Nasa is holding a competition with US$ 2.25 million in prizes to find the best sustainable habitat that can house astronauts on deep space exploration missions. The US space agency is challenging designers, architects, engineers and 3D printing enthusiasts to not just build sustainable housing that can be quickly 3D printed and replicated, but also to make sure that the materials used are both recyclable and indigenous to Mars. The new project will feature two different stages. The first stage, which is currently open for registration, requires entrants to design an architectural concept for a habitat that makes use of 3D printing, with 30 submissions shortlisted and a cash prize of US$ 50,000 to be given out. The second stage of the competition opens for registration on 26 September and entrants can choose to enter either or both of the two challenges set, which each carry a prize of US$ 1.1 million. The Structural Member Competition (Level 1) requires entrants to develop the fabrication technologies needed to manufacture structural components either from a combination of indigenous materials and recyclables, or indigenous materials alone. Meanwhile, the On-Site Habitat Competition (Level 2) challenges competitors to build full-scale habitats using indigenous materials or indigenous materials combined with recyclables.

The world's largest hotel is being planned for Mecca, Saudi Arabia, a remarkable structure that will rise out of the desert and apparently contain 10,000 rooms for worshippers. The hotel will be part of a mixed-use development at Abraj Kudai, a US$ 3.5 billion project intended to look like a desert fortress that encompasses a ring of towers standing on top of a podium. It is due to be completed in 2017 and is being situated in the Manafia area of Mecca's central zone, just 2.2 kilometers south of the Masjid al-Haram (holy mosque). DesignMENA reported that the hotel will have 10,000 rooms in 12 separate towers, which are 44 stores high that will also include 70 restaurants, rooftop helipads, royal floors and a full size convention center. Two of the towers will offer five-star facilities, according to the hotel's architects Dar Al-Handasah. The other ten will provide four-star accommodation. The interiors are expected to be in keeping with the opulent style found elsewhere in the region. The site, which will also include residential facilities, a shopping mall and plenty of car parking for those visiting the mosque and black Kaaba, has an approximate total site area of 60,000 square meters and a total built-up area of 1.4 million square meters. The world's largest hotels up until now have been in Las Vegas. The Venetian and The Palazzo, which operate as a single hotel, offer 7117 rooms. The MGM Grand in Las Vegas is close behind in terms of number of room keys, with 6,852 rooms available.

Plans to rebuild one of the seven wonders of the ancient world, the Pharos Lighthouse, have been approved by Egyptian authorities. The feat of ancient engineering, which is also known as the Lighthouse of Alexandria, was completed around 280BC, and is estimated to have been 130 meters high. The plan is to rebuild the lighthouse a few meters away from where it once stood in the coastal city of Alexandria, as the original location is now occupied by the Qaitbay Citadel, the Cairo Post reports. Egypt's permanent committee on antiquities has approved the proposal and now it's just down to the Alexandria's regional government to sign-off on it, according to Dr. Mostafa Amin, secretary general of the Supreme Council of Antiquities. The Pharos Lighthouse was one of the most famous structures of the ancient world. "The original building comprised three stages: a lower square section with a central core, a middle octagonal section and a circular section at its top," archaeology professor Fathy Khourshid tells the Cairo Post. It guided ships using a mirror during the daytime, and a fire at night. The lighthouse suffered damage during a series of earthquakes and is believed to have been destroyed by one in the early 14th Century.

As part of the memory of the 100th anniversary of the Armenian Genocide the Armenian Genocide Museum opened its doors. Reconstruction works began in 2011. The total are of museum is 2.5 thousand square meters and now it has 12 display rooms instead of previous 3. For the first in Armenia were employed a new technologies, design approaches and solutions which widely are used in world's museums common practices. Today the permanent collection includes thousands of new exhibits found and purchased in the last 7-8 years. Some are presented in printed form, others by means of projectors and touch screens. There are unique photographs, books. The exhibition consists of 52 main sections and there are more than 90 thousand exhibits there, the largest collection in the world on Armenian Genocide. The Tsitsernakaberd Genocide Memorial, the Museum and the adjoining areas renovation and reconstruction works were funded by Tsitsernakaberd charitable foundation and cost US$ 4,5 million. The chairman of the Board of Trustees is President of RA Serzh Sargsyan.

One of Britain's top entrepreneurs has unveiled a new plan to build London's most expensive block of flats in Mayfair. "Audley Square House" is being billed as Britain's first US$ 3 billion apartment block. The previous records belonged to private projects One Hide Park and 199 Knightsbridge, which construction costs were US$ 2.2 billion. According to British publication Daily Mail John Caudwell, the founder of Phones4U, bought the five-story Audley Street garage in Mayfair, central London for US$ 230 million in order to knock it down and build a high-end housing complex. At first the site has consent for a nearly US$ 450 million scheme by Foster & Partners but John Caudwell has since added an extra building to the plot. After ditching the Foster's scheme he interviewed 30 "leading architects from around the world" before appointing New York-based Stern for its "ability to design high-quality buildings that do not stand apart from their surroundings but rather fit in comfortably amongst their neighbors". The 18,500 square meters scheme, known as "Audley Square House", will be 9 stories above ground, capped by large penthouses and duplexes, plus 5 underground - including 2 levels of car parking, plant and a leisure center. Each townhouse and penthouse will have its own gym and swimming pool, while the penthouses will have dedicated lifts to ensure their owners' privacy. The development's communal facilities will include a 15-meter swimming pool, a business center for holding meetings, a gym, spa and cinema and games room. At the first of April plans for the ambitious complex were submitted to Westminster Council. But as mentioned Becky Fatemi, director of Rokstone estate agents during her interview to Daily Mail, powerful locals might not be happy with the years of building works which would be likely to ensue in the area. The neighbors are powerful and include the Embassy of Qatar, the Dorchester Hotel and very wealthy apartment owners who will expect the site construction to be managed to the highest levels to ensure no noise or construction impact and they will expect constantly clean roads.