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  1. The jury members are: - Melvin Charney, architect; - Odile Decq, architect and Director of the École Spéciale d'Architecture, Paris; - Jacques Des Rochers, Curator of Canadian Art, Montréal Museum of Fine Arts; - Michel Dionne, architect, Cooper, Robertson & Partners, New York; - Raphaël Fischler, urban planner and professor at the School of Urban Planning, McGill University; - Mario Masson, landscape architect and Division Manager, Service du développement culturel, de la qualité du milieu de vie et de la diversité ethnoculturelle, Ville de Montréal; - Alessandra Ponte, associate professor, School of Architecture, Université de Montréal; - Philippe Poullaouec-Gonidec, landscape architect and holder of the UNESCO Chair in Landscape and Environmental Design at Université de Montréal. Instructions for prospective entrants (Courtesy of CNW Telbec)
  2. A new super skyscraper has just been announced for South Korea and will tower over all other buildings in Asia when it is complete in 2014. From a global perspective, Lotte Super Tower 123, designed by Kohn Pederson Fox, falls just short of taking the title, and will be not the tallest but the second tallest skyscraper in the world. The structure will serve as the new corporate headquarters for the Lotte Group, whose subsidairy, Lotte Construction, will build it. Zoning has been approved and excavation is nearly complete. With aims towards LEED silver certification, the tower will have a strong environmental component and will offer Seoulians mixed-use areas such as shops, apartments, offices and a hotel. To be built in the southern Jamsil section of the city near the Han River, the Super Lotte Tower will sit next to a key transportation hub, efficiently bringing in commuters as well as tourists eager to see the new attraction. Mixed-use development was a key element in the design, and the vertical city will include public transport connectors, retail and residential space, offices, a hotel, an observation deck, and other public areas. Exact details on the sustainable design elements of the structure have not been released, but the firm is aiming for LEED certification, which will hopefully by that time include building performance monitoring to ensure energy savings. Kohn Pederson Fox, who is also responsible for the new eco-district Songdo IBD, is well known for designing super structures – especially in Asia. US architecture firms like KPF have been looking abroad for design work and have managed to stay afloat with contracts developing regions in Asia as well as the Middle East. + Kohn Pederson Fox Architects http://www.inhabitat.com/2009/10/21/tallest-building-in-asia-revealed-for-seoul-south-korea/
  3. L'effronterie du secteur public Publié le 17 octobre 2009 à 05h00 Mis à jour le 17 octobre 2009 à 05h00 Audace, impudence, insolence, sans-gêne. C'est ainsi que le Petit Robert définit le mot «?effronterie?». À mes yeux de contribuable, cela qualifie précisément ce que j'ai ressenti après avoir pris connaissance cette semaine des demandes syndicales des employés du secteur public québécois. Je vous les résume?: le front commun des 475 000 employés du secteur public «?nous?» réclame des augmentations ne totalisant rien de moins que 11,25?% en trois ans, ce qui augmenterait leur masse salariale de 3,2 milliards de dollars. Pourquoi je dis «?nous?» ? Je prends ça «?personnel?» parce que ce sont les contribuables qui font vivre le gouvernement et son vaste secteur public. Quand le président de la FTQ, Michel Arsenault, affirme que «?l'employeur va s'arracher les cheveux et dire qu'il ne peut pas payer.?», j'aimerais lui rappeler que le véritable «?employeur?» du secteur public, c'est l'en des contribuables. Et j'avoue que les hausses salariales réclamées par le front de boeuf, pardon, par le Front commun du secteur public, m'interpellent directement. En tant qu'employeur indirect (par l'entremise des élus du gouvernement, tous partis confondus), oui elles m'arrachent les cheveux vos demandes et non, on n'a pas les moyens de vous les payer. Avant que les bonzes du Front commun, les Claudette Carbonneau de la CSN, Michel Arsenault de la FTQ et Gilles Dussault du SISP (Secrétariat intersyndical des services publics (SISP) ne demandent à leurs troupes de m'inonder de leurs malheurs... financiers, j'aimerais juste leur rappeler quelques faits budgétaires. 1 > Nous, propriétaires du gouvernement du Québec, allons boucler la présente année financière avec un déficit qui s'enligne vers les cinq milliards de dollars. Et les déficits annuels vont se poursuivre pendant plusieurs autres années. Qui dit déficit, dit alourdissement de la dette. Ayons ici une petite pensée pour les générations futures qui devront éponger ces dettes... 2 > Vous, nos employés du secteur public, comptez à vous seuls pour près de 55?% de l'ensemble des dépenses actuelles de tous les programmes du gouvernement provincial. Les dépenses liées à votre rémunération s'élèvent actuellement à 32,8 milliards de dollars. Méchante facture... 3 > Pour éviter de réduire le salaire et les alléchants avantages sociaux dont vous bénéficiez (à comparer à la majorité des travailleurs du secteur privé), le gouvernement va devoir puiser davantage dans nos poches, en augmenter bientôt la taxe de vente (TVQ) et également le coût des divers services publics. 4 > Pendant ce temps, le taux de chômage au Québec frise les 8,8?