With a surprising contemplation on the state of the country’s coastline, Bahrain wins highest honors for its first participation in the Venice architecture biennale. We’ll be posting a review of the exhibition shortly at Huffington Post.

by Mishaal Al Gergawi
It was already evident that the two cities were heading in a direction that neither of them had envisaged or openly admitted…. Abu Dubai: a city never founded yet had to be.

If Qatar is simply out to buy another piece of the nation-builder’s toolkit, then by all means it should host alone. But if it is looking for a platform to convey the intangible qualities of trust, collaboration, culture, international diplomacy …

Read the rest here.

Qatar’s proposed Al-Shamal Stadium.

An impression of ‘Al Manakh: Gulf Continued’ by some of its contributors. The video premiered on June 8, 2010, at Shelter, Dubai.

The AA School of Architecture has published a video of last week’s Al Manakh: Gulf Continued discussion on its website. Click here to watch the video.

“Rem Koolhaas and Al Manakh editor Todd Reisz will discuss the implications of the book and OMA’s continuing work in the Gulf region. Al Manakh: Gulf Continued is an essential and comprehensive guide to the cities of the Gulf, produced by AMO, Archis and Pink Tank. A follow-up to the first installment of Al Manakh – made in the very different moment of 2007, this 536-page book of interviews, travelogues, analyses, propositions, infographics and photography explores the growing interconnectedness of the region and the complex impact of the financial crisis.”