Parc Balearic Information Technology (ParcBIT) is an initiative by the Balearic Government, as part of the ExpoCities Project under the European Union Thermie Programme, to generate a new approach to living and working environments. Drivers of the scheme are the provision of leading edge telecommunications links, a modern, sustainable and efficient infrastructure, and a high quality built environment.After winning an international competition in 1994, the practice was commissioned to plan a mixed use live/work community for some 5,000 inhabitants on a site that lies 12 km north of Palma. Located on agricultural land next to Mallorca‟s university campus, ParcBIT, is bounded to the east and west by development but by open country to the north. An existing Finca (farm house) which is preserved in the new plan is sited on the prow of the ridge in the centre of the site, between two torrent valleys which take water run-off from the mountains to the sea.

Amazing architecture in celebration of New Caledonia‟s Kanak culture Jean-Marie-Tjibaou Cultural Center, view from the sea. Photo by John Gollings The centre was financed by the French Government and was built in memory of

the New Caledonian political leader Jean-Marie Tjibaou, who was assassinated in1989.

According to the architect, Renzo Piano, “the major challenge behind this projectwas the task of paying homage to a culture while also respecting its traditionsand history, past, present and future, as well as its sensitivities. This meantputting European technology and expertise at the service of the traditions andexpectations of the Kanak.”

“The centre is composed of 10 „houses‟, all of different sizes and with differentfunctions intended as a celebration of Kanak culture… It is a genuine village, withits own paths, greenery, and public spaces, located outside and in direct contactwith the ocean.”

Jean-Marie Tjibaou Cultural Centre architectural plans by Renzo Piano Building Workshop.

Aerial view of the “huts” shows contrast between cases cresting rise from sea snd flat-roofed parts on gentle slope to lagoon. Photo by John Gollings

Cases of Village 1 seen from the lagoon. Photo by John Gollings.

Inside the Jean-Marie Tjibaou Cultural Centre, a multi-media library of Kanak Culture. Photo by John Gollings.

Note the detail of the texture -the slats were assembled into independent panels that were then fixed to the outer ribs of the village hut structure.

The Eden ProjectBodelvaSt AustellCornwall PL24 2SGUnited Kingdom

Nicholas Grimshaw and Partners 2001

The Eden Project successfully combines ecology, horticulture, science, art and architecture. It provides an informative and enjoyable experience while promoting ways to maintain a sustainable future in terms of human global dependence on plants and trees. The exhibits include over one hundred thousand plants representing five thousand species from many of the climate zones of the world.

The organically inspired architecture is inventive, appropriate and original.Nicholas Grimshaw & Partners were chosen to submit a proposal for the architectural design because of

International Terminal in London. Waterlootheir experience in creating the large glass roof structure at The challenge for the Waterloo project had been to create a roof structure that accommodated the curved shape of the railway tracks.

The challenge for the Eden project was different: the buildings needed to provide completely enclosed environments for key global microclimates; the site was a remote clay pit in Cornwall that was continually moving and changing shape; and the building needed to provide large uninterrupted ground space for the plants and trees.

The Eden Project

As the design team searched for the most effective and interesting way to enclose theplanned environments the organically inspired dome-shaped biome emerged as a strongidea, with the surfaces made up of geometric shapes. Nicholas Grimshaw and Partnersworked closely with Anthony Hunt Associates Ltd and Mero Plc to develop the structure anddefine the lengths of each steelwork section via a 3D computer model. This enabled eachsection of the steelwork frame to be fabricated off-site and assembled in its unique position

on-site matching precisely within the steel framework.The final architectural and structural design is hugely efficient, providing maximum strength

with minimum steelwork and maximum volume with minimum surface area. The transparenthexagonal membranes transmit more light than glass and the largest biome spans morethan one hundred meters without requiring internal supports - allowing complete freedom

for the landscape architects and horticulturalists.

The Getty Center occupies a narrow, hilly stretch high above the San Diego Freeway in

. CaliforniaLos Angeles Jutting southward from the Santa Monica Mountains, the museum‟s acropolis-like stature affords spectacular views over the city, the mountains and the ocean.

Coined, “the commission of the century”, this $1 billion arts facility began in 1984 with the mandate to advance knowledge and nurture critical seeing through the growth and presentation of its collections and by advancing the understanding and preservation of the world‟s artistic heritage. Today the Museum‟s permanent collection contains Greek and Roman antiquities, 18th-century French furniture and European paintings, and is visited by more than 1.8 million people a year.