%, après avoir perdu depuis le début de l'année 57 600 emplois. À Montréal, la situation est encore pire?: on parle de 9,5?%. 5 > En raison de la crise financière mondiale qui a (également, eh oui?!) frappé le Québec, non seulement des entreprises ont fermé leurs portes et mis à pied des dizaines de milliers de travailleurs, mais en plus, un très grand nombre de travailleurs (syndiqués et non syndiqués) ont été contraints d'accepter des baisses de salaire et des révisions à la baisse de leurs avantages sociaux. 6 > Conséquence directe de ces pertes d'emploi et réductions de salaire?: le gouvernement québécois se retrouve forcément avec une diminution des revenus d'impôt et de taxes de tout acabit. 7 > Ajoutons à cela la forte baisse des revenus que le gouvernement tire des impôts des sociétés. Ce n'est pas une surprise pour personne de constater que les bénéfices imposables des entreprises ont dramatiquement chuté dans la foulée de la récession. Revenons aux choses importantes?! C'est sur le thème «?Ensemble pour les services publics?» que les bonzes du Front commun SISP-CSN-FTQ font présentement une grande tournée du Québec dans le but, disent-ils, d'échanger avec leurs membres et la population sur les enjeux de la négociation pour le renouvellement des conventions collectives qui arrivent à échéance le 31 mars 2010. Et parole de Claudette Carbonneau?: «?Ce Front commun est unique dans l'histoire du Québec. Nous négocions d'une même voix pour 475 000 travailleuses et travailleurs...Cette négociation est importante, non seulement pour nos membres, mais pour toute la population. Il ne s'agit pas seulement d'améliorer les conditions de travail des salariés de l'État, il s'agit également de maintenir et d'améliorer les services publics.?» Message à nos 475 000 salariés de l'État québécois et également à tous les cadres non syndiqués?: l'amélioration de vos conditions de travail passe par la détérioration des finances personnelles de la population. Désolé, mais on n'a pas les moyens de s'appauvrir collectivement pour améliorer votre sort?! Pour la majorité des travailleurs du secteur privé, des salaire et des conditions de travail gelés sont actuellement considérés comme une sacrée bonne nouvelle.
  4. BBC NEWS Sentient cities may answer back By Laura Sheeter It may look like an ordinary rubbish bin, but don't let that fool you. Throw an aluminium can in here and you'd be none the wiser, but try chucking a plastic bottle away, and with an angry buzz it will throw it back out at you, fans whirring to rid itself of the wrong kind of rubbish. This is the 'smart trash can', part of the 'Toward the Sentient City' exhibition in New York, which explores how our lives might change when we can embed computers in anything and everything. This fussy recycling bin is the invention of David Jimison and JooYoun Paek, who also created a street sign that points at passersby, and a park bench which tips people off if they've been sitting on it for too long. David and JooYoun say they want to explore what might happen if technology went wrong in the city of the future, and make us think about our attitudes today. "It raised concerns about safety - people mentioned 'my grandmother would be hurt if she was dumped off a bench', and it also raised concerns about the homeless", says David. "Those are precisely the issues we were hoping to bring up, we were interested in talking about public policy in the future, but also where it inhabits our current life - for example, benches today are designed so they can't be slept on." River quality That vision of the future is one of five projects commissioned for the exhibition by the Architectural League of New York. The others include 'Trash Track' by a team from The Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) in Boston, who attached smart tags to hundreds of items of New Yorkers' rubbish, so they could track each one from the moment it was thrown away. 'Amphibious Architecture' is the brainchild of a team at New York and Columbia universities who floated sensors and lights in two of the city's rivers, so that just by sending a text message, people can find out what's living down there and what the water quality is like. 'Natural Fuse' by Usman Haque, a London-based architect, who created a network of houseplants attached to the electrical system, which monitor energy use - if the system's members use too much power, some of the plants are killed, but if they collectively reduce their energy use the plants thrive, increasing their ability to capture carbon, and the energy available to all. The potential for technology to change our behaviour, for example by helping us engage with previously unseen places like rubbish dumps or rivers, or by holding our houseplants hostage, is a common theme, and one which the exhibition's curator, Mark Shepard, says he hopes will encourage debate about how we want our cities, and our lives, to change. "It's not about a fascination with the novelty of technology - the intention was to look at the social, cultural and political implications of these new technologies", he says. "We're probably not worried if 'smart' traffic lights can better control the flow of cars on our city streets, but some of us might be annoyed if, as we walk past Starbucks, a discount coupon for our favourite drink is beamed to our mobile phone. "And many of us would protest if we were stopped trying to get on the