The largest, and most lavish, cruise ship in the world making history | Mail Online

The largest, and most lavish, cruise ship in the world making history | Mail Online: "The largest, and most lavish, cruise ship in the world makes history


It has everything you could ever wish for and more. The world's largest cruise ship has touched water for the first time as it prepares to sail into maritime history.

Standing at 1,187ft long and 240ft high it is impossible to understand the scale of the vessel."

Living in Paper

Current papercrete construction methods and papercrete research are covered in detail on this site. Papercrete construction involves using waste paper for affordable, sustainable housing. In the United States, we discard enough paper each year to build a wall 48 feet high around the entire perimeter of the country. Even though about 45 percent of discarded paper is recycled annually, 55 percent or 48 million tons of paper is thrown away or goes into the landfills. Figuring conservatively, it takes about fifteen trees to make a ton of paper.



papercrete, fibercrete, fibrous concrete - Living in Paper

WORLD LARGEST FOUNTAIN IN DUBAI

WORLD LARGEST FOUNTAIN IN DUBAI

Emaar Properties said on Monday it plans to build one of the largest fountains in the world as the centrepiece of its Downtown Burj Dubai project. Arabian Business reveals what the real estate giant has in store

The fountains, which has yet to be named, will be capable of shooting water over 150 metres into the air - the height of a 50-storey building - and stretch over 275 metres - the length of two football fields

The $218 million project will be 25 percent larger than the iconic fountains at the Bellagio hotel in Las Vegas

Like the Fountains of Bellagio, Emaar's fountains will include an integral light and sound show and is expected to become one of Dubai's major tourist attractions, drawing over 10 million visitors per year.

The fountains will shoot 22,000 gallons of water in the air at any given moment and feature over 6,600 lights and 50 colour projectors.

The fountains have yet to be named and a cash prize of $27,225 has been assigned to the winner of a competition to name the water feature. The structure is scheduled to be operational by 2009".

World's Largest Arch Bridge in Dubai by 2012

deus ex machine: World's Largest Arch Bridge in Dubai by 2012: "World's Largest Arch Bridge in Dubai by 2012
It’s always the ‘largest’ or the ‘tallest’ or the ‘most expensive’ kinds of terms only that can epitomize the construction coming up in Dubai. The latest on the list is the World's largest Arch Bridge. The mile-long bridge will be 670 feet tall at its highest point! And it’s gonna encompass 12 lanes of traffic with a metro line running down the center. Estimated to be able to carry over 2,000 vehicles per hour in each direction, this bridge will be built at a whopping cost of 817 million dollars!"

Eco Architecture: Anara Tower – A 700m-high Green Structure For Dubai’s Congested Skyline - Ecofriend

Eco Architecture: Anara Tower – A 700m-high Green Structure For Dubai’s Congested Skyline - Ecofriend: "Eco Factor: A 125-story mega skyscraper conforming to LEED certification requirements for a greener Dubai.

Dubai is already housing some of the most fascinating skyscrapers ever built on our planet. Be it Burj Dubai or Burj Al Arab, all the skyscrapers built in this part of the world are the best ever built by anyone. Here is another skyscraper, which too like some others in Dubai, will be ranked among the tallest man-made structures on Earth. Called the Anara Tower, this 125-story building will be about 700 meters tall and will be built by a British firm Atkins."

Cool Stuff: World’s Largest LED Screen |

Cool Stuff: World’s Largest LED Screen |: "I love cool stuff, especially if it is a tech related cool stuff. The following post will show you how technology information can help a city become a world leader in technology.

In it’s attempt to be biggest in everything, developers in Dubai are now set to construct the world’s largest LED off of a commercial tower in the Majan district of Dubailand. The 33-storey high LED, called “Podium” will be visible for 1.5 KM. The incredibly massive screen will be the envy of every Geek and an incredibly powerful advertising platform that will undoubtedly show an immediate ROI. I think it is really cool stuff."

