Bahrain World Trade Center

The Bahrain World Trade Center (also called Bahrain WTC or BWTC) is a 240 m (787 ft) high twin tower complex located in Manama, Bahrain. The towers were built in 2008 by the multi-national architectural firm Atkins. It is the first skyscraper in the world to integrate wind turbines into its design. The wind turbines were developed, built and installed by Danish company Norwin A/S. This 50-floor structure is constructed in close proximity to the King Faisal Highway, near popular landmarks such as the towers of BFH, NBB and Abraj Al Lulu. It currently ranks as the second tallest building in Bahrain, after the twin towers of the Bahrain Financial Harbour. The project has received several awards for sustainability, including;

• The 2006 LEAF Award for Best Use of Technology within a Large Scheme.
• The Arab Construction World for Sustainable Design Award.

Photo � Link

The two towers are linked via three skybridges, each holding a 225kW wind turbine, totalling to 675kW of wind power production. Each of these turbines measure 29 m (95 ft) in diameter, and is aligned north, which is the direction from which air from the Persian Gulf blows in. The sail-shaped buildings on either side are designed to funnel wind through the gap to provide accelerated wind passing through the turbines. This was confirmed by wind tunnel tests, which showed that the buildings create an S-shaped flow, ensuring that any wind coming within a 45� angle to either side of the central axis will create a wind stream that remains perpendicular to the turbines. This significantly increases their potential to generate electricity.

The wind turbines are expected to provide 11% to 15% of the towers' total power consumption, or approximately 1.1 to 1.3 GWh a year. This is equivalent to providing the lighting for about 300 homes. The three turbines were turned on for the first time on 8 April 2008. They are expected to operate 50% of the time on an average day. 33 more images after the break...

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The Leaning Tower of Abu Dhabi � Capital Gate Building

Capital Gate is an iconic leaning skyscraper located in Abu Dhabi adjacent to the Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Centre. At 160 meter (520 ft) and 35 stories, it is one of the tallest buildings in the city and leans at an astounding 18 degrees to the west, four times than the famous Leaning Tower of Pisa. In June 2010, the Guinness Book of World Records certified Capital Gate as the "World�s furthest leaning man-made tower."

To make this possible, the central core of the building slants in the opposite direction to the lean of the structure, and it straightens as it grows. The building sits on top of a 7-foot-deep concrete base with a dense mesh of reinforced steel. The steel exoskeleton known as the diagrid sits above an extensive distribution of 490 piles that have been drilled 100 feet underground to accommodate the gravitational, wind and seismic pressures caused by the lean of the building.

Photo Via � Flicker

The ground-breaking form of Capital Gate is due not only to its lean, but also to its funnel shape. The tower widens as it spirals upwards and outwards. Due to its strange design each hotel room is unique in size and shape, with floor-to-ceiling windows that let guests soak up the best of the sweeping views of the city below.

Capital Gate forms the focal point of the Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Centre complex and the Capital Centre master development, a connected group of 23 towers including branded hotels, commercial buildings, residential and serviced apartment complexes and developments for mixed use. These facilities are built overlooking an urban highway along the south-western shore of Abu Dhabi, with Capital Gate dominating the waterfront from its position at the western edge.

The 35-storey tower, which opened less just a year ago after five years of construction, is fast becoming one of Abu Dhabi's most famous landmarks. 09 more images after the break...

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World�s Longest Residential Building � Karl Marx Hof

We�ve looked at many of the world�s largest things in the past, so for something different, let�s look at the longest. Karl-Marx-Hof in Vienna is the world�s longest residential building, stretching more than a kilometre through the 19th district better known for large houses and diplomatic residences. The building consists of almost 1,400 apartments, meant to house up to 5,000 people. The design included amenities such as a swimming pool, library, laundries, shops, a school and medical facilities. Only the eastern side of the building stretches the full 1,100 metres, but in many sections there are blocks on the western side of the development which create internal courtyards and parks for the residents. The building consists of almost 1,400 apartments, meant to house up to 5,000 people. The design included amenities such as a swimming pool, library, laundries, shops, a school and medical facilities. Only the eastern side of the building stretches the full 1,100 metres, but in many sections there are blocks on the western side of the development which create internal courtyards and parks for the residents.