subway, because the turnstile had 'sensed' that our purchasing history, patterns of travel and current galvanic skin response happened to match the profile of a terrorist. We have to ask now what happens when the system fails, not after the fact." Outdoor meetings While the other exhibits show how invention and cutting edge technology could be used in the future, perhaps the simplest of the projects 'Breakout!' concentrates on changing how we use them. Anthony Townsend and Dana Spiegel have spent years installing free wifi in New York's parks, enabling people to get online almost wherever they want. Now they are trying to encourage people to use that freedom to escape their offices, even holding meetings outdoors. They are leading by example, working on the street almost every day while the exhibition is running, to show people that it's easier than they think. On the day I meet them they're in Philadelphia looking for a suitable spot, but icy winds are making things rather difficult. Internet access, comfortable seats and tables and nearby toilets are the essentials you need to find, they tell me. Finding shelter is high on my list, but Dana and Anthony say that's not a problem, as there are plenty of public atria which you can work in without returning to the confines of the office. They've brought with them a rucksack filled with supplies - a laptop, a wireless router and a battery-powered printer are the most hi-tech, the rest of the bag contains post-it notes, chalk, paper weights and a mini white board, not at all futuristic. But why bother leaving the office, where you have everything you need already? "It's about reclaiming public space and working better", says Anthony. "Offices are good for clerical work, and that's about it. Texting wildlife I work in about four different places on a regular basis, and now, for example, walking around Philadelphia, I'm completely stimulated. I can go back to an office to write, sure, but I can't get inspiration there. I want to help other people get the benefit of that." It's a message, says Dana, that's been positively received: "At first people think it's a spectacle. When do you ever see a group of people holding a conference meeting in a public park? But then they just get it. After all, it's not a strange activity, it's just happening out of place." But how real are these visions of the future? Could we find ourselves texting the wildlife, following our litter online and using houseplants to control our energy use, all from our office in the public park? It may seem outlandish, but Gregory Wessner from the Architectural League of New York says it's closer than you think. He tells me that as part of the exhibition they invited the architects Kohn Pedersen Fox and experts from Cisco Systems to give a lecture. The two companies are working together on two new cities, one in China, the other in South Korea, in which all the information systems, including residential, medical and business, will be linked. "How it will work, and whether it's good or bad, I don't know", he says. "But the first buildings have already opened, so it's happening, at least in some parts of the world, right now." It seems the sentient city is here, whether we're ready, or not. Story from BBC NEWS: http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/2/hi/technology/8310627.stm Published: 2009/10/16 11:10:56 GMT © BBC MMIX http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/8310627.stm
  5. Launch of the Institut de politiques alternatives de Montréal A think tank is created to shed light on urban planning and development policy in Montréal. MONTREAL, Oct. 14 /CNW Telbec/ - Phyllis Lambert, architect, Founding Director and Chair of the Board of Trustees of the CCA, Dimitri Roussopoulos, founder of the Montréal Urban Ecology Centre, and Dinu Bumbaru, Policy Director of Héritage Montréal, announced today the creation of a think tank, the Institut de politiques alternatives de Montréal (IPAM). This citizens' initiative seeks to contribute to viable urban planning in Montréal, to its economic and sustainable development, and local democracy. As an independent and multidisciplinary organisation, IPAM has been formed to play a key role over the long term in the municipal debate on policy choices leading to an equitable and prosperous society. The economic, social and ecological challenges to urban development require an open-minded dialogue accessible to all sectors of Montréal society. IPAM is created as a think tank, a research centre, and an open public forum where different publics can meet, exchange ideas, and debate. It will act to provide a way for civil society to contribute its own innovative solutions alongside those of municipal bodies to help shape Montréal's long-term future. "The considerable impact of economic development in the City of Montréal and the megaprojects it has proposed, clearly indicate that we are currently at a major crossroad," said Phyllis Lambert. "The establishment of IPAM is essential: for it is clear that everyone that makes up the city's civil society must understand and agree on a definition and parameters of city planning, and they must share a clear vision of their rightful place in a permanent, constructive, democratic and effective dialogue with political decision-makers." An independent, multidisciplinary, and inclusive organisation, IPAM's purpose is to play a key role in the municipal debate on