Atlantis Palm Hotel and Water Park Opens in Dubai

Atlantis Palm Hotel and Water Park Opens in Dubai: "Like everything else done to excess in Dubai, a hotel themed around the ancient myth of the lost ruins of Atlantis complete with flown-in dolphins from the South Pacific, a massive water park, and a top floor that houses a 13,000-a-night suite complete with gold-leaf 18-seat dining table is set to open today."

The Sustainable Classroom: A Ideal Learning Environment For Students : Green Building Elements

The Sustainable Classroom: A Ideal Learning Environment For Students : Green Building Elements: "The Sustainable Classroom: A Ideal Learning Environment For Students"

Masala Time - 5 Incredible Container Houses

Masala Time - 5 Incredible Container Houses: "5 Incredible Container Houses

Overpopulation, migration and mobility characterize life and living today. Natural catastrophes frequently leave thousands of people homeless; indeed the very idea of home is less constant and more fluid today than it was just a generation ago, and personal space is now a luxury, making us reflect on how much space we really need.

Container homes are a fast, green, economical and surprisingly flexible alternative to traditional houses as they provide modern dwellings for any household size – from individual to family and community housing. We take a look at five container dwellings that show how living in a steel box can be stylish and environmentally friendly."

Inhabitat Jumeira Gardens: A Super-City Within Dubai

Inhabitat Jumeira Gardens: A Super-City Within Dubai: "As the inexorable juggernaut of Dubai’s construction boom wears on amid a turbulent economic era, the city recently unveiled an incredible new development that is intended to cement its status as “a global city of the future”. Master-planned by Skidmore, Owings & Merrill and Adrian Smith Gordon Gill Architecture and developed by Meraas, Jumeira Gardens is a modern megopolis that will feature no fewer than three soaring superstructures designed by AS GG: 1 Dubai, Park Gate, and 1 Park Avenue. Although the super-massive project will consume approximately $95 billion, it’s encouraging to see that the entire community has been designed with sustainability in mind."

Spiderman Alain Robert Climbs Abu Dhabi Building - Men - Funny Pictures, Popular Pictures

Spiderman Alain Robert Climbs Abu Dhabi Building - Men - Funny Pictures, Popular Pictures: "Spiderman Alain Robert Climbs Abu Dhabi Building - French Alain Robert known as Spiderman climbs the facade of the Abu Dhabi Investment Authority tower with his bare hands, in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), on February 23, 2007, in front of a crowd of about 100,000. Alain Robert completed the climb in only 20 minutes. Alain Robert also climbed the Sears Tower in Chicago, Petronas Twin Towers in Kuala Lumpur, Eiffel Tower in Paris and Empire State Building in New York City."

Abu Dhabi Is to Gain a Louvre of Its Own - New York Times

Abu Dhabi Is to Gain a Louvre of Its Own - New York Times: "Abu Dhabi Is to Gain a Louvre of Its Own
Ludovic/REA

France’s culture minister, Renaud Donnedieu de Vabres, left, with President Jacques Chirac, said the deal enhanced “our country’s image.”

PARIS, Jan. 12 — After months of rumors and a week of protests, the French government has finally confirmed that in exchange for a sum said to be $800 million to $1 billion, it will rent the name, art treasures and expertise of the Louvre to a new museum to be built in Abu Dhabi, the capital of the United Arab Emirates."

Pictured: The state-of-the-art luxuries aboard the world's largest cruise ship | Mail Online

Pictured: The state-of-the-art luxuries aboard the world's largest cruise ship | Mail Online: "Currently under construction, these pictures offer a first glimpse of the luxury that awaits passengers on the world's largest cruise liner.


The Oasis of the Seas will be a state-of-the-art travelling city complete with a shopping mall, numerous bars and restaurants, and an outdoor amphitheatre the size of a football field with its own micro-climate and rock-climbing walls.

The 220,000 tonne behemoth - which will be 1,081ft long and tower 213ft above the water line - will have a staggering 16 passenger decks."

