Efforts to re-establish and re-invent the historic and famed Nalanda University in Rajagir, located 12 km away from the monument zone of Nalanda in Bihar, moved ahead.

Plans to build a new campus took shape a few days ago when the international jury comprising four architects from Singapore, Japan, China and India and three members from the University chose the winning design from an international competition.

Of the eight proposals submitted by pre-qualified architectural firms, including five from abroad, the jury selected the design drawn by Vastushilpa Consultants, a well known architecture firm based in Ahmedabad for its conceptual planning, clarity of thought and ability to take forward the vision of Nalanda.

Nalanda University, conceptualised as a standalone international institution, would be constructed on a 455-acre site to accommodate 2,500 students and 500 teachers. The University has proposed seven schools of learning including Historic Studies, Buddhist Studies and Information Technology, but only two of them Historic Studies and Environment Studies would be built in the first phase.

Rajeev Kathpalia, one of the two principal architects of Vastushilpa Consultants in a telephone interview said that their design envisions the new campus as an institution of future, a beacon of sustainable practices and a model of integration with local community. He also explained that they have planned buildings as a close-knit group and located amid a tranquil agrarian landscape. More than half the site is intentionally kept open to take care of the aquifers and recharge them. The overall aim is to create an integrated ecosystem where flow of air, water and energy are channelled in an almost natural way, he added.

Balakrishna Doshi, a Padma Shri awardee, is the senior partner and founder of Vastushilpa Consultants.

Nalanda flourished as an important centre of learning for about 800 years. It fell into ruins in the 13th century, and the British archaeologists discovered the historic remains in the 19th century.

Following the decision to revive the university at the Second East Asian Summit in 2007, the Indian government established Nalanda University in 2010 after passing an Act in Parliament. Many Asia-Pacific countries have extended support for the project. Last year, the University floated the international competition seeking designs for the proposed campus.

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Ahmedabad architects to re-establish Nalanda University in Bihar

British-based firm Wilkinson Eyre Architects has beaten two American builders in a contest to build James Packers $1billion-plus Crown Sydney at Barangaroo, on the citys north-west.

A futuristic design made of sculptured glass and towering 250 m above the ground took the judges' unanimous vote.

The judging panel included representatives from Crown, property developer Lend Lease, the Barangaroo Delivery Authority and the NSW Department of Planning.

Pictures: Take a look at all the designs that were submitted

No Australian firms made the final cut.

Mr Packer will make the formal announcement on Thursday and has said earlier that he wants the 60-storey casino building to become Sydney's most iconic landmark since the Opera House.

He said he wanted the building to be instantly recognisable around the world and feature on postcards and memorabilia promoting Sydney.

The hotel will have about 350 guestrooms and suites above a high rollers casino.

The Crown proposal is currently in Stage 2 of the NSW government's unsolicited proposal process.

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British architects win Packer's Barangaroo casino design contest

Monday evenings West Salem School Board meeting was taken up with presentations by four separate architectural firms. They were auditioning to be the firm of choice for the district if as enrollment projections suggest a new middle school will be needed in the next couple years.

The districts long-range plans to relieve overcrowding in the lower grades envisions a new building on vacant land owned by the district north of the present elementary school and bounded by North Mark Street and East Tilson Street.

District Superintendent Troy Gunderson explained that the firm hired would be asked to take a second look at the districts future plans. Well be asking them to review the plan weve come up and see whether it all makes sense, Gunderson said.

If thats the case and we do need a new building, how big will it be? Where should it be? That way, if you ask people to vote for it (in a referendum), you can answer those questions ahead of time, Gunderson said.

Two of the firms represented Monday are based in La Crosse: TCI and HSR Associates. StruXture Architects is based in Waterloo, Iowa, and Bray Architects is out of Sheboygan.

All were culled from a larger list compiled by the school boards Buildings and Grounds Committee and all have extensive experience in designing educational buildings.

Bray Architects was recently chosen by the La Crosse School District to do the design the Northside Elementary and the firm designed the existing West Salem Elementary building. HSR has designed buildings for UW-La Crosse, Western Technical College and Viterbo University.

TCI, which has completed projects nationwide, was the firm that oversaw the construction of the Heider Center. StruXture Architects has built school buildings all over Iowa, with the closest to La Crosse being a new middle school in Decorah.

During their presentations Monday, representatives of all four firms talked about the latest trends in school design, including items like natural lighting, flexible classrooms and green, efficient buildings.

You know, I think all these folks can do this work, Gunderson said afterward. He said that the firm chosen would likely do a preliminary study, put together a facilities plan, help the district put together a plan for a referendum and, if passed, oversee the construction and design of a new school building.

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Architects line up for WS school project

Crown Ltd. (CWN), the gaming company controlled by billionaire James Packer, chose one of the architects of Singapores Gardens by the Bay project to build a casino tower planned for the shores of Sydneys harbor.

Wilkinson Eyre Architects, which also designed the 440-meter Guangzhou International Finance Center and the side-tilting Millennium Bridge in Gateshead, England, was chosen to work on the tower, the Melbourne-based company said in an e-mailed statement today. Crown and Echo Entertainment Group Ltd (EGP). have both applied to New South Wales state with casino development plans, only one of which can go ahead.

Packer has promised to spend A$1 billion ($984 million) on the complex targeting high-rolling Asian gamblers at the Barangaroo development site just west of Sydneys main business district. Echo is seeking to upgrade its Star casino on an adjacent stretch of harbor shore and has applied for the extension of an exclusive casino license due to expire in 2019 to support the work.

