The Shard in London has secured the top prize for the world's most renowned prize for high-rise architecture - the Emporis Skyscraper Award 2013. The Shard, currently Western Europe's tallest building, was selected for first prize from more than 300 skyscraper submissions from around the world. The award, which is now in its 14th year, is issued by Emporis, the international provider of building data. To qualify, skyscrapers had to be completed in 2013 and reach a height of at least 100 meters. London's winning mixed-use skyscraper rises 306 meters and was designed by renowned architect Renzo Piano. The Shard crystallizes the skyline with its sharp, angled glass facade. Second place was awarded to "DC Tower 1" in Vienna, Austria, designed by Dominique Perrault Architecture. According to the architects, the facade's folds give DC Tower 1 a malleability which constantly adapts to the light, a reflection or an event. They said its shimmering undulated facade is a prominent part of the Vienna skyline; it now holds the title of Austria's tallest building at 250 meters. The skyscraper also impressed due to its comprehensive sustainability concept, including photovoltaics to generate energy, local plants with low water requirements in the green areas of the building, and electric car chargers to save on CO2 emissions. China's unconventional Sheraton Huzhou Hot Spring Resort by MAD architects took third place. The hotel skyscraper reaches 102 meters and echoes the shape of a giant ring. This enables all rooms to have balconies and views and absorb daylight from all directions. An impressive 19,000 LED lights illuminate the facade at night, imposing reflections on the building of it's Lake Tai location. Last year's top prize went to the curvaceous Absolute World Towers in Canada, while Frank Gehry's stainless steel skyscraper marvel New York by Gehry secured top honor's the year before. In 2010 Prestigious architectural award Emporis Skyscraper Award won the Hotel Porta Fira in Barcelona.

Green roofs offer a lot of environmental benefits - they provide additional insulation, reduce rainwater runoff, and can lower your electricity bill. However a new study suggests that roofs painted white might actually be more effective at fighting climate change. A study published in the Energy and Buildings Journal compared three types of roofs - green, black and white - and came to the conclusion that white roofs have great economic benefits, and they are also three times more effective than the other two at fighting climate change. Researchers at the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory conducted an economic analysis of the costs and benefits of white, black and green roofs and found that white roofs are far superior in fighting climate change than the other two. While roofs painted black absorb heat and contribute to the urban heat island effect, white roofs reflect the sunlight back into the atmosphere and help cool down its lower parts. The study advises those concerned with global climate change to choose white roofs, adding to a host of other studies in the past decade that have allowed the "white roof movement" to gain momentum across the United States. However, things are not as simple as they seem. A series of climate simulations carried out by Mark Z. Jacobson and Ten Hoeve of Stanford University showed some unexpected results. Despite their beneficial effects on the lower parts of the atmosphere, white roofs decrease the temperature difference half a mile above ground-a difference which drives cloud formation and less clouds means more sunlight reaching the Earth's surface. This, among other issues like the impact on fossil fuel consumption and summer cooling vs. winter heating gains, is still subject of scientific debates. Meanwhile, it should also be noted that vegetated roofs offer built-in storm water management mechanisms in addition to some cooling benefits. Although we are excited to find out how different roofing strategies may affect climate change, one should be aware of the fact that these investigations involve a wide spectrum of factors and potential consequences far too complex for a hotheaded (pun intended) thumbs-up verdict. Earlier in 2012 Columbia University and City University of New York has found ; that greening NYC rooftops or adding a few coats of white paint can reduce temperatures by as much as 84%.