A Moving Skyscraper for N.Y.? - TierneyLab Blog - NYTimes.com

A Moving Skyscraper for N.Y.? - TierneyLab Blog - NYTimes.com: "A Moving Skyscraper for N.Y.?
By John Tierney
Each of the floors of the Dynamic Tower rotates independently, giving the building different shapes throughout the day. (Dynamic Architecture/ David Fisher)



Would you like to see a building twisting itself into different shapes night and day on the New York skyline? Would you like to live in an apartment with a view that rotates 360 degrees? It may be a little hard at the moment to arrange financing for such tower — or any other new skyscraper in Manhattan — but the architect David Fisher is looking for a place to build it here someday."

Most Expensive Stuff - Ridiculously Over-priced Toys

Most Expensive Stuff - Ridiculously Over-priced Toys: "Now, there are some who would say that building a 2 billion dollar home within sight of the largest slum in Asia was the height of bad taste. And I would have to agree with them. But when you inherited this much money - who cares? :)"

Tallest Skyscraper in the World Almost Completed

The Burj Dubai tower, the tallest skyscraper in the world, is about to be completed. To celebrate it, David Hobcote has taken a series of amazing high resolution pictures from the air which give an exact impression of the breathtaking, massive scale of this building. Inside, it looks like a set from Blade Runner or the interior of the Death Star

read more | digg story

Marketing Design: Green Modern Prefab Meets Google : TreeHugger

Marketing Design: Green Modern Prefab Meets Google : TreeHugger

Five (very good) Reasons For Home Made Renewable Energy in Britain : EcoWorldly

Five (very good) Reasons For Home Made Renewable Energy in Britain : EcoWorldly: "The case for homemade renewable energy (micro-generation) seems to get stronger and stronger. A new report commissioned by the British Government provides a series of compelling reasons to put a wind-turbine in your garden, solar panels on your roof, and a combined heat and power boiler in your basement.

Lauded as “one of the most professionally conducted and robust pieces of consumer research into the micro-generation market”, the principle reasons for Britain to make a big push for micro-generation outlined by the report are:"

L.A. Land : Los Angeles Times : In Escondido: Buy one (house), get one free.

L.A. Land : Los Angeles Times : In Escondido: Buy one (house), get one free.: "In Escondido: Buy one (house), get one free."

The Tallest Building In The World Is Burj Dubai

The Tallest Building In The World Is Burj Dubai: "Dubai makes history! As of today, you can find the tallest man-made building in Dubai. The skyscraper is called Burj Dubai (burj means tower in Arabic) and the tower overtook the Warsawa radio mast in Poland which measures 646 meters. The Dubai-based skyscraper measures 650 meters and it’s expected to get even bigger and will reach 819 meters to the aircraft beacon."

STL LoftStyle - Innovative Modern Furniture

STL LoftStyle - Innovative Modern Furniture: "his first piece is some amazing art/furniture. Created by Nirandr Boonnetr, who started shaping trees about 1983, these chairs are one of a kind. Boonnetr describes his techniques in the book Arborsculpture- Solutions for a Small Planet"

6 Shockingly Eccentric Converted Properties | Overseas Property Investment Blog | Nubricks

"For a small percentage of the home-buying public just the thought of moving into a traditional house (and by traditional I mean 4 walled and static) is a stomach turner. To these people moving into a neat new-build home would seem as crazy as a freshly converted Boeing 727 seems to you and I.

Here are some of the most impressively eccentric property conversions around."

6 Shockingly Eccentric Converted Properties | Overseas Property Investment Blog | Nubricks:

Too Elegant for Dubai?

Slender, beautiful and unbuilt skyscraper-on-water proposal for the Madinat Al Arab District in Dubai.

read more | digg story

7 Engineering Wonders of the Modern World: Contemporary World Record-Setting Construction

"Would you believe that the tallest bridge in France reaches higher than the Eiffel tower, or that a single dam in China can hold back 1.4 trillion cubic feet or water? Each of the projects depicted here has set at least one world record for its height, scale, daring or ingenuity. From Venice to Boston, Egypt to England, here are seven amazing engineering wonders of the modern world. Know of others? Add to the list below!"

Engineering Wonders of the Modern World: Contemporary World Record-Setting Construction:

Building Demo Goes Wrong...

