The Ministry of Science and Technological Development of the Republic of Serbia initiated an international competition for a Centre for Promotion of Science and the urban development of Block 39 in New Belgrade in Serbia. This design aims to be an institution of service and a national bank of knowledge in the field of science for the general public. An international jury unanimously selected Austrian architect Wolfgang Tschapeller’s project as the winning entry. More images and architect’s description after the break.

Nabito shared with us their latest project for mixed uses, The Stairscraper, a horizontal skyscraper, designed to be in New York, which won the Total Housing Competition. It is currently on exhibit until the 22nd of January at the Store Front for Art and Architecture in New York City. More images and architect’s description after the break.

Ervin Garip shared with us his competition entry for the Urban Design Competition for the shoreline of Izmit, Turkey where he was awarded the first prize. For this competition, his main goal was to improve the daily social life by creating urban squares, seafront recreation, new urban parks and annotating the required program with a holistic approach. More images and architect’s description after the break.

Liong Lie Architects shared with us their most recent competition entry titled, ‘mARkeT’, designed as a moving floating market to renew the art-trade cycle for Opgap where they won the third prize last October. They aimed at creating a conscious shopping experience in an inspiring environment from creation to shopper. More images and architect’s description after the break.

Following a resounding success at Aedes Gallery in Berlin, international design practice Austin-Smith:Lord is bringing the Informal City of Century XXI and Measure of Man/Measure of Architecture exhibitions to London, England starting with an invitation only conference on January 19th followed by their public exhibition open from January 20th to the 25th. The event will take place at The German Gymnasium, 26 Pancras Road, London N1C 4TB More images and event description after the break.

Blue Sky Homes, the green building company whose prototype property was featured in Dwell magazine earlier this year, is set to commence its next project in January, with others in various stages of development. In addition, noted architects such as Linda Taalman & Alan Koch–the couple behind the famed, off-the-grid itHouse–have begun using Blue Sky Homes’ revolutionary Blue Sky Frame (patent pending) as the foundation for their own designs. Taalman-Koch have two current projects using the Blue Sky Frame: the Clearlake itHouse and the itHouse Cabin, both under construction in California. More images and description after the break.

The main challenge DCA (Design Crew for Architecture) faced in their proposal for a family and childhood house, located in Saint Julien en Genevois, France, was the resulting compactness from the tight ratio between the net area planned to be built and the buildable area allowed by regulations. Despite their extremely restrictive lot, they aimed for great quality spaces while instilling some generosity to create project that moves toward consistent urban characteristics. More images and architect’s description after the break.

In Arthur Toth‘s, A Room for London competition entry, the main impetus for the use of computational geometry is the ease it introduces into computer-aided design and most importantly into manufacturing. This computational geometric algorithm leads to a balanced subdivision of the outer shell of the room and also to a matching coherent organization of the space inside. Planimetric issues also subscribe to this inner logic, as well as structural and detailing processes. More images and architect’s description after the break.

A project for Downtown Fargo: an urban infill competition in North Dakota, F9 Productions began with the question: what would make Fargo grow? They are asking people to imagine if a prairie could become a building’s coat, what could it look like? Can the mighty Red River inform how pedestrians flow though the site? And what form can symbolize the regions enduring strength?

Their solution is to capitalize on the very resources that have been fertilizing this area for the past 100 years – its people and its local businesses. The proposed design is to infuse downtown Fargo with two big box stores that have, that in the recent past, fled to the suburbs. By bringing in Scheels and Trader Joes, along with a much needed Children’s Museum and prominent public plaza they aim to resurrect the downtown life that was once there. More images and architect’s description after the break.

The installation of Emergency Exit, the Polish Pavilion at the 2010 Venice Architecture Biennale, by artist Agnieszka Kurant and architect Aleksandra Wasilkowska, seeks to go beyond the logic of urban reality through the creation of ‘urban portable holes’: in-between spaces, places of uncertainty and doubt, of time-space discontinuity, such as abandoned or unfinished buildings, sites of catastrophe or accidents, illegal markets, rooftops and tunnels. The title refers ironically to the health and safety regulations in buildings and urban space that seek to plan, control risk and eliminate the accidental and unexpected. More images and architect’s description after the break.

