The Pinnacles Interpretive Centre designed by Woodhead has opened in Nambung National Park in Western Australia. Photo: Gollings Photography Extra Large Image

Copenhagen · 2008.1129
Danish architect Jørn Utzon, designer of the Sydney Opera House, died on November 29, 2008, in Copenhagen, at age 90. Utzon received the Pritzker Prize in 2003 in recognition of the Sydney Harbor icon, as well as for such other works as the Kingo Houses in Elsinore, Denmark; the Lutheran Church in Bagsværd, Denmark; and the Kuwait National Assembly. The opera house was named a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2007.

Washington, D.C. · 2008.1202
Perkins + Will has promoted principal Stephen Manlove, Assoc. AIA, LEED AP, to managing director of the firm's Washington, D.C., office. Manlove was previously director of operations. Prior to joining the firm in 2007, he was a principal and manager of operations for BWBR Architects of St. Paul, Minnesota.

Tripoli · 2008.1121
London, United Kingdom-based architecture firm Metropolitan Workshop has revealed its winning design for the new Museum of Conflict in Tripoli, Libya. The main design concept was inspired by tented structures used by the Bedouin. The 15,000-square-meter (160,000-square-foot) museum will be enclosed by a lightweight, camouflaging canopy. Underneath, a series of gallery terraces will spiral through the structure.

The combination of terraced spaces and the angled exterior skin will provide both enclosed conditioned spaces and open spaces. The building will include a cafe, a museum shop, prayer rooms, conference rooms, administrative offices, conservation and storage areas, and an education center with a library and reading areas.

Construction is planned to begin by September 2009, with estimated completion at the end of 2011.

San Jose · 2008.1120
The 88, a new high-rise condominium tower in San Jose, California, has been completed. Designed by San Francisco-based SB Architects, the project combines a tower just under 88 meters (289 feet) tall with a mid-rise mixed-use structure.

The tower houses 197 residential units across 20 floors, with amenities on the podium. The development also includes five levels of parking and 32,000 square feet (3,000 square meters) of retail space. A ground-level pedestrian plaza flanked by shops and restaurants will provide a central gathering place between The 88 and a planned second tower. HKS Architects, Inc. served as executive architect.

Oakland · 2008.1118
An Oakland, California, house that is the new home of David Gottfried, the founder of the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC), and his family has received LEED Platinum certification. The restored 1915 craftsman bungalow received 106.5 points out of a total 136 possible in the LEED for Homes certification program. The architect for the renovation was Daniel Smith Associates of Berkeley.

The four-bedroom, 1,440-square-foot (135-square-meter) house is located in the walkable Rockridge neighborhood. With photovoltaic power generation and solar- and hydronic-powered water-heating systems, the home was designed to be a net-zero energy consumer. Rainwater is collected for use in one of the home's toilets, and graywater is used for irrigation.

Other sustainable features include new low-E double-pane windows, water-conserving plumbing fixtures, energy-efficient lighting, tile and countertops with high recycled content, and FSC-certified and reclaimed wood.

Cervantes · 2008.1113
The Pinnacles Interpretive Centre (pictured above) has opened in Nambung National Park, near the town of Cervantes, Western Australia. The Perth office of architecture firm Woodhead designed the visitor center with materials that relate directly to the landscape.

The podium and the walls are made of limestone, like the thousands of limestone Pinnacles protruding from the dunes. Vertical timber elements, a figurative reference to shrubs in the area, were deliberately set on fire as part of the building completion, in reference to traditional Aboriginal smoking and burning practices.

The configuration of the walls creates open-ended opportunities for enclosure, rather than clear-cut pockets of space. Entry into the main building is through the side, off a jetty-like pathway. Challenging expectations, the culminating orientation from the deck adjacent to the retail space focuses the view toward a grove of tuart trees disappearing under a shifting sand dune, rather than on the ocean panorama to the west.

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