Dystopia: Welcome to the Crumbling Future of the Vegas Strip

"Las Vegas' Project CityCenter, the largest private development in the Unites States, was to be 8 acres of shops, casinos, hotels, condos, and theaters. But now it looks like big portions of the project may remain in a state of half-built rubble piles for years to come, due to the current credit crisis in the United States. So what did this shining dream of real estate moguls look like before it turned all Resident Evil: Extinction?"

Dystopia: Welcome to the Crumbling Future of the Vegas Strip:

Vertical (Diagonal?) Farm from Work AC in NYC : TreeHugger

We love vertical farms and while they may not be as practical as green roofs, the idea of food being grown right in the city doesn't get any more local than this. New York magazine asked four architects to dream up proposals for a lot on Canal Street and Work AC came up with this. “We thought we’d bring the farm back to the city and stretch it vertically,” says Work AC co-principal Dan Wood. “We are interested in urban farming and the notion of trying to make our cities more sustainable by cutting the miles [food travels],” adds his co-principal (and wife) Amale Andraos. Underneath is what appears to be a farmers market, selling what grows above. Artists would be commissioned to design the columns that hold it up and define the space under: “We show a Brancusi, but it could be anyone,” says Wood. ::New York Magazine

Vertical (Diagonal?) Farm from Work AC in NYC : TreeHugger

The Tallest Building In The World And Still Growing

It is the tallest man-made structure in the world – and it is still growing.When complete next year the Burj Dubai will stretch half a mile into the sky over the United Arab Emirates, taller than three Canary Wharf towers balanced on top of each other.Already 2,200ft tall, and the result of 22million man hours of labour.

read more | digg story

Amazing Night Shot of Dubai Metropolis

The Business Bay Executive Towers in Dubai.

read more | digg story

Dubai Skyscraper with Rotating Floors

Dubai Skyscraper with Rotating Floors...amazing wonder of future architechure!

Find more how to and instructional Asia videos on 5min.com

read more | digg story

Dubai Architecture-

Dubai Architecture-: "DUBAI IS NUTS!!!"

Project Draw

"Project Draw is a new feature-rich web-based vector drawing application built by the Labs team. Use it to create simple floor plans, electronic-circuit diagrams, network diagrams, user interface mock-ups, and more. Save your work in a variety of formats on our server or yours. No plug-ins or downloads required - if you have a JavaScript-enabled Internet Explorer or Firefox browser, you’re good to go."

Autodesk Labs Technologies Project Draw

The boom goes bust.....

How different is the Canadian experience from the conditions that caused the US housing meltdown? According to Garth Turner, Not enough.

"Imagine listing your home for sale, but there are no buyers. You drop the price. Again. And again. The house across the street’s now for sale. And the one two doors down, plus a dozen others in a two-block radius. Nothing’s selling, and every time one home is reduced, all are affected. This property used to represent wealth. Now it’s a wealth trap. Most of what you have is here, and with each day passed, it diminishes."

The boom goes bust — Greater Fool - The Troubled Future of Real Estate

High fidelity bedroom set

I know this doesn't have much to do with real estate development, but I simply had to post this amazing bedroom set. Its advertised as a high fidelity canopy with a massive display, interactive remote menu system and full multimedia capability. (I guess you could stretch this post to real-estate development as every home needs a bedroom. - Maybe this will be come the standard?)

Hi-Can - High fidelity Canopy

I'm with stupid (pic)

I though this was quite fitting for Earth Day. Hope you all participated.

I'm with stupid (pic)

Songjiang Hotel -Underwater Resort set in a Deep Quarry

"Songjiang hotel is a jaw dropping highly innovative design of a 400-bed, five-star resort hotel set in a lush deep, water-filled quarry in the Songjiang district of China (close to Shanghai). This impressive concept conceived by Bristol based Atkins Design Studio, was inspired by the natural water and landscape features of the quarry it is to be set in."
Songjiang Hotel -Underwater Resort set in a Deep Quarry