policy choices leading to an equitable and prosperous society. IPAM's intention is to contribute the expertise of individuals from different spheres within the community. "By combining the strengths and expertise of a wide range of specialists in complementary fields of activity both locally and from elsewhere, including university research, business, socioeconomics, neighbourhood roundtables, ethnic communities, and environmental NGOs, we will create a centre of reference composed of people who will mobilise around issue of sociology, economy, democracy and physical planning related to urban development and recommend courses of action for the municipal administration in each of these areas," added Dimitri Roussopoulos. According to Dinu Bumbaru, "With the City about to update the Urban Master Plan, Montreal needs a framework that integrates urban planning, economic planning and sustainable development, which is why IPAM will establish six working groups to tackle questions of long-term economic and cultural development: heritage, poverty, social housing and social justice, ecology, urban planning and transportation, and democracy." IPAM's work will concentrate on the following two activities: - Dissemination information and holding public debates by organizing public forums, conferences and seminars concerning a great variety of challenges in urban planning. - Monitoring the municipal administration's activities through annual evaluation of the annual reports of the Ville de Montréal on urban planning, and of the Office de consultation publique de Montréal, and the Ombudsman's report. As a first initiative IPAM will, the day after the elections, call on the new City Administration to hold a citizens' summit on the future of Montréal in partnership with civil society, permitting an exchange of ideas and experience, in order to help to establish the guidelines for the administration's new mandate. For further information: Louise Constantin, IPAM, (514) 769-4553, lconstantin@cooptel.qc.ca; Isabelle Huiban, Press Relations, Office of Phyllis Lambert, (514) 222-4307, ihuiban@cca.qc.ca
  6. It is very unfortunate that events that happen in less than a minute can have such a profoundly negative impact on peoples' lives. In this case, I most definitely believe that Michael Bryant is innocent of what is essentially a manslaughter charge. This is one of the rare times I side with a Liberal. By the sounds of things Darcy Allan Sheppard was drunk and riding his bicycle down a major throughfare (Bloor Street). Drinking and riding a bicycle can be just as dangerous as drinking and driving a car. There needs to be laws put in place to regulate cycling just like driving. If it had been the other way around, and Bryant had been drinking and driving, got into an altercation with a cyclist before crashing and killing himself, it would have been completely his fault. But since Sheppard was a cyclist, he couldn't possibly be in the wrong.
  7. A 45 - acre comprehensive, master planned office campus on Nuns' Island. This multi-phased office complex is geared to those tenants looking for the quality environment offered in suburban locations but with the benefits of a site located just five minutes from Montreal's central business district. Availabilities range from 50,000 sq.ft. to 500,000 sq.ft. in various configurations, all of which will be LEED certified. With the arrival of Bell Canada on Nuns' Island, public transportation has improved with investments in infrastructure being made by various governmental authorities; the neighborhood is poised for even more development. Companies such a Yellow Pages, Multi-prêt, Bombardier Recreational Products and the Bank of Canada continue to enjoy the exceptional office environment that Nuns' Island has to offer with its abundant retail offerings, bike paths, nature walks and lush landscaped public areas.
  8. Montreal to triple some parking fines Last Updated: Monday, August 17, 2009 | 2:39 PM ET CBC News The price of parking illegally in Montreal could triple by the fall. The city says it's seeing more and more problems with people parking illegally, and plans to boost ticket prices starting in October. Executive committee member Sammy Forcillo says current fines simply aren't big enough to stop people from parking where they shouldn't. He says with some parking lots charging $18 to park, some drivers are choosing to take a chance on getting a $30 parking ticket. The city says it's most concerned with people parking in places that are completely illegal, such as near an intersection where a parked car might block visibility. In those cases, the city plans to hand out $100 tickets come Oct. 1. "If there's a car in front or if a person wants to stop there it's a matter of public safety, and for the handicapped I think it's common sense also. Handicapped people need to be respected in our society so that's the main idea," said Claude Dauphin, the executive committee member responsible for public security. The fine for cars parked at expired meters or in a designated handicap parking spot will also rise, to $60. Forcillo says this simply brings Montreal in line with many neighbouring cities. It's estimated the increase in fines will net the city an additional $13 or $14 million, but Forcillo denies this is a cash grab. He says it's simply about getting people to respect the rules. City council is expected to vote on the issue next week.
