First Look: Zaha Hadid's Grace on Coronation towers in Australia

Gizmag revealed British starchitect Zaha Hadid's latest design for a three-tower development in Toowong, in the Australian state of Queensland.

Not without Hadid's signature touch of nontraditional ways to incorporate curves, the three towers taper at the bottom, which Hadid explains in a press release was aimed to "minimize their footprint and open the riverfront to the public, creating a vibrant civic space for Toowong within a new riverside park."

Sunland Group, the project's developer, told Gizmag that this will open up a beautiful part of the riverfront to the community for the first time in more than 150 years.

Within the project's expansive lots is a building that dates back to 1860 called Middenbury, a testament to how prosperous Brisbane citizens lived at the time. The house will be preserved and incorporated into the apartment towers' grounds.

There will be 486 apartments, eight riverfront villas, and 635 car parking spaces, Gizmag reports. Construction began in June.

Phoenix-based architecture firm Jones Studio will design the Water Education Center for Central Arizona Project (CAP)—a 336-mile aqueduct system that delivers Colorado River water to almost 6 million people, more than 80% of the state’s population. The Center will allow the public to explore CAP’s history, operations, and impact on Arizona.

MFPRO+ New Projects | Nov 21, 2023

An 'eco-obsessed' multifamily housing project takes advantage of downtown Austin’s small lots

In downtown Austin, Tex., architecture firm McKinney York says it built Capitol Quarters to be “eco-obsessed, not just eco-minded.” With airtight walls, better insulation, and super-efficient VRF (variable refrigerant flow) systems, Capitol Quarters uses 30% less energy than other living spaces in Austin, according to a statement from McKinney York.

Image by F. Muhammad from Pixabay - California building electrification laws could prompt evictions

MFPRO+ News | Nov 21, 2023

California building electrification laws could prompt more evictions and rent increases

California laws requiring apartment owners to ditch appliances that use fossil fuels could prompt more evictions and rent increases in the state, according to a report from the nonprofit Strategic Actions for a Just Economy. The law could spur more evictions if landlords undertake major renovations to comply with the electrification rule.

Codes and Standards | Nov 21, 2023

Austin becomes largest U.S. city to waive minimum parking requirements

Austin, Texas recently became the largest city in the United States to stop requiring new developments to set a minimum amount of parking. The Austin City Council voted 8-2 earlier this month to eliminate parking requirements in an effort to fight climate change and spur more housing construction as Texas’s capitol grapples with a housing affordability crisis.

MFPRO+ News | Nov 21, 2023

Underused strip malls offer great potential for conversions to residential use

Replacing moribund strip malls with multifamily housing could make a notable dent in the housing shortage and revitalize under-used properties across the country, according to a report from housing nonprofit Enterprise Community Partners.

Giants 400 | Nov 16, 2023

Top 100 Science + Technology Facility Architecture Firms for 2023

Gensler, HDR, Page Southerland Page, Flad Architects, and DGA top BD+C's ranking of the nation's largest science and technology (S+T) facility architecture and architecture/engineering (AE) firms for 2023, as reported in Building Design+Construction's 2023 Giants 400 Report. Note: This ranking factors revenue from all science and technology (S+T) buildings work, including laboratories, research buildings, technology/innovation buildings, pharmaceutical production facilities, and semiconductor production facilities.