Tallest Building in the World - Burj Dubai

Overview

The Burj Dubai برج دبي for 'Tower of Dubai' is a skyscraper currently under construction, since April 15, 2005, in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. Its final height is officially being kept a secret due to competition; however, figures released by a contractor on the project have suggested a height of 'around 810 m. The total number of habitable floors stands at around 160, in spite of numerous unofficial claims to other figures, which are unconfirmed and contradictory to official statements."
Tallest Building in the World - Burj Dubai

Top Reclaimed Island Property Hotspots

Top Reclaimed Island Property Hotspots: "If you are thinking about buying a island property these days, the Caribbean, Croatia and the Greek Islands just don’t make the grade, it seems real land is old news. Buying property on reclaimed islands, which have risen from the sea, is the latest overseas property fashion trend.So we decided here at Nubricks to compile a list of the latest craze in fake island hotspots."

The Largest Swimming Pool On Earth

The Largest Swimming Pool On Earth: "Chile has been awarded the Guinness World Record for the largest swimming pool on the planet.
The gigantic lagoon is located in the resort of San Alfonso del Mar in Algarrobo city, on the southern coast of Chile.Guinness Book of World Records has named it the largest pool in the world. How big is it? One over a kilometer long (3,323 feet), covering 20 acres and containing 250,000 cubic meters of water."

Enter the Planets First 0 Carbon and 0 Waste City

Back in 2007, at Cityscape Dubai, the world’s largest business-to-business real estate investment and development event, Masdar Institute of Science and Technology presented an amazing project consisting of building a 0-carbon and 0-waste city with the finalizing date estimated for the year 2009.

Enter the Planets First 0 Carbon and 0 Waste City: "Enter the Planet’s First 0-Carbon and 0-Waste City"

Project Management for Construction

Project Management for Construction: "This book is provided on the worldwide web as a service to the community of practitioners and students. Reproduction for educational purposes is permitted with appropriate citation. If you find this work helpful or have suggestions for additions or corrections, please email Chris Hendrickson: cth@cmu.edu. A hardcopy Instructor's Manual with problem solutions is available for a fee of $ 10 to cover reproduction, mailing and handling. Send a check made out to Carnegie Mellon University to Ms. Patty Langer, Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh, PA 15213."

A waste of space | Technology | The Guardian

"It is the most expensive piece of technology ever built, supposedly a monument to international cooperation and the spirit of adventure and exploration. But 20 years and $100bn later, the International Space Station is an embarrassment. The first pieces were launched in December 1998, but it has yet to produce any science worthy of its colossal price tag. And, in recent months, the US space agency Nasa has all but admitted that the project has been a mistake."

A waste of space | Technology | The Guardian

REDBARN - Residential Developer

Very cool take on prefab design. Nice to see a non-traditional style.

REDBARN - Residential Developer

Through the keyhole at the world's most expensive flat which costs �100million in central London | the Daily Mail

Click here to read more....

Prefab Homes | Modular Homes - Featured Designers at Prefabs.com

Prefab Homes | Modular Homes - Featured Designers at Prefabs.com: "Prefab Home Designer Directory"

The Carmichael

The Carmichael manufactured home floor plans, custom home plans, energy efficient home plans from Halliday Homes in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada

:: CleverHomes ::

:: CleverHomes ::

Some very interesting house designs. Worth looking at.

build with straw.

Information worthwhile knowing BEFORE starting to build with straw.: "Guide to Straw Bale Building"

Be Your Own Contractor or Construction Manager | REDBUD Construction Services, LLC

Be Your Own Contractor or Construction Manager | REDBUD Construction Services, LLC: "I suppose you can save some money — if you don”t charge for your time, if nothing goes wrong, and if all the work is up to par — but there’s no guarantee. Part of my job is to get the best prices from the subs that work for me, and they’re willing to offer those prices because they know the job will be organized and I’ll tell them exactly what I expect them to do, which saves them time. And they know that if they do a great job, I’ll have other work for them in the future. A one-time GC doesn’t have that kind of leverage."

Mosby Building Arts National Association of the remodeling Industry

Mosby Building Arts National Association of the remodeling Industry

11 Shipping Container Uses

More amazing shipping container applications. It would seem that this is catching on...

Read more...

