Officials in Paris voted to lift a ban on high rise buildings in the French capital in a bid to combat the city’s housing shortage and invigorate the city’s economic status. This decision has left the path clear for 20 high-rise designs, first flaunted by the current Mayor Bertrand Delanoe in Novemeber last year, to be approved.

The first of these designs to be approved is Herzog & de Meuron’s Le Projet Triangle which will stand at Porte de Versailles in Southern Paris. The design was showcased by Deputy Mayor, Anne Hidalgo yesterday who said in her blog: “Paris is indeed now part of the first world capitals in tourism business, trade fairs and exhibitions. Since 2001, the City of Paris has always radiated at the heart of its priorities economic development, employment and innovation. In a context of European and global competition increased, this ambition must now be translated in concrete by reinforcing its economic attractiveness.”

The design features a pyramidal block structure which will rise to 200 m and Hidalgo hopes that this design will “provide the city of Paris a true symbol commensurate with its economic vitality”. Others may be less excited about the prospect of a tower in the heart of the city however with 62% of the Parisian population opposed to high rises in the city. While Paris holds three regions for tall buildings on the outskirts, including La Defense to the West, the Triangle will be the third tallest structure in the inner city after the Eiffel Tower and Tour Montparnasse in the Montparnasse region. Due to be completed in 2012 the tower will contain offices a conference centre and a 400 bedroom hotel.

By Niki May Young / WAN

CNN will get exclusive access to the event, the nominations, and the jury which includes some of the world’s greatest architects.

The program will start with an explanation of Barcelona’s unique architectural heritage. It will then feature short pieces on six of the architects and the buildings that have been nominated for awards. These profiles have been filmed in Mumbai, Tokyo, Pretoria, Munich, London and Maryland.

The program will also feature interviews with some of the world’s leading architects including Lord Norman Foster, Zaha Hadid and Wolf D Prix.

Foster is the founder of the London-based Foster and Partners architecture company which has recently won a competition to build Virgin Galactic’s New Mexico Spaceport Authority Building for space tourism. — CNN

If you’re thinking of building your own mud hut, take a load of these images we’ve complied for you. The workmanship is second to none, and enough to put most of us to shame!

1. Dejenne Mosque in Mali is the world’s largest mud structure. Built on the ruins of the first great mosque, which dated back to the 13th century, this current structure was built in just one year and is now a proud UNESCO World Heritage site.

2. This grand old Kasbah stands proud in the southern Moroccan town of Ouarzazate.

3. Dijinguere Ber Mosque, in Timbuktu, was built to resemble a pyramid as its creator Mansa Musa had not long returned from Egypt and wanted to build something to remind him of the country. It was constructed bewteen the years 1324 and 1327.

4. The Citadel of Rayen, in Iran, was constructed in between 224 - 652 AD and is quite similar to the Citadel of Bam, which is some 20 miles away.

5. Arg e Bam, in Iran, dates back at least 2000 years and is, or rather was, one of the most amazing complete mud towns. Unfortunately, much of it was destroyed in the earthquake of 2003, which killed an estimated 26,000 people.

6. Pimp up your hut. This one is in Earthaven, Black Mountain, NC. We’re not sure what style they were going for but it’s definitely individual!

7. The city of Shibam in Yemen is made up of towering mud skyscrapers, many of which are around 500 years old. The area has been a UNESCO World Heritage site since 1982.

8. This intriguing African mud building in Burkina Faso shares many qualities we now aspire to when building our homes – sustainability, sculptural design and participation of the community.

9. These wonderful beehive huts in Sarouj, Syria, and show off talented ancient building practices that are still used to this day.

10. Hand-made mud bricks lying out to dry in Nyeleni, Mali. Judging from the huts in the background of the pic, they produce mighty fine huts, too.

The 24-storey building will include 18 residences, a Creative Artists Agency (CAA) screening room, pool and gym. The building will be distinguished in the skyline by its dramatic cantilevered floors. “Mirroring the traditional New York setback, the building’s form is at once familiar and distinctive,” said OMA founder Rem Koolhaas. “The form provides a number of unexpected moments that appear at each step- balconies at the upper part of the building and floor windows at the lower part- providing a variety of unit types and features throughout the building.”

The building is scheduled for completion in 2010.

Office for Metropolitan Architecture (OMA) | www.oma.eu

The first tall buildings built or years outside of the Commune of Paris and La Defense are now beginning construction.

The scheme is being funded by Saudi investment fund MBI to the tune of 500 million euros and is located in the commune, or district if you don’t speak French, of Levallois-Perret, one of the most densely populated areas of Paris.

Called the Levallois Twins, the design by architects Sylvain Glaiman and Pierre Epstein stars two curving 38 storey 164 metre tall towers set above a circular podium with their concaved fronts looking into the centre of the plot. Sterile white lines and contrasting glazing add to the cleanness of the look which is more corporate America than French chic.

