'Tower Skin', LAVA's speculative transformation of the 1960s UTS tower in Sydney, was a winner in the United Nations partnered ZEROprize Re-Skinning Awards and attracted lots of press including the Sydney Morning Herald, ABCTV and ABC radio.

'Tower Skin' offers a unique opportunity to transform the identity, sustainability and interior comfort of a once state‐of‐the‐art building and can easily be applied to 1960s icons across the world.

We had a great exhibition at Object Gallery, for which we built a HUGE UTS tower model (now in our office).

LAVA's Barangaroo residential towers were also featured on ABCTV along with our plastic house design using PET bottles.

I had a very exciting month!

Two giant digital origami tigers were a hit for Chinese New Year on the forecourt of Customs House, Sydney and are now on their way to Kuala Lumpur where they will be part of the 2010 KL Design Week.

The crouching tigers fuse ancient lantern making methods with cutting edge design and fabrication technology, bringing tradition and innovation, east and west together.

Kung Hei Fat Choi!!!
Come for the launch of the Giant Digital Origami Tigers to celebrate Chinese New Year 2010, Year of the Tiger at Customs House Square on Wednesday 10 Feb from 7pm - 9pm.

Who says there is no Christmas in China

I arrived in Abu Dhabi the day after the formula one grand prix
The newspapers were full of it and it looked amazing!
Abu Dhabi is so proud that they pulled off this major event, all the drivers excited, the crowds happy, Aerosmith and lots of others performed.
The Yas hotel, designed by Asymptote and one of their first built major works is SPECTACULAR and the living proof that there is a place for new, inventive and incredible architecture.
Everybody said: probably  it is just a skin, but check out my photos from inside ..
Chapeau to Asymptote and hopefully a good precedence for our MASDAR CITY project.
Unfortunately we didn't have a chance to catch up with Schumacher to discuss progress on our Schumacher tower.

Update from Berlin
20 years after the wall came down, I visited the city on the exact day.
What a transformation. Where the wall once stood and people got shot for wanting to live in freedom there is now, barely distinguishable, a new city centre.
Yes the architecture was built a bit fast, and the style is a bit backward, but Berlin has become again what it used to be: the centre of Germany.
The city celebrated with fireworks and all sorts of activities including kilometre long real size wall/domino blocks that were tipped over on the day.
My parents just moved back there, my father's hometown.
Time magazine has a great special issue about the reunification.
Ich bin ein Berliner

I've just given a lecture at the Hong Kong Chinese University and am delivering a keynote lecture about the future of sustainable architecture at the 11th CHTF, China International Forum on Energy Saving, Emission Reduction and New Energy, in Shenzhen this week.
Other speakers include Davina Jackson from Australia talking about DATA cities, China's experts and leaders in renewable technologies [solar power, wind power and emission friendly technologies] including LIU Zhijun, Minister of Railways, and directors of electric and hybrid car manufacturers.
My visit coincided with the visit of US president Obama and is amazing to see him all over the media. I am impressed that China seems to be taking climate change and carbon emission very seriously now. Chinas advancement in renewable energies, electric cars and photovoltaics is amazing.

I am here at the World Architecture Festival in Barcelona. Yesterday LAVA presented the Masdar plaza in UAE with Gerard Evenden, director at Foster + Partners to the world architecture community. This year I was on the jury with Keiran Long and Charles Jencks to award the world's best buildings. Finalists and winners in their category from Australia included McBride Charles Ryan for the Klein Bottle house;  Choi Ropiha for the Times Square ticket booth; and Allan Jack and Cottier for the Berry Sports Hall. Barcelona presented itself in the best weather.

left to right:
Alexander Rieck [LAVA],  Gerard Evenden [Foster + Partners]; Chris Bosse [LAVA],  and Tobias  Wallisser  [LAVA] in Barcelona.

I am working in my grass green office between lava lamps and coffeeshops in surry hills. Behind me is LAVA designs for Michael Schumacher Tower, Abu Dhabi UAE

Excited because our design for Masdar in the UAE has just won the Cityscape Awards in Dubai. It's also great to see that Rio won the 2016 Olympics. We have been speculating about Olympic projects in various host cities over the past few years and Rio was always our future favourite.