A tale of Sweet Revenge

"A city councilman in Utah, Mark Easton, had a beautiful view of the east Mountains until a new neighbor purchased the lot below his house and built a new home. The home was 18 inches higher than the ordinances would allow, so Mark Easton, mad about his lost view, went to the city to make sure they enforced the lower roof line ordinance.

The neighbor was forced to lower his roof at a significant expense. So while he’s at it, he decided to add a 'abstract art representing a cactus' on his vet cover so his complaining neighbor can see it everyday!"

Read More...

More Spectacular Shipping Containers- Residential Design.

Yet another designer using shipping containers. Very cool. Nice, useable, liveable and cost-effective design. Interesting to note that the designer built his own home in Victoria for about $150 per sq. ft. Nice.

Zigloo - Residential Design - Fernwood Victoria B.C.

The "Quick House" - Make it with shipping containers!

I stumbled upon this link to a company that makes prefabricated houses out of used shipping containers. While the suggested floor plans are somewhat limited, this low-impact, modular concept is quite elegant. All you need is a site, a floor slab and services and you are good to go. The applications for this seem limitless and very cost effective. The comapany boasts building costs at aroung $75 per sq. ft. Amazing. I want one.

Read More Here......

Glass House: Farnsworth House

I think it can be done....



"“I pointed out to him (Mies) that it (a glass house) was impossible because you had to have rooms, and that meant solid walls up against the glass, which ruined the whole point. Mies said, ‘I think it can be done.’” Philip Johnson speaking at a symposium held at the School of Architecture, Columbia University, 1961."

Read More...

Arts And Crafts House Plans

Arts And Crafts House Plans

Is Qatar the Next Dubai?

Older article I stumbled across. Interesting none the less...

"According to the Qatar Tourism Authority, more than 100 buildings and towers are going up in Doha, whose modest skyline is currently punctuated by about two dozen high-rises. Cranes fill the hot sky. Skeletal hotels, resorts and financial centers ring Doha Bay. And from every corner, a symphony of earth-moving equipment and power tools hums the theme of one of the world's richest countries (as measured by gross domestic product per capita) striving to become a world-class business and leisure center."

Read More

Construction boom in the Northern Ontario

"The United States housing market may be slumping, but the up-tick in mineral prices has the home selling and building sectors surging in many major Northern Ontario cities.

The mining boom in Sudbury and Timmins and the emergence of a new knowledge economy in Thunder Bay has made for tight resale market and a burgeoning home construction sector in many areas."

Read more.

Australia: Construction activity hits 2-year high

"Australian construction activity expanded for the fourth straight month in December, with the pace of growth increasing as the industry shrugged off November's rate rise, a survey shows."

Read more.

iPAD tower in Pictures

Interesting twist on the ever popular media player. Looks kind of 60's esque to me. Nice design none-the-less. Kudos to the designer.

The Dubai Life | Blog | - iPAD tower in Pictures

Reduce Reuse, Recylce @ Construction Junction...

Every community needs one of these. When I see the huge amounts of wasted building material on a job site, it makes me sad. These guys seem to have the right idea...



"At Construction Junction our mission is to support and promote conservation through the reuse of building materials. We strive to keep usable building materials out of the landfills and provide them to the community at very low cost. In this way, our mission has an environmental and social focus. Construction Junction specializes in used and surplus building materials and is supported by Pennsylvania Resources Council, the oldest grass roots environmental organization in the state. The idea for Construction Junction was developed by PRC, the Green Building Alliance and Conservation Consultants. A project of PRC, Construction Junction is funded in part by the Heinz Endowment and private contributions."

Construction Junction

Houses of the Future. Carboard?

Better hope it doesn't rain....The Cardboard House represents the reduction of technology and the simplification of needs. By demonstrating that we are able to recycle 100% of the building components at extremely low cost, the Cardboard House is a direct challenge to the housing industry to reduce housing and environmental costs.

Click here to read the full article.

