The long race toward the ultimate environmentally friendly city (emission-free communities and carbon-neutral cities) is just getting started, with many projects yet to break ground.
Some likely will never make it off the paper they’re printed on. And, of course, there are competing definitions of exactly what constitutes true carbon neutrality. Take a look here at some of the proposed ideas, from a small hydrogen-powered community in Denmark to a vast development on Chongming Island in China that will have a population of 500,000 by 2050.
Fast Company has made a list of the top ten creative people in architecture. Two Dutch architects made it in the top ten including two architects from the Asian continent respectively South-Korea and China. You can find the top 10 list here.
Happy 50th Anniversary for LEGO! Hearing or reading the name LEGO always brings up good memories and puts a smile on my face! During my childhood LEGO was my favourite toy! I could literally play all day with it! Yesterday was the official 50th anniversary of LEGO.
From a business perspective LEGO is a text-book example of a company that successfully transformed itself for the 21st century. Late 90s LEGO seemed to have had its best time. However it managed to blend in and fully adapt internet in its business model. Resulting in the fact that you now can first build your very own artwork online and have it delivered at your house in the famous interlocking bricks!
Furthermore, if you do a really good work in making your own LEGO artwork it can even be put in mass production by LEGO and put up in stores worldwide. LEGO gives you royalties of 5%, which in turn can make you a good living. Building and ordering LEGO bricks online now accounts for 10% of sales. So still loads of potential especially if you take in account the long tail. Building and ordering your very own LEGO artwork online is basically an unlimited supply of LEGO artwork variety.
BusinessWeek’s section “Innovation” features a report on architectural wonders around the world. You now may wonder what Design has to do with business? Well, increasingly “design thinking” (user-centred approach) is becoming the centre of stage to evolve the customer experience. Even during the last World Economic Forum designers were invited to emphasise on the connection between business and design.
Here a short overview of the architectural wonders as highlighted by BusinessWeek:
The prospect of hosting the 2012 Olympic Games have created an explosion of new buildings and dynamic renovations in The City of London.
From times immemorial, Italy is know from its innovative structures, built during ancient times, whose design still inspires plenty of architects. Currently, many high-profile architects are turning their sight on Italy which results in new contemporary architectures across Italy.
As oil reserves are shrinking, Dubai is shifting its focus from an Oil power to a hot spot for tourism. To become a highly attractive tourist destination Dubai is building new breathtakingly architectural tour the forces. Including many world’s first seen architecture as well, such as an underwater luxury resort.
As China climbs up the economic ladder and the Being 2008 Olympics and the 2010 World Expo are in foresight it is steadily working on its appearance before the global audience tunes in during these two events.
More information on business in relation to design is written in the article “The Power of Design” by the FastCompany and “The Creative Corporation” by BusinessWeek. A podcast on this topic can be found here. For now, keep in mind that “design” goes far beyond letterhead.
Luigi Di Serio is an “entrepreneur” who does “ad hoc writing, website development and theorising.” He also has a degree in Urban Planning, which, we suppose, makes him vaguely qualified to rank the world’s top skylines. Regardless, his list can serve as a good conversation starter. Notably, seven out of his top 10 are in Asia:
1. Hong Kong, China
2. Chicago, USA
3. Shanghai, China
4. New York City, USA
5. Tokyo, Japan
6. Singapore
7. Toronto, Canada
8. Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
9. Shenzhen, China
10. Seoul, South Korea
As I’ve not been to all ten places on this list but a fairly seven, however, I can acknowledge that I totally agree with his top 3. Truly Hong Kong’s skyline is my ultimate favourite and looks even better during Chinese New Year, I am also in particular fond of all the modern skyscrapers and architectural “tour de forces” in Chicago.
As I will visit Shanghai this summer I was reading upon an article which reflects the China’s current architecture evolvement.
Shanghai, China’s commercial capital is starting to take on the chic of Paris, the sophistication of New York and the futuristic vibes of Tokyo. It already boasts the world’s fastest train (the Maglev that takes eight minutes to run the 30 km from Pudong airport into the city), the longest underwater pedestrian tunnel (under the Huangpu river) and the world’s tallest hotel-the 88-storey Grand Hyatt, complete with the world’s highest swimming pool and longest laundry chute.
Most interesting, it has Xintiandi, a two-hectare (nine-acre) complex of hip restaurants, bars and shops in an open, elegant, low-rise style that cost $170m to develop and is one of the first examples of China preserving its own architecture. Xintiandi’s houses are traditional shikumen (literally “stone gate”) built along narrow alleys that middle-class professionals flocked to for a sense of community and safety, and which made up 60% of the city’s residential housing between the 1880s and the 1940s.
Chinese architecture has rarely been this confident. In the old days, it was strictly governed by the emperor, who imposed restrictions on height, colour and design. Now China has the money and the talent-foreign architects who are now begging to work there, returning Chinese and home-grown graduates-to be different.
It is a huge opportunity. The current political system can still command huge resources; for those with government backing, there are few planning restrictions; and given the scale of internal migration-one-third of all Chinese will move into a new home over the next decade-China will be building whole new cities in the coming years. As long as it makes commercial sense, Mr Lo hazards that the mainland may well tear down a lot of the ugly buildings it has thrown up during the past 20 years and start again-which is exactly what happened in Hong Kong. And as their new model, China’s architects could proudly take Shanghai.
The long race toward the ultimate environmentally friendly city (emission-free communities and carbon-neutral cities) is just getting started, with many projects yet to break ground. 
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