Tower of Big Ben is coming in lopsided

London - Big Ben into trouble: Scientists have measured that the London landmark has tilted, with the huge clock on the banks of the Thames at an angle of 0.26 degrees to the northwest, as several British media reported on Monday. As a possible cause of the underground construction is given.

The tendency was already apparent to the naked eye. "I have heard tourists, the tower was not in the vertical - and they are right," said Professor John Burland, who was charged with the static measurements.

However, a danger of collapse for the bell tower is the only predicted that in 4000 years. From a slope like the Leaning Tower of Pisa, Big Ben is still far away. In Pisa, the imbalance was four degrees.

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Substandard expensive Hamburg concert hall

Hamburg - The controversial hamburger Elbphilharmonie million project have been identified around 5,700 still unresolved construction deficiencies. Originally there were about 9000 defects, as shown by a recent report of the Senate (government).

The shortcomings were removed only slowly by the project company Adamanta, it said. The Left Group in the Hamburg Parliament (Parliament) reads from the complex figures of the report, a project more expensive by 30 to 35 million euros compared with a supplement adopted in late 2008.

The demands of the construction group Hochtief had not yet been considered because with. The cultural expert spokesperson of the SPD, Gabi Dobusch emphasized in turn that there are no concrete figures were derived from the report.Situation is too confusing.

During construction of the Basel architects Herzog & de Meuron-designed building, there was an explosion in costs from 77 to 323.5 million euros now. The opening date was shifted since the groundbreaking ceremony in April 2007 again. Hochtief recently announced the transfer of the concert hall for April 2014.

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No "Lacoste Photo Prize» 2011

Lausanne - Controversy around a photo prize at the Elysée Museum in Lausanne: The Museum of Photography has decided not to "Lacoste Elysée Prize» 2011 to carry out, because a Palestinian artist was excluded from the competition.

The sponsor denies a political motivation. Was awarded the first prize, worth 25,000 € 2010th This year's theme "joie de vivre".The Elysée Museum then recalled in a statement that eight candidates were selected to do the three photographs.

This week the museum announced Elysée now, however, that the photo contest was canceled. The main reason for this decision was the requirement of the sponsor, Larissa Sansour exclude from the competition, it said.

What the French do not sponsor, with the crocodile-label in the work Sansour could have fallen, said the museum did not cooperate. The Palestinian artist presents her work, "Nation Estate" the dream of a Palestinian state dar.

She was shocked and sad when she was informed that Lacoste did not want to have their contribution in the competition, Sayagyi declared the artist. For them, it is obvious that their work was perceived as too pro-Palestinian.

Lacoste: "No political reasons"

In addition, they had been asked by the museum to voluntarily relinquish their participation, what they've refused. The prejudice and censorship by Lacoste are troubling and questioned the involvement of private sponsors in the art principle in question is Sansour consider.

Lacoste rejected "the false accusations" back and told the same, definitely withdraw from the price. The exclusion was not political. Once you've given to work, Lacoste and the Elysée Museum had come to the conclusion that the subject does not work Sansour "joie de vivre" widerspiegle.

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Falling rocks at the Coliseum

Rome - Following reports of fallen rocks on the world famous Colosseum in Rome, the Italian Culture Ministry announced on Wednesday an investigation. Eyewitnesses had reported on Sunday by fallen stones.

According to a report by Italian news agency ANSA on Tuesday crumbled off another piece. The director of the Colosseum, Rossella Rea, dismissed the reports as false returns.

She spoke of a "mental disorder" that occur now and then, when people believed that the amphitheater decays. In March to begin a 25 million euro expensive restoration of the Colosseum, which is funded by an Italian entrepreneur.

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Call for Papers for Kassel Yearbook

The future of caution
Call for Papers for Kassel Yearbook

The word "caution" has made a career in the eighties, when the "careful urban renewal" pursued by then replaced the brachial reconstruction. Not surprising that the subject "Urban Renewal - Urban Redevelopment" of the University of Kassel, this term became the motto stands: Under the title "The Future of caution" searches the field contributions for a conference in Kassel on 14 and 15 June 2012, which will be subsequently published in an "urban renewal Yearbook 2013".

The organizer asks these questions: "What results has the Behutsamkeitsparadigma in the urban renewal process yielded the past three decades, and how are they evaluated? How far can and should continue cautious approach last? How could a contemporary reinterpretation of Behutsamkeitsgedankens look like? Are the various dimensions (structural, social, functional) to evaluate the different caution? Where is a commitment to urban renewal demolition oriented approaches beyond reasonable interests of investors? Where are the other way around but must continue to observe the limits, the gentle urban planner? If the Behutsamkeitsanspruch of urban renewal after the end of the modern welfare state, only an alibi? Or whether caution does not mean the continuation of existing social structures, even where this need for renewal and produce downward spirals?

The organizer is looking forward to 31 January 2012 Abstracts for contributions in the amount of max. 4,000 characters.

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For Cowboys

For Cowboys
Residential building in Amsterdam BBVH

Actually live like cowboys? If you ask the architect Anouk Riehl, Joris van Hoytema Leusink and Erik, you are probably sent to Amsterdam's new district IJburg. There, the Rotterdam office BBVH Architects has built a house made ​​of wood planks. Since land prices are relatively high in IJburg, wanted to save the builders in the choice of building materials and asked the architect for a suitable solution for the small budget.

Now the three-storey house is on the artificial island between the other buildings in the James Bradley Straat. From a distance, resembles the Cowboy House - as the architects have called this house - a large shed. The shell made of prefabricated concrete elements was covered with wood panels and superior components together like a Lego set, in this way could be significantly shortened the construction period. The raw, untreated softwood is reminiscent of fences or sheds in the province, while the clear structure of the rustic façade integrates the building into its environment. The large two-story doors on the garden side and the ground floor area facing the street can be closed completely and the window frames on the upper floors are flush with the wood elements. Time, daily, but oops - here to stay so no cowboys, but two graphic designers ...

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Mirrored Water Drops

Mirrored Water Drops
Design Museum in Shenzhen

Sanded and polished, he stands there, yes - almost like peeled from the egg. While in the past week in the Chinese special economic zone, the opening of the Shenzhen & Hong Kong Bi-City Biennale of Urbanism / Architecture: saw (short SZHK Biennial) for excitement, has landed in the middle of the planned city of Shenzhen in the Nanshan District, a striking new building. The OCT Design Museum, designed by Studio Pei-Zhu from Beijing is, as an urban accent at the entrance of the harbor area. During the opening days of the Biennale, there was the first building tours with architects through the nearly completed museum silver egg - 2012, the museum should be opened.

The new building very reminiscent in shape to another museum of the architect. For the Chinese avant-garde artist Yue Minjun is planning the Studio Pei-Zhu, southwest China's Sichuan province also has a spherical drop of water: the Art Museum of Yue Minjun . The reflective hull of the SEP Design Museum is composed façade of metal panels; triangular window openings to break the smooth surface of the museum shell and make the atrium for a pretty light show in the first design museum in the People's Republic of China, which is built for good reason in Shenzhen. In November 2008, the city plan was knighted by the UNESCO "City of Design", more than 6,000 design companies are located here. Incidentally, the SZHK Biennale runs until 18 February 2012.

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