The apartments were some of the first in the city to each include a toilet, running water and balconies � luxuries that workers of the time had never experienced before. Today, however, they are less desirable due to their small size and the fact that many don�t have showers or other modern facilities. Several tunnels had to be incorporated into the design to allow the continuation of city streets and traffic flow. The building suffered heavy damage during the Austrian Civil War of 1934 when military and police forces took severe action, bombarding the building to force out unarmed families and Party workers who were barricaded inside. This damage wasn�t repaired until some years after World War 2. 09 more images after the break...

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The Agora Tower � Taipei, Taiwan

On the last and biggest parcel of land available for residential use in taipei city, vincent callebaut 's twisting, foliage-filled 'agora tower' will preside over the rest of the urban xinyin district. the architect, known for his distinct eco-vision, has designed a high-density space that aims at limiting the ecologic footprint of its inhabitants by forging a symbiotic relationship between the urban dweller and nature. tall planted balconies of suspended orchards, organic vegetable gardens and and medicinal greenery will take root in the high-performance building. in true cradle-to-cradle fashion, even the construction process transforms itself; industrial waste will be returned as a 'technical nutrient' to be indefinitely recycled. the helicoidal towers appropriate their form from the structure of DNA, conceptually speaking to the building blocks of life, as well as dynamism and twinning. four types of housing units form a full level allowing their twisting forms to optimize space for open-air hanging gardens. the angled apartments additionally offer exceptional views of the bustling city by multiplying the transversal views of the overall east-west rhomboidal pyramid. corbelled floors provide structure and privacy. 16 more images after the break...

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Futuristic Cultural Complex in Changsha � China

Zaha Hadid Architects (ZHA) have unveiled an ambitious cultural complex, which began to take shape in October after the project broke ground in the heart of Changsha, China. In true Hadid-fashion, the Changsha Meixihu International Culture & Arts Center defines itself by extreme sinuous curves that radiate from each of the three independent structures and links them to a pedestrianized landscape that offers a �strong urban experience�, forming what they hope to be a global destination for theater and art.

The International Culture & Arts Centre embodies a unique variety of civic nodes and spaces: A Grand Theatre, a Contemporary Art Museum, a Multipurpose Hall and supporting facilities. The central plaza is generated by the relative position of these separate buildings and offers a strong urban experience whereby the flow of pedestrian visitors that come from all sides of the site intersect and meet. In parallel it also stretches outwards to the neighboring streets with unfettered and phenomenal views across Meixi lake with access towards Festival Island. 05 more images after the break...

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Museum Of Science in Miami

The ongoing effort to turn a large swath of downtown Miami�s bayfront into a center of science, art and learning has taken another important step. Knight Foundation announced a $10 million challenge grant to the Patricia and Phillip Frost Museum of Science. To be paid, the funds must be matched by an additional $20 million in funding. The pledge comes as the science museum, currently located in Coconut Grove, is poised to break ground next month on its new home in downtown�s Museum Park along Biscayne Bay. The Frost will rise alongside the under-construction Jorge M. Perez Art Museum and sit a block from the Adrienne Arsht Center for the Performing Arts, two institutions that each received $10 million in Knight support.

The two museums and performance center - coupled with the sprawling public park, Museum Park - are set to become a vital, central destination on Miami�s cultural map. So too, the three institutions and public park will serve as a primary anchor in the ongoing revitalization of Miami�s urban core. It represents a big turn for an area that has long languished. I remember a decade ago, when I was in Miami for the first time, staying at a downtown hotel, and went for a morning jog through the city. I stumbled upon the 30-acre parcel on the bay; ratty and disheveled � and largely unused. But this $10 million challenge grant seeks to do much more than aide in reviving a barren stretch. It seeks to be a trigger for increased learning and public engagement with the sciences. With the foundation's support, a new, high-tech learning center � to be called the Knight Learning Center � will be built to include classrooms and laboratories. It will be used for schools, professional development and workshops. 07 more images after the break...