It is being built speculatively with the main thrust of the project being some 82,000 square metres of office space. Also included is a new 400 bedroom four star hotel and least 40 new retail outlets in a 3 storey shopping mall. There will be parking for 1,600 cars will be in the basement.

For years the city had rejected building skyscrapers outside of the core area of La Defense but the construction of the Levallois Twins is one of the proposals that is seeing this policy come to an end. Whether this sees construction in La Defense which has had a virtual monopoly on skyscrapers fall or a wider building boom across Paris remains to be seen.

The scheduled completion date of the project will be sometime in 2011.

The style council
The San Francisco–based Council, launched in 2007 invites various talents to submit designs for consideration and chooses its collection from the resulting entries. For its second year, Council plucked concepts from Cédric Ragot, whose Stabil nesting tables feature a powder-coated-steel tabletop cantilevered seemingly precariously from a string-thin, asymmetrical base. The One & Co–designed Periodic Table, a block of reclaimed fir beams sprayed in pure silver, is a first-ever technique that required a year of research to produce. Council, San Francisco. www.councildesign.com

[Reader Service: September 2008 #220]

Wily wires
Marking a push into the residential market, Herman Miller unveiled its Lifework Portfolio of furniture designed for home offices. The introduction includes Airia, by Rhode Island–based designers Ayako Takase and Cutter Hutton of Kaiju Studio.

The mixed-material desk features insightful details, such as a walnut lip that is curved where the forearms rest on the tabletop, and three covelike channels — as sensual as they are inconspicuous — for wire management. Herman Miller, Zeeland, Mich. www.hermanmiller.com

[Reader Service: September 2008 #221]

Tree people
Wallpaper manufacturer Graham & Brown invited students from London’s Central St. Martins to contribute designs for a new series printed in water-based ink on paper from managed timber sources, and shipped in compostable corn-based packaging. Of 22 proposals, the company chose to produce five Eco-Wallpaper designs, featuring patterns of birds, futuristic cars, tropical flora, concentric circles, and birdcages. Graham & Brown, Blackburn, United Kingdom. www.grahambrown.com

[Reader Service: September 2008 #222]

Ready for takeoff
The wavy steel modules of Ondine, designed by Michaël Bihain and architect Cédric Callewaert, appear like abstracted birds on the verge of flight. Connect three of these components instead to produce a circular bench whose undulations support sitters of different heights. Michaël Bihain, Brussels. www.bihain.com

[Reader Service: September 2008 #226]

Wet-suited
The layered, looping forms of Son of a Bench impart this sturdy perch with a fast, Blade Runner look. Clad in rubber, the futuristic style is multifunctional, too. Besides using the bench in outdoor settings or in lobbies regularly exposed to the elements, Son’s multiple slots are perfectly sized for standing up wet umbrellas. Blu Dot, Minneapolis. www.bludot.com

[Reader Service: September 2008 #227]

Crystal drawers
When the push-touch doors of Brave Space Design’s Planar Storage pieces are closed, they resemble walls of crystalline facets — although the series is fabricated of bamboo, recycled MDF, and FSC-certified maple. Brave Space Design, Brooklyn. www.bravespacedesign.com

[Reader Service: September 2008 #228]

Drafty delicacy
By cutting and folding nonwoven cellulose into a variety of delicately geometric shapes, husband-and-wife designers Nir and Ada Simhon transform a two-dimensional sheet into a dynamic three-dimensional animated surface that wafts in the wake of passersby or shimmers in the breeze. ONON Surface, Guivataim, Israel. www.ononsurface.com

Second skin
Pritzker Prize–winning architect Jean Nouvel is the brains behind Skin, a seating collection named for its construction of star-incised leather suspended from a metal frame. The design is inspired by Nouvel’s Museè du Quay Branly in Paris. Molteni & C, Giussano, Italy. www.molteni.it

History al fresco
Richard Schultz Design strips bare the traditional wingback chair, and transforms it into the backyard-ready Wing Chair. The seat references its predecessor’s shape in perforated and folded aluminum. And with their broad backs placed into a circular or rectangular grouping, Wing Chairs provide users with a sense of enclosure. Richard Schultz, Palm, Penn. www.richardschultz.com

Made in the shade
The plastic laminate strips that comprise the canopy of the Ensombra umbrella rotate around a central axis, allowing patio dwellers to move the slats to control the amount of incoming sunshine. Gandia Blasco, Valencia, Spain. www.gandiablasco.com

Importing these types of experts may no longer be necessary. After getting licensed in 2004, the American College of Building Arts (ACBA), in Charleston, will graduate its first class next May. John Paul Huguley, a preservationist and structural engineer, founded the college, formerly the School of the Building Arts in Charleston, in 1998.Inspired by European restoration specialists, who are formally trained and supported by guilds, he modeled it after schools in France operated by Les Compagnons du Devoir, a 600-year-old organization for craftspeople.