This was my personal preference of three shortlisted designs, Packer told an event hosted by the Australian Financial Review newspaper in Sydney today. It wasnt even, from my perspective, close. I think the curvature of this building is sympathetic to Sydney Harbour and unique to Sydney Harbour.

Packer owns 50 percent of Crown and is the companys chairman. The stock declined 1.1 percent to A$13.35 at the close in Sydney trading, while the benchmark S&P/ASX 200 index fell 0.5 percent.

Crown last week won approval from the states gaming regulator to lift its stake in Echo beyond the current 10 percent level to as much as 23 percent. Its still waiting for approval from authorities in Queensland state, where Echo has three casinos. Genting Hong Kong Ltd (GENHK)., the cruise ship company controlled by Lim Kok Thay, in October also applied to raise its stake in Echo to 25 percent.

To contact the reporter on this story: David Fickling in Sydney at dfickling@bloomberg.net

To contact the editor responsible for this story: Stephanie Wong at swong139@bloomberg.net

Australian billionaire James Packer speaks during the Manila launch of a major casino joint venture project. Photograph: Jay Directo via AFP/Getty Images

Australian billionaire James Packer speaks during the Manila launch of a major casino joint venture project. Photograph: Jay Directo via AFP/Getty Images

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Billionaire Packer Picks Singapore Gardens Architects for Casino

Showing photos of their best work, the architects vying to design Eugenes next City Hall made pitches on Wednesday evening to residents and the man who would hire them, City Manager Jon Ruiz.

A standing-room crowd of more than 50 people attended the presentations in the Bascom Tykeson Room of the Public Library by Rowell Brokaw Architects of Eugene and THA Architecture of Portland.

The architects did not present potential designs for a new City Hall. That wont happen until sometime after Ruiz hires one of their firms.

Instead, the architects discussed how they would meet the City Councils five values that are meant to guide the project: identity, participation, stewardship, simplicity and Eugene at age 200 50 years from now.

Architect John Rowell promoted his firms hometown roots.

We know what it means to be local, he said, standing in front of a slide with a map contrasting the two-minute walk from his downtown office to City Hall, compared to a two-hour drive from Portland to Eugene. We wake up in this city each day.

The City Council has decided to construct a smaller City Hall on its present site, the block bounded by East Eighth and Seventh avenues and Pearl and High streets, using as much of the existing building and parking as is practical.

THA architect Corey Martin, using a fast-moving Powerpoint presentation, said his firm is aware of the problems in the now-shuttered City Hall, including its fortress-like appearance.

The main problem with the building is that it does not activate the street, he said.

While they would be the lead architects on the project, both Rowell Brokaw and THA have partnered with other architecture firms to design City Hall.

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Architects make pitch for Eugene City Hall job

Interstice Architects- 2011 Green Dot Awards Product Category Winner
Winner in the Product category in 2011 for the project "GREENskin FacadeSystem ".

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Interstice Architects- 2011 Green Dot Awards Product Category Winner - Video

Shehab Mazhar architects - Swan Lake

By: Shehab Mazhar

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Shehab Mazhar architects - Swan Lake - Video

RESTON, VA--(Marketwired - May 15, 2013) - Smartronix, a leader of the delivery of secure and agile cloud computing solutions, announced today that several of its Cloud Solution Architects were recently granted the new Amazon Web Services (AWS) certification for the AWS Certified Solutions Architect, Associate level.

This brand new certification program launched by AWS is designed to demonstrate a high level of competence for Developers and Administrators working with AWS technologies. The Solutions Architect certification is specifically aimed at Developers skilled at designing distributed applications and systems on the AWS platform, with a requirement for knowledge of distributed application architecture, networking, infrastructure, and security.

"We are very proud to have one of the largest rosters of skilled and independently evaluated professionals highly proficient in delivering solutions on AWS," states Robert Groat, Executive Vice President and Chief Technology Officer for Smartronix. "We intend to continue growing this number, and as always, make sure our staff meets the most rigorous standards that our clients have come to expect from us."

Smartronix is a global leader in delivering innovative, secure, and agile technology solutions. The Hollywood, MD, based company specializes in cyber security, Health IT, network operations, mission- focused engineering, big data, mobile applications, and industry-leading cloud technologies. Smartronix has delivered landmark, award-winning solutions such as Treasury.gov and Recovery.gov, and the first Federal Web properties hosted on the public cloud. Smartronix has a rich history of delivering innovative enterprise services, particularly hybrid cloud solutions, to the Federal Government. Additionally, the company was recognized as the Best Technology Consulting Firm to Work For by Vault, an Employer of Choice by Northern Virginia Family Service, and ranked as one of the nation's fastest-growing companies by multiple sources. Smartronix is a Microsoft Certified Gold Partner and an AWS Premier Consulting Partner.

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Smartronix Cloud Solution Architects Receive New Amazon Web Services Certification

Studio E Architects- 2012 Green Dot Awards Build Category Winner
Winner in the Build category in 2012 for the project "West Village Square- UC Davis".

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Studio E Architects- 2012 Green Dot Awards Build Category Winner - Video

Architects are useless for societies: Shigeru Ban at TEDxTokyo (English)
In the spirit of ideas worth spreading, TEDx is a program of local, self-organized events that bring people together to share a TED-like experience. At a TED...

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Architects are useless for societies: Shigeru Ban at TEDxTokyo (English) - Video