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Manhattan of the Desert Shibam � Yemen

The city of Shibam, located in the central-western area of Hadhramaut Governorate, in the Ramlat al-Sab`atayn desert, is best known for its towering mudbrick skyscrapers. This small town of 7000 is packed with around 500 mud houses standing between 5 and 11 stories tall and reaching 100 feet high, all constructed entirely of mud bricks. The bizarre skyline that the high rise buildings bestow upon the city has earned Shibam the moniker "Manhattan of the Desert."

Shibam is often called "the oldest skyscraper city in the world" and is one of the oldest and best examples of urban planning based on the principle of vertical construction. Its plan is trapezoidal, almost rectangular; and it is enclosed by earthen walls within which a block of dwellings, also built from earth, have been laid out on an orthogonal grid. Shibam was founded in the 3rd century AD, but most of the houses you see here dates only to the 16th century, following a devastating flood of which Shibam was the victim in 1532-33. However, some older houses and large buildings still remain from the first centuries of Islam, such as the Friday Mosque, built in 904, and the castle, built in 1220.

Photo � Link

In general the windowless lower floors are used for grain storage, with areas for domestic use above and those for family and leisure above that. The main room on the second floor is used by men for socializing. It often has wonderful carved plasterwork and freestanding decorated wooden columns supporting the ceiling, while women's areas are found higher, usually on the third or fourth floor. The highest rooms are for communal use by the whole family, and on the upper levels there are often bridges and doors connecting the houses. These are a defensive feature, but also a practical one � especially for old people who find it difficult to walk up and down the interminable staircases. 08 more images after the break...

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Simone Handbag Museum � Seoul

December 13th, 2012 � South Korean�s are becoming more known for their bold approach to modern architecture, but this new towering structure might just take the prize! A massive building shaped like a handbag is now Seoul�s latest style accessory. Korean-based architects UAD and Charlie Smith Design, took a very literal approach to creating the handbag look-a-like structure for the Simone Handbag Museum, which showcases over 300 handbags that date from the 16th century to the 21st century. The five story building, which will now be known as The BagStage Building, celebrates the history of handbag design in South Korea, showcases Simone�s collection of bags, and provides designated workshops for promising young designers to create their own handbags. 07 more images after the break...

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Sky Habitat � A Luxury Residential Complex in Singapore

Singapore's CapitaLand construction company in 2012 started the construction of the most expensive residential complex in Singapore Sky Habitat. The snow-white 38-story skyscraper located on lush on 506 apartments planned to be completed in 2016. Luxury condominium project to be located in the suburbs of Bichat, by the famous architect Moshe Safdie, developed for him an impressive stage structure. 18 more images after the break...

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City of Bright Colors

Kiev � Residential Complex

In some cities, the bright colors become a feature of the city's architecture.

Most of the city's buildings are painted in gray color, contributing to our already gray days. And as a ray of bright light breaking through their bold colorful designs, diluting monotonous architectural scale bright palette. Moreover, the "revival" sometimes subjected to not a single house, and the entire complex and residential quarters. Over the years, the bright colors in the architecture becomes more and more, including in Russia. One Anadyr is worth something! 24 more images after the break...

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The Tallest Buildings in India Revealed

Imperial Tower

Standing tall at 254 meters (833 ft), the 61-floored Imperial Tower (I & II) are the tallest buildings in India. The Imperial is a twin-tower residential skyscraper complex in Mumbai that were the tallest buildings in the country till June 2012 when Palais Royale topped out. The towers are located at the sea front in Tardeo, South Mumbai. Construction was completed and the towers were inaugurated in 2010. (Photo by Krupasindhu Muduli via Wikimedia Commons) 10 more tallest buildings in India after the break...

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