UAE-based developer Kleindienst Group announced that contractors have been mobilized on its flagship The Heart of Europe project - a cluster of six islands forming part of The World, Dubai's iconic man-made island development. The company said in a statement that work has now started with the dispatching of 600 tons of materials and equipment from the main land to the islands. Vibro-compaction of all six islands is the first step in the construction process, preparing them for buildings to be erected. The construction process is anticipated to last until the end of 2016. The Heart of Europe project includes islands for mainland Europe, inspired by Austrian, Italian, Spanish, German and French architecture; Monaco; Sweden; Switzerland; St Petersburg, Austria and Germany. Once complete, The Heart of Europe will offer visitors and holiday makers the authentic charm of each of its European countries. Monaco will boast "all the elegance and opulence of the French Riviera" with contemporary villas and luxurious yachts, while Sweden will feature a central marketplace that encompasses the tradition of Stockholm's famous Saluhall markets. The first European island to be built will be Germany. The six stunning islands will offer leading hotels for families and wedding parties, landscaped gardens, climate controlled plazas, street performers, snow and rain-lined streets and much, much more. The World, master developed by the Nakheel Group's The World subsidiary, was first announced in 2003. The entire project spans approximately 9 kilometers in width, 7 kilometers in length, and is 4.5 kilometers from the Dubai mainland coast. The World's 300 islands and 27 kilometers breakwater were completed in 2008 cover over 870 thousand square meters and are visible from space. On May 2013 a Nakheel subsidiary has signed an out-of-court settlement agreement with Kleindienst Properties, a key investor in The World project, ending the need for it to go to the Dubai World Tribunal. The settlement, under which Kleindienst Properties will pay the balance owing of US$ 185 million to The World LLC, allows Kleindienst to continue with its planned Heart of Europe islands at The World.

The Avesta Company has announced that the first phase of the 30 million square meters (3000 ha) Caspian Islands project will be completed by May 28, the Azertag state news agency reports. The first phase consists of several beaches, restaurants, bridges and about 4 kilometers of roads, as well as two 50 thousand square meters parks. The project will be implemented in three stages. The total investment required in the Caspian Islands project is estimated at US$ 100 billion. In general, Caspian Islands is to comprise 50 artificial islands containing 19 high-rise residential districts with more than 150 schools and numerous other support institutions, also it is planned to construct 20 kilometers boulevard and 20 bridges. The city is to house 1 about million residents. Caspian Islands is to be the site of the 1,050-meter Azerbaijan Tower, a proposal that is expected to cost more than US$ 2 billion to construct and is estimated to be completed by 2025. If completed, the Azerbaijan Tower would exceed the height of the under-construction 1,000-km Kingdom Tower in Saudi Arabia, currently set to be the world's tallest building by 2019. This Skyscraper is expected to construct during the second phase of project. The owner of Avesta Ibrahim Ibrahimov is one of the richest men of Azerbaijan. He was born in May 28, 1955 in Nakhichevan. Near friend of presidential family Ibrahimov (he called Ilham Aliyev "the Boss of All Bosses") is going to occupy the penthouse at Azerbaijan Tower. Opposition figures say that Ibrahimov owes much of what he has to the Aliyev family, but when NYT correspondent Peter Savodnik asked him about it, he shrugged. Western financial analysts and real estate developers are understandably skeptical about Caspian Islands project. For one thing, there's President Ilham Aliyev's regime, which opposes political competition and other reforms that would diversify its economy and spur the long-term growth needed for this kind of mega-project (NYT).

Saudi Arabia laid the foundation stone for the King Abdullah International Gardens (KAIG) in Riyadh, with plans for the facility set to include the world's largest botanical gardens. KAIG, one of the largest environment projects in the world, will be spread over a total area of 2.5 million square meters along Riyadh-Jeddah Road. Construction work of KAIG has started after the completion of the first phase of the project, which included leveling the site and fencing works. There will be six main sections at KAIG, including covered and open facilities. They are the Plants Gardens, the Valley Gardens, the Scientific Gardens, the Water Gardens, the International Gardens, and the Nature Gardens. The covered facility, which will be the largest of its kind in the world, would have two giant botanical gardens spread over a total area of 100 thousand square meters. The crescent-shaped facility will be five times bigger than the world's largest geodesic domes at the Eden Project, Cornwall, in Britain (). Its structure and fabric are capable of adaptation to the various environments. The project will focus on local plant life in the Arabian Peninsula and is designed to appeal to families and tourists. KAIG's open facility will have plants growing in the local environment, in addition to an open museum for plants, seeds bank, and rocky garden. There will also be research institutes, office accommodation, shops, restaurants, visitor facilities and a theater. The gardens will use recycled water and alternative energy supplies, exploiting solar and wind power as well as rainfall through collection tanks.