Burj Dubai - Video follows construction

Green kitchens don't have to be green

Green Home Blog: DIY Network: "Green kitchens don't have to be green"

Weekend Project: Wire Your Home On-the-Cheap with DIY Network Cables

The video demonstration on the link below from electronics retailer TigerDirect details the relatively simple process of cutting your own Ethernet cables so you don't end up spending more than you need wiring your home or office (you also won't end up with 10 feet too much or a foot too little like you often will when you buy pre-cut). Wireless home networks are convenient, but if you regularly transfer large files or stream HD-quality video, nothing beats a solid wired network.

Click Here for the video:

How to build your own backyard deck

This a pretty good article on how to build a deck for the beginner. Personally, I'm not a fan of using a floating system, such as the deck blocks described in the article, but this is a great tutorial for any weekend warrior.

Here's the link to the article on LifeHacker....

Russia-shaped luxury island to be built in Black Sea

Russia plans to build a $6 billion artificial island off the coast of the Black Sea resort of Sochi ahead of the 2014 Winter Olympic Games there, a Russian property developer said. The 250-hectare island will bear the name of Federation Island and will be shaped in the form of a map of Russia.

read more | digg story

Dubai Skyscraper is Now the World's Tallest Free-Standing Structure

The world’s tallest building being constructed in Dubai has surpassed the height of the CN Tower, the world’s tallest free-standing structure, its developers said Thursday. At 555 metres, Burj Dubai is now two metres taller than the 553-metre CN Tower, Emaar Properties said in a release.

read more | digg story

China's Richest Person is a 26-Year Old Woman

"The twenty-six year-old daughter of a rags-to-riches property developer is China's wealthiest person, with a $16 billion fortune, Forbes magazine said on Monday."

read more | digg story

PICTURES: Beijing Olympic Stadium

The futuristic architecture of the main stadium for the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing is absolutely stunning.

read more | digg story

A skyscraper that rotates

In skyscraper-crazy Dubai, tall isn't enough. Now there are plans for a 68-story tower where the floors would rotate 360 degrees. Each floor would rotate independently, creating a constantly changing architectural form.

read more | digg story

WTF is going on in Dubai?

Check out this collection of pictures from the most fascinating City in the world. "This is a city on crack" says it all. Almost a quarter of the worlds cranes call this city home. Why not take a look at the under-sea hotel, the old space-port, or the "300 artificially created islands in the shape of the world". Excuse the language on this page.

read more | digg story

The Skyscraper That Creates All Its Own Energy

"This skyscraper, to be built in Dubai, is called the Burj al-Taqa ('Energy Tower'), and it will produce 100% of its own power. The tower will have a huge (197 foot diameter) wind turbine on its roof, and arrays of solar cells that will total 161,459 square feet in size."

read more | digg story

Gorgeous Dubai's palm-shaped man-made island opens [with pics]

Four years ago there was nothing here but unbroken sea. Now there's Andrew Dukes and his luxury mansion - sitting on a palm-shaped, man-made island - the first of about 100 houses to open here. "I got exactly what I paid for and I'm very happy with it," said Dukes, 43, a tanned Englishman who just moved into his colossal home on Palm Jumeirah...

read more | digg story

Dubai Building $1 Billion Jurassic Park

A new $1.1 billion Jurassic theme park called Restless Planet, is being built in Dubai. The park will feature 109 animatronic dinosaurs of over 40 different species in a 500,000 square foot (46,000 square metre) space. The new park will be the star attraction of a large Las Vegas-esque entertainment and business development called City of Arabia.

read more | digg story

Hiring a Contractor

At some time, most homeowners will hire someone for repairs or renovations. Even a homeowner experienced in home repairs may have to hire a contractor or renovator because of the size or level of difficulty of the job. This fact sheet will help you choose a contractor and work effectively and fairly with the contractor to achieve the results you desire...

The Sub - Home (I want one)

http://www.sub-find.com

Trilobis 65 is a semi-submerged
dwelling environment. Reaching 20 metres in length designed by Giancarlo Zema for habitation by six people at sea. It is ideal for living in bays, atolls and maritime parks. The main aim of the project is to allow anyone to live in a unique environment through a self sufficient, non-polluting dwelling cell in unison with their ocean surroundings.