The ACBA is not merely a trade school. It is the only four-year university in the U.S. that offers associates and bachelors degrees in the building arts. Students major in architecture or historic preservation and pick one of six concentrations: architectural metal, plaster working, masonry, carpentry, architectural stone, and timber framing. The students spend three days a week in the classroom, and two in the workshop. There are no electives, and each summer students must complete an eight-week internship in their concentration. “Every class is geared to fulfill a liberal arts curriculum, but in a very specific, integrated way,” explains Deborah Bowman, director of enrollment and student services. “Instead of biology, we have material science. Instead of the history of Charleston, we have the history of architecture.”

The college has an eclectic mix of scholars ranging in age from 17 to 30. Some are teenagers fresh out of high school, while others already have bachelor degrees. When classes got under way on August 13 for the fall semester, the campus welcomed a total of 60 students, one third of them female. Enrollment is increasing: there are 25 freshmen this year, a 60 percent increase from 2005. The annual tuition is $20,000.

When evaluating candidates, the selection committee considers standard criteria like high school transcripts and SAT scores. Applicants must also submit a portfolio showing their work, but special emphasis is placed on the interview. The program is rigorous, much like architecture school, and Bowman says they want to ensure students are passionate and mature enough to handle the demanding course load.

The school has two campuses: a former naval base houses the workshops, and the historic Old City Jail in downtown Charleston contains classrooms and administrative offices. In the future, the ACBA plans to expand to the McLeod Plantation, a 17th-century, 40-acre estate. This year, the senior class will assist with restoration work at the site.

Students say the program offers them a unique opportunity to get a bachelors degree while studying a trade. Isaiah Shaw, 24, became interested in timber framing while living in upstate New York, where old barns abound. He knew he wanted to pursue this line of work full-time, but he didn’t know how to go about it until he found the ACBA on the Internet. “It was my only option,” he says. “Smaller schools offered a week or three-month course, but nothing combined a liberal arts degree with the trade.” While Shaw is only a junior this year, his summer internships in New Hampshire and Rhode Island have already led to job offers.

In May, the college won an Arthur Ross award from the Institute of Classical Architecture & Classical America. Paul Gunther, the organization’s president, says the ACBA fills an important niche. “We are definitely seeing more of a need for these kinds of artisans,” he says, “not only in classical design but all kinds of construction.”

By Alanna Malone / ArchRecord

The Frank Lloyd Wright-designed Palmer House in Ann Arbor, Michigan, acclaimed by historians as one of the architect’s best residential projects, has been put up for sale by the family of the original owners. The asking price is $1.5 million.

Built between 1951 and 1952, the Usonian-style home measures 2,000 square feet and sits on 1.5 acres of wooded hillside near the University of Michigan campus. Still in pristine condition, it contains three bedrooms and two baths, as well as many pieces of Wright’s free-standing furniture and a collection of original documents relating to the project. The grounds also include a small teahouse designed in a sympathetic style by John Howe, a Wright protégé. The structure was built several years after Wright’s death in 1959.

Wright designed the house for William Palmer, a professor, and his wife, Mary, a musician. In 1950, the couple asked the architect to create a dwelling for a double lot they had purchased on Ann Arbor’s east side. Historian Grant Hildebrand, author of Frank Lloyd Wright’s Palmer House, published in 2007, wrote that the architect, then in his eighties, gave the Palmers a design that ranks among the best residential work of his career.

The Palmer family lived there for five decades. William Palmer died several years ago, and his wife and their children recently decided the time is right to sell.

Viewed from above, the house evokes an arrowhead. Its shape is based on an equilateral triangle, which creates sculptural spaces and relationships, inside and out. The house contains many of Wright’s trademark interior elements, including cypress paneling, a large central fireplace, and flooring made of reddish concrete with a leather-like finish. Outside, the gently sloping roof features cedar shingles and patinated copper flashing. The building’s façade is a defining characteristic: brick walls are accented by bands of ceramic blocks with a repeating cutout that resembles a bird in flight.

Edward Francis, FAIA, a Detroit architect and long-time student of Wright’s work, says the house is in mint condition, which he attributes to the architect’s meticulous craftsmanship and the building’s “well-conceived and technically solid design.” Furthermore, he adds, the house was “passionately maintained by dedicated owners.”

For more information, visit www.palmerhouseannarbor.com.

By John Gallagher (Architectural Record)

For architects Winfried Brenne and Franz Jaschke, restoring the 80-year-old ADGB Trade Union School, in Germany, was a case of subtraction. “The building was not in worse condition than others we had worked with,” Brenne says, “but it was more hidden under changes made over time.”

