The Office for Metropolitan Architecture (OMA) has revealed its design for a harborside science center and aquarium in Hamburg, Germany. Image: Courtesy OMA

New York · 2008.0123
The expanded corporate headquarters for Richard Fleischman & Associates in New York City are complete. Interior architecture firm BR Design of New York designed the interiors, which involved 8,300 square feet (770 square meters) of additional space.

Houston · 2008.0122
Construction continues on Life Science Plaza in Houston, Texas. Architecture firm Kirksey of Houston designed the healthcare facility, which comprises seven stories of hospital and medical office space over six levels of parking. The facade includes polished granite, two-color precast panels, and metallic grilles. Shade canopies, landscape elements, benches, and a granite plaza differentiate garage and tower entries. LEED Gold certification is expected.

San Antonio · 2008.0122
Ground has been broken for "éilan," a high-end planned community in San Antonio, Texas. Peter Fillat Architects of Baltimore, Maryland, has revealed its design for 11 buildings in the development, including apartments, retail space, and a hotel and spa. Some of the buildings will be LEED certified. Site work is expected to begin in spring 2008, and the development is scheduled to open in spring 2009.

Hamburg · 2008.0122
The Office for Metropolitan Architecture (OMA), based in Rotterdam, the Netherlands, has revealed the final design for a science center and aquarium for the Hamburg Hafencity complex in Hamburg, Germany.

OMA partners Rem Koolhaas and Ellen van Loon are leading the project, which will comprise ten modular blocks that connect to form a ring-shaped building. Visitors will start at the "base station," just under the top of the building, then cross over and descend through the various exhibit halls. The 23,000-square-meter (250,000-square-foot) building will also include a theater, offices, laboratories, and commercial and retail space. Terraces will allow panoramic views of downtown Hamburg and Magdeburg harbor.

The science center is the latest in a series of buildings commissioned by Hamburg Hafencity GmbH as part of a large-scale regeneration of the harbor area.

Sheffield · 2008.0121
London-based Make Architects has revealed its initial design for a mixed-use development on the Sheffield Digital Campus in Sheffield, United Kingdom. Rounded, organic forms and horizontal bands of windows define the project, currently planned to include 200,000 square feet (18,600 square meters) of offices, retail space, and approximately 200 apartments. The architects credit the geological features of the nearby Peak District for inspiration. The building will provide public access to Sheaf Square and Porter Brook through large, cave-like openings.

The development is a joint venture of the Australian Valad Property Group and the GMI Property Company. The other two phases of the Sheffield Digital Campus comprise office buildings.

Ridge · 2008.0116
Deeves Hall Barn in Ridge, United Kingdom, has been renovated and converted into a single-family home. Owner John Hare designed the renovation, resulting in four bedroom suites and extensive use of glass walls. Many of the rooms in the three-story space have vaulted ceilings and exposed timbers and beams. A central tower houses the master bedroom. The project also included a pool complex.

Santa Monica · 2008.0109
Moore Ruble Yudell Architects & Planners of Santa Monica, California, has promoted Robert Dolbinski, AIA, LEED AP, to senior associate. Since joining the firm in 1998, Dolbinski has worked on such projects as the Robert E. Coyle U.S. Courthouse in Frenso; a student life center at the University of Cincinnati, Ohio; and several projects at Dartmouth College in Hanover, New Hampshire.

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