In downtown Miami, a developer from Istanbul is gearing up to break ground on the, a 70-story, 271-meter-tall tower that may become one of the state of Florida’s tallest buildings. Billionaire businessman Bekir Okan envisions a mixed-use high-rise whose residents and visitors can swim in a pool on the 70th floor, relax in a Turkish bath, and stay overnight in a Hilton-branded hotel. Located at 555 North Miami Ave., west of Biscayne Boulevard and northwest of Miami-Dade College, the project carries a $300 million price tag — fully financed by Okan himself, his company says. The project is designed to contain 153 residential condo units, 236 condo-hotel units, a 294-room full-service hotel and 8,361 square meters of office and meeting room space. The 66th floor will be devoted to a restaurant. In a nod to Miami’s reputation as a place for experimental architectural design, the building’s silhouette will take the shape of a tulip, the national flower of Turkey. The proposed structure would rise slightly north of the main federal courthouse — which takes the shape of a cruise ship. The building would slightly edge out the recently opened on Brickell Avenue in Miami, which rises to an architectural height of 252 meters and an unofficial tip height including the antennas of 262 meters. That building eclipsed the nearby, which stands at 240 meters. The developer is in the process of selecting a general contractor and negotiating a franchise agreement with Hilton. The project is expected to break ground in the late fall of 2018, with aims to complete in 2022.

MAD Architects has revealed new renderings of the Lucas Museum of Narrative Art that’s just broke ground in Los Angeles’ Exposition Park this week. Founded by “Star Wars” creator George Lucas, the museum will take on a fittingly futuristic spaceship-like appearance crafted in MAD Architects’ iconic curvaceous style. The US$ 1.5 billion museum is expected to be complete and open to the public by the second half of 2021. Since winning the International Competition of the Lucas Museum of Narrative Art in 2014, MAD Architects has developed three unique designs for the Lucas Museum of Narrative Art, each of which respond to the three proposed project locations in Chicago, San Francisco, and Los Angeles. The non-profit museum’s confirmed home in Los Angeles sits on approximately 44.5 thousand square meters of land in Exposition Park. The building’s interior has been designed as an expansive, open cave, flooded with natural light from skylights above. At least US$ 400 million worth of art will be housed in the museum, including over 10,000 paintings, illustrations and movie memorabilia. Skylights allow sunlight to flood the interior space, and guide visitors through the museum’s various programs. The first floor and roof of the building are expansive public areas that can be enjoyed by everyone. People can exercise here, relax, talk to the surrounding natural environment, and directly experience nature in the urban environment.”

A 47000 square meters office building is set to rise in Newark, NJ — and once complete, it will be the largest mass timber office structure in the U.S. Designed by Vancouver firm Michael Green Architecture (MGA). The proposed Newark office will consist of three interconnected volumes and it will be more than double the size of the nation’s current largest mass-timber building, the T3 North Loop M building in Minneapolis. Mass-timber construction is growing in popularity across the U.S. and is lauded for fast construction, strength, and eco-friendly benefits. Though the building will be built on a concrete foundation, the structural components will be mass timber and will be treated to be fire resistant. The building comprises three stepped volumes ascending from six to eight and then 11 stories. The exterior will be clad in either brick or metal panels, while the interiors will feature exposed wood and be bathed in natural light thanks to ample glazing and a central atrium. Workers will also enjoy access to rooftop gardens. Described by the developers as the city's "most ambitious mixed-use project", the Riverfront Square proposal will include a total of 186000 square meters of office spaces, 2,000 residential units, a hotel, public space and cultural facilities.

Google has unveiled plans for a new campus in the Moffett Park area of Sunnyvale, California that will be located just a few kilometers from its long-awaited “Googleplex” headquarters in Mountain View. And just like the company’s Mountain View and London campuses in the works, the building has been designed by Bjarke Ingels Group (BIG), reported the Archdaily. According to the architectural portal, the complex will consist of two terracing buildings containing over 93 thousand square meters of office space and room for up to 4,500 employees. And as in many of BIG’s most successful projects, the design concept centers on fostering activity and maximizing accessible space, including on its ramped roof where Google workers will be able to walk, bike or rollerblade between levels. By bringing the roof down to ground level, the buildings will become a visual extension of the surrounding parks and neighborhood, a site that Google envisions as a future mixed-use community where its employees could both work and reside. The land for the project was acquired in a US$ 210 million deal with NetApp earlier this month and in a larger land grab purchased in July of last year, totaling 164 thousand square meters. The Caribbean is envisioned as part of a larger strategy for the expansion of Google’s presence in the city. As part of their community outreach initiative, Google has already contributed over US$1million toward housing for Sunnyvale's homeless population and more than US $750 thousand toward educational projects.

Anya Hairapetan, the daughter of wealthy Moscow-based journalist, publisher and oil tycoon Levon Hairapetian, is unloading a prized piece of her real estate portfolio. After picking up a historic Brooklyn Heights carriage house for $9.8 million last year, Hairapetian is letting it go again for almost the same price. The four-bedroom townhouse at 165 Columbia Heights is back on the market asking $9.9 million, according to The Real Deal. In 2014, the New York Post reported that she bought a West Village townhouse for $9.89 million at 280 West Fourth Street that was once home to artist Charles Webster Hawthorne, mentor to Norman Rockwell. The Brooklyn carriage house is on the market with Compass’ Maggie Sherman, who says in the listing that the property has all new mechanical systems and every structural piece has been replaced. The house features a 3-car garage, expansive open living space, 4 bedrooms, 3 baths, and a beautiful planted Roof Terrace.