The Bellevue Club http://www.bellevueclub.com/ is an award-winning luxury hotel, one of only three 4-star, 4- diamond properties in the Pacific Northwest. Kip Kramer, Acoustical Design, indicated that “Zena Design wanted a curved arch and their concept proved to be beautiful. This was accomplished by taking Topakustik sound absorbing, moisture resistant, wood planks and applying them to a curved surface. The Architect, Owner, and Contractor were all very happy with the way the project turned out.”

A new speculative office development in Manchester known as Fabrica, draws admiring glances from onlookers, thanks to its striking external screening solution, from the UK’s leading specialist, Levolux.Fabrica, named in honour of the area’s textile heritage, provides 21,000 sq ft of BREEAM Excellent office space, arranged over five floors. Developed by Royal London Asset Management and designed by 5Plus architects, Fabrica is part of a wider regeneration project in central Manchester.The imposing office building, which sits adjacent to a new 150-room Ibis hotel, stands out from neighbouring buildings with its gold perforated exterior. As is customary with modern office developments, there is an abundance of full-height glazing to maximise daylight levels. External window treatment was required on exposed elevations to increase privacy and comfort levels for occupants, and to create a distinctive external aesthetic.For more information – http://www.levolux.com/L_case_studies/fabrica-manchester.htm

Teatre Nacional de Catalunya (Ricardo Bofill,1996) – http://bit.ly/jsvB9W

Originally built in 1991 as one of the earlier phases of the renowned Broadgate development, the eleven storey office building, 199 Bishopsgate in central London recently benefited from a £35 million refurbishment project, including a new roof level Louvred plant enclosure and internal Roller Blinds, both courtesy of Levolux.John Robertson Architects carried out the refurbishment design, which followed a comprehensive brief from building owners British Land and Blackstone to transform the building’s interior and upgrade its energy performance, leading to carbon emission reductions of 60%.The refurbished building, which is BREEAM ‘excellent’ rated, provides 140,000 sq ft of high quality office space, set in a prominent Broadgate Estate location in the heart of London’s financial district.For more information – http://www.levolux.com/L_case_studies/199-bishopsgate-london.htm

We spent last weekend in Aspen, CO and had a little bit time to tour the local VM ZINC projects. The Christ Episcopal Church on 536 West North Street in Aspen is a one of the projects we liked most for its contemporary design and its great craftsman ship. Does anyone know who the architect is and did the install?

Gas Natural Torre Marenostrum in Barcelona (EMBT Miralles&Tagliabue, 2006) – http://bit.ly/la7tvl

To help accommodate visitors to Liverpool ONE, a major retail, residential and leisure centre, Q-Park developed a new 550-space multi-storey car park with an architecturally impressive Solar Shading system from Levolux. Read here: http://bit.ly/ifvf9t

Museum of Arts and Design NYC renovation Allied Works Architecture preserved the sweep of its concave facade but updated it in a shimmering rainscreen of glazed terra-cotta tiles. That new iridescent cloak, produced by NBK Architectural Terracotta, The New York Times called the $90 million project “a transformation no one would have imagined.”

Show at the Tokyo Opera City Art Gallery honors international leader in design, Dominique Perrault. The exhibit will display a crosssectionof Perrault’s work, nearly all of the featured projects feature metal fabric as a primary design element.