Al Sharq Tower by Skidmore, Owiings & Merrill is a unique mix of an iconic form, ingenious structure, and spatial qualities of sky-high living. The purity of its form as nine cylinders defined by a spiraling filigree structure will be a timeless, elegant marker on Sheikh Zayed Road. The Al Sharq Tower will be a 102-floor residential tower which will have a total structural height of 367 m (1,181 ft), and have 268 apartments. Construction of the Al Sharq Tower is expected to be completed in 2011.Al Sharq isn’t close to being the tallest building in town (the highest is Burj Dubai) but it is one of the skinniest towers in the world.
The tower is to be a slender design with a height-width ratio of 10:1 and comprises 6 tube like designs, each tube is to be approximately 12 meters in diameter. The architects SOM used the tubular design, which is similarly used in the Sears Tower, to reduce the horizontal movement of the building due to the strong winds that can ’shake’ the building. The central tube serves to take the gravity load that the strong winds produce, along with housing the main elevators that service the building.
The end result is wide open, column free interiors.
This is architecture building of Serta International Corporate Headquarters was designed by Epstein Metter Studio on 8,360 sqm constructed areas in 2009. This building located in the Prairie Stone Development of Hoffman Estates, IL. The selected site borders a protected wetlands area, resulting in all work spaces having sweeping views of the natural landscape.
The architectural composition of the building has been developed to express the two main programmatic functions: Research & Development and office work space. Each of these functions is distinctly articulated in the building massing. Located at the heart of the building are the public spaces such as showrooms, lunch room, and training Auditorium.
The building (700' long x 67' wide) has been designed to facilitate equal access to natural light, ventilation, and views of the wetlands for all employees. As a result, the building is expressed as a horizontal bar, generating a strong horizontal datum line.
To maintain this strong horizontal line, while accommodating excess program, finely detailed, projecting cantilevered bays have been developed which hover over the prairie landscape. 
The structural and architectural detailing has been designed to allow each bay to slide into the building, incorporating reveals between multiple wall layers, and sandwiched between the upper and lower concrete brows. This allows the program to grow organically, while reflecting the natural contours of the site.
Italian architects Iosa Ghini Associati have completed a bar, breakfast room and conference centre for Boscolo Exedra Nice hotel in Nice, France.
The interior features tree-like columns and wood-paneled walls.
The bar is made of Corian and the floor of the conference centre is dotted with red, glass inserts.
Here is some more text from Iosa Ghini Associati:
The concept that informed the project was to create a contemporary version of the Belle Époque lines of the lavish historic envelope. Comfortable materials were used to merge the two styles, evoking the rich atmospheres of Italian style. A recurring design element is the lighted surfaces and installations along the walls and ceilings on several floors, underscoring the space’s qualities.
The bar space on the ground floor is positioned to be immediately visible, distinctly evoking nature and its gentle, harmonious lines.
The sculptural bar counter finished in white Corian welcomes guests in an appealing atmosphere of Burma teak boiserie walls and lighted ceilings. The colors of the breakfast room are warmer, including teak wood floors, concealed lights of warm hues and boiserie. The buffet counter’s material dialogues with the large colombino stone fireplace, the space’s true focal point.
The conference center maintains the use of harmonious forms, adding a Venetian-style floor with red glass inserts that physically asserts itself in the rooms. However, its style is more dynamic, in keeping with the kind of work done inside.
Josef Hoffmann (1870-1956) studied architecture at the Academy of Fine Arts in Vienna, Austria, under Art Nouveau architect Otto Wagner, whose theories of functional, modern architecture profoundly influenced his works, and in 1896 he joined his office.
Kubus Arm Chair of 1910 is one of the prize collections for its proud owners.
