Brazil's star architect Oscar Niemeyer, who revolutionized modern architecture with his sensual curves inspired by "the body of the Brazilian woman," feted his 104th birthday on December 15 in his Rio workshop overlooking Copacabana beach, reported Yahoo News. During his seven-decade career, Niemeyer has designed more than 600 projects around the world, and is famous for some of Brazil's most distinctive buildings. Niemeyer, a disciple of Le Corbusier, designed his first building, the Ministry of Education and Public Health in Rio de Janeiro in 1943. His iconic buildings also include the National Congress of Brazil, the Cathedral of Brasilia, the Niteroi Contemporary Art museum, and he was a part of the panel that designed the United Nations Headquarters in New York City. He recently designed a new theater for Sugarloaf Mountain in Maine. Niemeyer, who won the 1988 Pritzker Prize -- "architecture's Nobel" -- chose his birthday to launch the 11th edition of "Nosso Caminho (Our Way)," the architecture magazine he publishes with his wife Vera Lucia. For a birthday present, he was given "Laura," a bronze sculpture with breasts exposed which was designed by famed Brazilian caricaturist Lan and made in bronze by artist Marcos Andre, according to the daily O Globo. Last August, Niemeyer told reporters that there were still a few things he would like to do, such as "a beautiful project for Copacabana." "I was once asked what I thought about life. My reply: As long as I have a woman next to me, come what may," he joked.

Germany's Porsche design Group and a local developer Dezer Properties planned to built Porsche Tower in Miami, reported the Trulia. A US$ 560 million project, a 57-storey building will rise in Sunny Isles Beach. According to Moscow Sotheby's International Realty in December project was approved by the city authorities. It is the world's first condominium complex with elevators that will take residents directly to their units while they are sitting in their cars (however we wrote about the same type going building). Finding a parking space near their front door will no longer be a worry for anyone lucky enough to live in the new multimillion pound. They can just pull into a designated space, turn off the engine and sit back and enjoy the oceanfront view as they are escalated in a glass elevator to the front door of their apartment. After the resident pulls over and switches off the engine, a robotic arm that works like an automatic plank will scoop up the car and put it into the elevator. The glass elevators will give residents and their guests unparalleled views of the city or of the ocean during their high-speed ride, expected to last 45 to 90 seconds. The luxury building will be constructed on 9 thousand square meters of land on Collins Avenue. It will have 132 units, with smaller units being allocated two parking spaces and the larger ones, four, and 284 robotic parking spaces in total accessible via three elevators. Apartments will range from 350 to 880 square meters and are expected to cost up to US$ 9 million each.

Recently, the tech giant Facebook announced its decision to relocate its company headquarters from Palo Alto to Menlo Park, California - a move which could spur over US$ 366 million in construction spending for the region, reported constructiondigital. According to a report by research firm Brion & Associates, the US$ 250 million budgeted building project could result in an additional US$ 116 million in additional construction activity over a period of 3-4 years, and may bring up to 2,5 thousand jobs to the area. The move comes as Facebook prepares for an IPO (Initial public offering) aimed at raising up to US$ 10 billion in revenue for the social networking leader, which would bring its overall company value to over US$ 100 billion. The new headquarters would house up to 9,5 thousand employees in anticipation of coming expansions, and some predict the firm would bring almost US$ 30 million in annual spending to the region's lodging and retail markets. Facebook is planning similar expansions of its satellite facilities in New York and elsewhere as part of the lead up to the public offering - yet another way social networking is helping prop up the struggling construction industry.

Kuwait begins constructing on a world-class city from scratch in one of the most ambitious projects in the Arabian Gulf, reported constructiondigital. As one of the smallest geographical countries on the map and covered mostly by the harsh Arabian Desert, Kuwait is not, on the surface, an obvious candidate for one of the most radical and expensive construction projects in the region. Kuwait is the fifth wealthiest country per-capita in the world, with expansive oil fields and a booming economy. This success has led government officials and investors to leap ahead with plans for a modern oasis in the desert, a sprawling 250 thousand square meters metropolis directly across the bay from the bustling economic hub of Kuwait City. Madinat Al Hareer, the City of Silk, will be completed in 2023, and will propel Kuwait into the global urban spotlight. With an initial government investment of over US$ 132 billion and numerous private investors, the construction is underway on the basic infrastructure of the site, with various stages of construction taking place over the next decade. The City will host a number of innovative landmarks: The Jaber Al Ahmed Bridge - Connecting Madinat Al Hareer with neighboring Kuwait City, the Jaber Bridge will span more than 23 kilometers across Kuwait Bay, reducing travel time between the cities from an hour and a half to under 17 minutes. The Burj Mubarak al-Kabir - Standing 1001 meters above the desert, in reference to the popular Arabian Nights talebased on the region, the Mubarak al-Kabir Tower will consist of three twisting, interlocking structures and, at the time of its completion in 2016, will be the tallest in the world. The Silk Road - Free Enterprise Zone - Located next to the international airport, this economic zone will feature duty-free merchandise and business-friendly tax laws to spur economic growth in the City. With rail, air, and road access to much of Asia, this is sure to become a major hub in the region. Bubiyan Port - Potentially one of the closest sea ports to Central Asia, the Bubiyan Port is slated for construction on Bubiyan Island, Kuwait's largest island. The port would handle traffic from Iran, Iraq, and other Middle-Eastern countries. Sports City - A sprawling assemblage of sporting complexes, Olympic Stadia, recreation centers, parks and health facilities will highlight the City's focus on athletic events and a commitment to physical excellence. There are also plans for several sports medicine and research academies. Convention and Exhibition Centers - Taking a cue from the World's Fair and other major gatherings of entrepreneurs and professionals, the City's facilities will host a variety of innovators from around the world to showcase advances in technology, energy, and design. Kuwait hopes to bring the global spotlight to a local stage.

Google announced construction of its first-ever Asian data center on December 8. The US$ 300 million facility is being built in Kowloon, Hong Kong, and will increase the company's reliability and speed in the region, reported constructiondigital. The ultra-modern center will incorporate innovative design features to make it one of the most efficient and environmentally-friendly facilities in the region. "One way we'll achieve region-leading efficiency (in Hong Kong) is by custom designing each element to operate at optimal efficiency," said Simon Chang, Google's head of Asia-Pacific hardware operations. The data center will use free cooling, adjust power usage for peak efficiency, and will run at higher temperatures than comparable centers. The center will be operational in 2013, and employ 25 full-time staff members. "We're working as quickly as we can get to this facility operational so we can keep up with rapid growth in capacity demand across the region. We're targeting early 2013 to start bringing the facility online," Chang added. As cloud-based technologies continue to expand, internet companies are looking to expand their capacity and reach. Google is also rumored to be building a data center in Singapore, and has already purchased nearly 25 thousand square meters of land - though no official construction date has been set.