for a square meter. The rental price should be at a market level of about US$800 - US$900 per square meter a year, but on this stage of construction tenants expect it to be about US$700. The title of "Europe's tallest building" belonged to London for all of a few months as the Russian capital moves onwards and upwards. But "Mercury city" will not carry the title of "the Europe's tallest building" for a long time, as the under-construction Federation Tower is in the process of being built right next to Mercury City and, upon its completion next year, will stand at a staggering 506 meter.

The Crocus Group Holding has launched a project to build 14 skyscrapers at the 66-kilometer mark of the Moscow Ring Road, next to the multifunctional Crocus City complex. The new project is to boast a total area of 1 million square meters of realty, RBC daily reported, citing Emin Agalarov, Crocus Group Holding's deputy president. The first phase of the project, which is scheduled to be completed till 2016, is to include three high-rise buildings - a 51-story office skyscraper (137 thousand square meters), a residential complex of 500 apartments 50 thousand square meters) and Europe's largest Holiday Inn Hotel at 1,000 rooms (81 thousand square meters). The property is to also feature a restaurant, fitness center, spa and parking for 900 cars. All three are to be joined by a three-story-high walkway. The concept for the development was created by the holding's own architectural firm together with American architects Kling Stubbins. Investment in the initial phase is to be approximately US$ 3 billion. Crocus Group initially called the project "Crocus City Manhattan" when announcing it three years ago, but the company suspended the project, focusing its resources on the construction of facilities for the recent APEC summit. The project is now simply called the multifunctional complex, but, according to Agalarov, it will also be "reminiscent of New York." Recall that Emin Agalarov is married to Leyla Aliyeva, the elder daughter of Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev.

The expression ''timber top'' is taking on a new meaning in the building industry as the world's tallest wooden apartment tower nears completion. The company "Lend Lease" two weeks ago hoisted the final panel of cross-laminate timber (CLT) in place on the 10th story of its innovative new "Forte" building in Docklands. Victoria Harbour. About his plans "Lend Lease" announced 4 months ago and now the building is already ready. The US$ 11 million project makes use of the lightweight CLT building material, commonly used in Europe, which has a structural strength similar to concrete and steel. The company maintains it will have cut ordinary construction times by 30 percent once the internal fit out of the 32-meter tall, 10-storey apartment is finished in November. Being the first of its kind in Australia, and the highest in the world when it opens its doors "Forte" will be a test case for residential property buyers unfamiliar with wooden building materials. Lend Lease made a deliberate decision not to sell apartments in the building until it was complete, said head of operations development Daryl Patterson. It wanted to avoid misconceptions that "Forte" was like a timber-frame house. ''It's very important for people to be able to come and touch and feel the product and understand that it's as solid as any other apartment,'' he said. The company also treated "Forte" like a pilot project, learning while building. It discovered just how effective modular components were in CLT construction. Forte's modular bathrooms were manufactured in Brisbane and trucked to the site. ''The toilets are in. The taps are in. The shower screens are in. The mirrors are up on the wall,'' Mr Patterson said. Once complete, Forte will house 23 boutique residential apartments and 4 townhouses with prices ranging from US$ 430 - US$ 795 thousand. Currently one of the highest modern wooden buildings is in London. Called the Stadthaus, Murray Grove, it's a nine-story residential building that stands at just less than 30 meters (98 feet). Even the lift shafts and stairwells are made from wood. Architect Michael Green, one of three principals at McFarlane Green Biggar Architecture + Design (MGB), also has plans for a 30-story wooden skyscraper in Vancouver.