After two years of planning and waiting for financing, the North Carolina chapter of the American Institute of Architects, designed by Frank Harmon Architect PA, finally held its official, public groundbreaking ceremony for its new headquarters building and design center on Thursday, December 9, at 11:30 a.m.

The building will be constructed on an oddly shaped, previously unused lot on Peace and Wilmington streets between Peace College and the NC Government Complex.  The new building will also be designed to meet LEED standards at the Platinum level. The AIA NC Center for Architecture & Design will be “a modern building with a green heart,” as Frank Harmon, FAIA, likes to call it, whose firm won a professional competition for the project in 2008. More images and project description after the break.

Recently, we featured Erick van Egeraat’s Chess-club Building in the Khanti-Mansiysk autonomous region, which officially opened on Dec. 7th. Now, we are highlighting Egeraat’s Vershina Trade & Entertainment Centre which officially opened on the same day. The 37.000 sq. meter, state-of-the-art trade and entertainment centre in Surgut, Russia offers space for retail, extreme sports, dance, restaurants, bars and an underground night club. The eight-story venue provides round-the-clock activities for visitors of all ages. The dialectic play of light and dark, night and day form the basis for the concept. More images and architect’s description after the break.

On the 7th of December, Dutch architect Erick van Egeraat officially opened his Chess-club Building in the Khanti-Mansiysk autonomous region. The new 5.000 sq. meter building in Khanty-Mansiysk already hosted the 2010 Chess Olympics in September. Now in December it will officially open for the inhabitants. More images and architect’s description after the break.

In a bold move meant to transform the future and fate of young people in the Bié province of Angola, the non-profit, SHAREcircle, awarded the commission of a master plan for a new university to U.S.-based Hanbury Evans Wright Vlattas + Company, architects and planners. The plan, which will include the design of a first academic building for Angola Central Highlands University, was the result of an international design competition. More images and project description after the break.

From the mid 1900′s to the beginning of the 2000′s, being an architect as a profession has made its way into key roles on the big screen for many big shot celebrities. Whether the roles they play in the movies are similar to the reality of the profession or not, I’m sure many architects that have watched some of these movies feel honored that their profession is one that deserves to be highlighted in ways that are not not just in architectural publications, but in the cinema world as well. More images after the break.

Tex-Fab recently announced their winning entry for this year’s Repeat Competition given to Vlad Tenu‘s, ‘Minimal Complexity’. A new resource for designers, fabricators and students seeking out the innovative application of digital technology to the physical environment, Tex-Fab chose this project for its structural robustness, material efficiency and an inherent logic of assembly. Along with its aesthetic beauty, technical superiority and elegance of detailing put this project above the other 72 entries from across the globe. More project description and photos after the break.

The aim of Influx_Studio was to create a unique zoo experience that would implement a new urban function and redefine the typical layout for wildlife sightseeing for its visitors. Through their dynamic, vertical attraction in Buenos Aires, Argentina, a new kind of building is conceived with hopes of inspiring other architects around the globe as well as increasing awareness to the diversity of ecosystems. More images and architect’s description after the break.

The Clinton Bush Haiti Fund just awarded $816,472 to Architecture for Humanity for the Haiti Rebuilding Center to support reconstruction and livelihoods in Port-au-Prince, a town that was catastrophically affected by an earthquake at the beginning of the year. As a result, many large buildings were either severely damaged or destroyed. This fund will not only aid in the rebuilding process, but will benefit thousands of who were suffering since the natural disaster. Additionally, this grant will enable small and growing Haitin businesses to participate in post-earthquake reconstruction and ensure rebuilding incorporates better design and engineering. More information after the break.