For three decades, their Berlin-based firm, Brenne Gesellschaft von Architekten, has been restoring and adapting Modernist structures. Their first job, in 1978, entailed renovating social-housing complexes designed by Bruno Taut. They have since worked on buildings by Walter Gropius, Mies van der Rohe, and Erich Mendelsohn, among other influential architects.

In 1999, the firm won an invited competition to renovate the ADGB, a yellow-brick complex designed by Hannes Meyer—who, from 1928 to 1930, served a controversial stint as the director of Bauhaus—and his colleague Hans Wittwer. For their work in sensitively resurrecting the structures for contemporary use, the World Monuments Fund (WMF) recently awarded Brenne and Jaschke its first-ever Modernism Prize, a new prong in its two-year-old Modernism at Risk campaign, cosponsored by Knoll. In a statement, WMF president Bonnie Burnham called the project a “superb restoration” that she hopes “will inspire the preservation and restoration of other great Modern buildings.”

Located in Bernau, Germany, ADGB was designed for the Federal School of the German Workers’ Unions and completed in 1930. “We discovered a new combination of materials and colors,” Jaschke says of the functionalist design. Built on a 12-acre site, the school comprises a network of buildings containing administrative, dormitory, classroom, meeting, and gymnasium spaces, as well as a dining hall with a glass-block ceiling. The complex’s two flanks are connected by five dormitory volumes that step back from one another; this series is edged by an external corridor fabricated of glass and red-painted steel.

The campus operated for only three years as a trade school before the Nazi party claimed it for SS training. After World War II, the East German Trade Union Federation—a union group—took it over for educating its members, and made significant alterations and additions: a wooden parapet substituted glass in the external corridor, for instance, and a suspended ceiling concealed the cafeteria’s glass blocks. These modifications made the original design unrecognizable. “We know of colleagues that went there,” Jaschke says, “and said they didn’t find it, because it was so hidden under changes they hadn’t even imagined.”

The campus was off-limits to the public, and historians didn’t even know it existed until the Berlin Wall fell in 1989. A decade later, in 1999, Brenne Gesellschaft von Architekten won an invited, Europe-wide competition to restore the complex, which over the years had been vacated and neglected. The Province of Brandenburg and the Handwerkskammer Berlin (Chamber of Crafts) agreed to reopen it, once again as a trade school. The crafts organization paid one-quarter of the €28 million project cost, while the remainder was funded publicly.

The design team focused on restoring the most important features in the original design. For instance, a stairway lined with trapezoidal windows, which had been walled off in concrete, was returned to its original exuberant condition. The architects also demolished a masonry addition, replacing it with a semicircular winter garden that had been there in 1930. They made code updates, and left their own creative mark in places like the lobby, where the yellow-brick walls were too damaged to restore. There, they overlaid the old surface with integral-color cement panels whose green, yellow, blue, and red stripes reference the palette of the dormitories.

ADGB reopened in January and is now filled to its 109-student capacity. WMF executive vice president Henry Ng says the greatest threat facing Modernist buildings is a “lack of public will,” and this project shows how valuable these structures can be. “There are buildings that people think may be obsolete,” he says, “but with a commitment on the part of the owner, they can be returned to leading viable, sustainable lives. We’re hoping this encourages people to make that happen.”

By David Sokol (Architectural Record)

London’s Blackfriars Station redesign will bridge the North and South banks of the Thames.

Work has now started on the £350m redevelopment that will make London’s Blackfriars the first station to span the river Thames.

Two architects are involved in the project, (Jacobs designing the building and Tony Gee & Partners designing the bridge), which forms part of the £5.5bn Thameslink Programme to ease rail congestion and to cope with a predicted growth in commuters.

Although Blackfriars station used to contain an entrance on the South Bank in the 19th century, the present entrance is on the north side of the river. The redevelopment will extend the current platforms across the Thames, with entrances on both sides of the river.

The new South Bank entrance will provide direct access to major attractions such as Tate Modern and Shakespeare’s Globe theatre.

The existing entrance on the north side will be replaced with a curvaceous glass building containing a shared ticket hall for National Rail and London Underground services and a mezzanine level.

Richard Parry, London Underground’s director of strategy and service development, said: “Once the works are complete, customers will get a new upgraded station with step free access, increased capacity and better interchange facilities between the Tube and National Rail services.”

A spokesman for Network Rail told WAN: “As well as spanning the entire length of the Thames, the scheme will accommodate a set of disused piers from an old railway bridge that was built in 1864. It’s a very interesting build.”

Blackfriars’ overground section will remain operational but the Tube station will be closed from March 2 2009 until work completes in late 2011.

The Thameslink Programme also includes a revamp of Kings Cross St Pancras, London Bridge and Farringdon station.

Jacobs | www.jacobsbabtie.com

Oliver Ephgrave, Reporter (WAN)