World's Tallest Wooden Building Coming to Norway
from Design Crave
Commissioned by the Norwegian Barents Secretariat and designed by Oslo-based Reiulf Ramstad Architects, the 17-story wooden building will tower above the town of Kirkenes. Combining environment, design, education and the arts into one neat cultural center, the new building will serve as home to Secretariat offices and will include a library, theater and creative environment for artists, researchers and students. The green building will incorporate recycled and biodegradable materials and energy efficient offices, and the design will be influenced by traditional architecture from Russia, Sweden, Finland and Norway. More

Is There Some Light at the End of Coal's Long, Dark Tunnel?
from The New York Times
Some think that the only way to clean up coal is to stop burning it altogether. Now a handful of researchers and companies are pursuing a technology to do just that, but one that has the potential of keeping part of the nation's economy coal-fired. More

The Shard: Vertical City Will Tower Over London
from Inhabitat
Construction has begun on the Shard, a skyscraper that will be the tallest building in Western Europe and will provide amazing views of London. The Shard was inspired by towering church spires and the masts of ships that once anchored on the Thames. The new mixed-use development is located in the heart of London Bridge Quarter and will sit adjacent to the London Bridge Station, one of the busiest train stations in London. More

The Evolution of Retweeting
from Technology Review
The microblogging and social networking site Twitter took off last year and had more than 44.5 million users worldwide as of June 2009. In the 140-character limited ecosystem of Twitter, users have evolved a language of their own, figuring out creative ways to filter the sometimes overwhelming stream of Twitter posts. Now, Twitter has announced that a user-generated communication technique called retweeting—reposting someone else's message, similar to quoting—will be formally incorporated into Twitter. Some experts say Twitter's approach will hinder the conversational aspect of retweeting; others predict that it will create a new way of communicating. More

A local guide with an international presence; IFMA’s 2010 FM Resource Guide
from Science Daily
Solar cells could soon be produced more cheaply using nanoparticle “inks” that allow them to be printed like newspaper or painted onto the sides of buildings or rooftops to absorb electricity-producing sunlight. More

Foundation of China's Tallest-to-Be Skyscraper Completed
from China Daily
Work has finished on the foundation of what will be a 121-floor skyscraper in Shanghai, the China News Service reported. The Shanghai Center will be 632 meters tall, making it China’s tallest building, dwarfing the 492 meter tall Shanghai World Financial Center and the 420 meter Shanghai Jin Mao Tower. It will be the world's third highest skyscraper. More

LEEDing the Economy to Sustainability
from Reuters
It has been fascinating to watch how quickly people respond to market forces. When gas was over four dollars a gallon, metro transit systems experienced record ridership and hybrids were on lengthening backorder. Now with our global economy in a tailspin, front lawns are being replaced with vegetable gardens and backyards are filling with chicken coops. With a probable resumption of a (more slowly) growing economy, will we see a majority of people return to more comfortable but less sustainable behaviors? More

Despite Slump, Hong Kong Real Estate Remains Strong
from The New York Times
Even by the standards of Hong Kong’s skyscraper-studded skyline, the new International Commerce Center is big. Very big. And, despite the global economic slump, it is already nearly fully rented—a testament to the strength of one of the world’s hottest property markets. More

NASA Goes for Energy Efficiency in New Building
from the Environmental Leader
A new US$20.6 million NASA building is being hailed as the greenest construction project by the federal government. The new Ames Research Center, dubbed the "Sustainability Base" by NASA, is being constructed near Moffett Field in the San Francisco Bay Area. More

REITs are Poised to Pick Up the Pieces
from The Wall Street Journal
Overleveraged private real estate funds are gasping for money, but public property companies have been chugging down cash from the capital markets. Now, they are poised to emerge as more dominant players when the commercial property market starts to recover. More