If you happen to find yourself at the ARS Electronica Center in Linz, Austria thinking, “that facade could do with a bit more color,” you’re in luck—a special smartphone application lets passersby paint the building in real time. More

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Foxconn is getting plenty of attention over working conditions and employee suicides at its factories, but it seems that the electronics manufacturer may have somehow managed to quietly start installing some sort of suicide safety nets along its buildings. More

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My dad moved a brick wall once. Seriously. He used a chisel to break the four sides of the wall, moved it a meter, and then applied cement to fix it to its new position. These, however, are entire buildings. More

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This recently designed super-elastic iron alloy has two very different potential applications. It can be used to prevent blood vessels from collapsing and to return earthquake-deformed buildings to their original state. More

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If you visit the US embassy in London now, it’s a pit of concrete, barbed wire, bollards and soldiers with machine guns. You feel like a criminal just walking past it. This carbon neutral redesign is radical in comparison. It’s been described as encompassing the United States’ “core beliefs of our democracy – transparency, openness and equality.” It’ll cost at least $1 billion to construct, and should be opening its doors in 2017. The current building was constructed in the 1950s, but didn’t open until 1960—and certainly can’t boast anything like a moat, that’s seen in the plans for the new building. Surrounded by an “Embassy Park,” with moat, the glass cube building will also look like a certain Apple building in Manhattan , don’t you think? It’ll be covered in solar panels, and lined with energy absorbing material. Because you know London is the sunniest place on earth, obviously. [ KieranTimberlake via Construction Europe via The Reg ]

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London’s Carbon Neutral US Embassy Looks Like Apple’s Fifth Ave Manhattan Store [Architecture]

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I’m not sure how I feel about these tower skin concepts, which can turn ugly buildings into modern icons. A lot of the post-war buildings aren’t the nicest-looking, but as they say, beauty is in the eye of the beholder. Architectural company LAVA believes ugly buildings should have a shot at happiness, with these tower skins acting like a “transparent cocoon” made from mesh textile, capable of being lit up in the evening for maximum attention. They’d supposedly generate energy with the addition of photovoltaic cells, collect rain water and improve ventilation for the buildings. I’m sure the tower skins will stay firmly in “concept land,” but the designs are on display in Sydney until the 28th of March for anyone wanting a gander. [ LAVA Design Boom ]

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Tower Skins Modernise Ugly Buildings, Generate Energy and Collect Rain Water [Architecture]

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Is the new world’s tallest building going through some issues? While so far only the observation deck is open, it’s been temporarily shut down due to “unexpected high traffic” and “electrical problems.” Ruh roh! Residential and commercial tenants are due to start moving in this month, but it’s not clear just what the problems are with the building that’s keeping it closed up. Will there be a delay? Will it turn into a big, empty symbol of overdevelopment? Or did something just get screwed up with the elevators that they’re now fixing? I don’t know, but it all makes me glad I live and work nice and close to the ground. [ Houston Chronicle via Fast Company ]

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World’s Tallest Building Burj Khalifa Gets Shut Down [Buildings]

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Las Vegas . A city with enough temptations to make even one week in it tiring for mind, body, and soul. Despite that exhausting nature though, some crave to be there—even if forced to live underneath it all. Literally. Books have been written about the storm drains below the city of Las Vegas, yet we still don’t seem to hear much about the 200 miles of twisting and turning tunnels which have become the home to hundreds and hundreds of people. Photographer Austin Hargrave took a trip through those tunnels and brought back these images of life beneath a city which breathes glamour and power: Such a contrast, isn’t it? Think of the buildings above those places—casinos, hotels, restaurants—and the millions and millions of dollars switching hands every given moment. Now look at those pictures again. Viva Las Vegas. [ Environmental Graffiti via Dornob ] Photos by Austin Hargrave

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Life Beneath the Epitome of Sin [Architecture]

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The world’s most exclusive Subway is also cooler than you’d ever thought Subway could be: Fully-functioning, inside a shipping container, delivering sandwiches up and down the full height of the Ground Zero construction—soon to top 100 stories. As crews work to rebuild the World Trade Center, this Subway is fitted to a giant crane that will grow as the buildings do. It’s pretty great for the workers; normally they’d have to spend half their lunch break just getting getting up and down the building—now they can get their hoagies and Sun Chips on right where they work. It’s badass enough to make you wish you liked Subway. [ Core77 , image from AP ]

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This Subway Sandwich Store Will Fly 100 Stories High to Feed Ground Zero Workers [Architecture]

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No, this isn’t a still from a sci-fi movie. It’s actually the Sofia and Varna Air Traffic Control Hall in Bulgaria. Pretty amazing. [ Airliners.net ; Thanks, Jason! ]

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Bulgarian Air Control Center Looks Like a Set From THX 1138 [Buildings]

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