  9. L'illusion tranquille: l'efficience des PPP Christian Bordeleau, Doctorant à la School of Public Policy and Administration de Carleton University à Ottawa. L'auteur a reçu la bourse d'excellence du Fonds commémoratif Louise-Montpetit-Morrisseau en administration publique et la bourse de doctorat du Fonds québécois de recherche sur la société et la culture. Le Devoir Édition du lundi 10 août 2009 Mots clés : Turcot, Gestion, PPP, Construction, Gouvernement, Québec (province) Après plus d'un an de contestations et d'avis défavorables en ce qui a trait à la formule des PPP dans divers projets, la ministre des Transports, Julie Boulet, a finalement répudié publiquement -- le 24 juillet dernier -- l'application de la formule PPP à l'échangeur Turcot «étant donné que c'est un dossier très complexe, avec beaucoup de partenaires». Les intérêts corporatifs ayant perdu cette bataille d'influence, la présidente de la Fédération des chambres de commerce du Québec, Françoise Bertrand, probablement dans l'espoir d'éviter la contagion, signe un billet intitulé «Des PPP qui fonctionnent bien!» (sic) (Le Devoir, 28 juillet 2009). Mis à part l'enthousiasme débordant de Mme Bertrand pour les intérêts privés qu'elle représente, il y a lieu de se demander quelles sont les prémisses du modèle des PPP qu'elle chérit tant. En effet, il est inquiétant de voir sans cesse des assertions grossières quant à l'efficience des PPP sans aucune remise en question -- et ce, dans plusieurs médias nationaux -- et il est temps de se questionner, pour peu que cela soit possible ici, sur la validité empirique de cette rhétorique économique. Nouvelles doxa en matière de réalisation d'infrastructures publiques La première prémisse des PPP postule que l'utilisation du libre marché permet l'obtention d'une réalisation de projet plus efficiente. Premièrement, le marché n'a aucune efficience sui generis, et la crise économique que nous traversons en est la preuve tangible. Sa supériorité est illusoire, car sa seule force réside dans l'abstraction des externalités (ex.: la pollution ou les maux sociaux). Sur une échelle absolue et durable, le marché est sous-efficient sans une régulation forte et structurante, ce qui permet la modulation de cette déficience reconnue. Seuls quelques dogmatiques personnages en sont encore à proposer l'efficience des mécanismes du libre marché à «l'état naturel» (c.-à-d. le «laisser-faire») comme solution aux problèmes sociaux, et les États qui se drapaient jadis dans l'arrogance de ce paradigme font aujourd'hui amende honorable. La recherche de pointe en science politique a bien démontré que sans coordination (c.-à-d. régulation) le résultat des agrégations individuelles est sous-optimal pour le groupe (c.-à-d. les citoyens). Alors que 47 millions d'Américains sont sans assurance maladie dans un système entièrement contrôlé par le libre marché, Joseph Stiglitz, Prix Nobel d'économie et ex-vice-président de la Banque mondiale, affirmait le 9 janvier dernier que l'on ne pouvait plus se fier au marché, que cette idéologie était -- comme bien d'autres -- révolue. Le président Obama tente d'ailleurs de sortir le pays de cette douve. Que l'on se le tienne pour dit, le marché sur lequel «s'assoient les PPP» n'a pas «d'efficience transcendantale». Pas de gaspillage, vraiment? La deuxième prémisse postule que le marché fait toujours une allocation optimale des ressources en raison de la concurrence. Ainsi, le «client» (c.-à-d., dans le cas des PPP, le gouvernement) en «a toujours plus pour son argent». Le schème privé serait donc supérieur au schème de réalisation public, car il n'y aurait pas de «gaspillage». Si cela était vraiment le cas, on peut se demander où réside l'efficience promise par le marché dans les 18,3 milliards qu'il s'est «alloués» -- à même les fonds de secours gouvernementaux -- en primes de performance, d'excellence et en options prestigieuses -- permettant aux spéculateurs de Wall Street d'attendre la fin de la crise financière dans des résidences champêtres à «skier et bien manger»! Ces événements tangibles devraient rappeler à la population la déficience des mécanismes du marché même dans l'allocation de ses propres ressources. Pour preuve s'il en faut une, l'échec spectaculaire du métro londonien géré en PPP a été qualifié de «sous-performance pathétique» par le Comité des transports de la Chambre des communes en 2008. Après la réalisation de seulement 40 % du projet, le public doit éponger la dette de deux milliards laissée par Metronet à la suite de l'allocation de «contrats surpayés à ses propres actionnaires» (House of Commons, 16 janvier 2008). Pour en finir avec un mythe Il faut comprendre que la prétendue «compétitivité» des mécanismes du privé sur le secteur public ne s'exerce que par le rejet des externalités sur autrui; une problématique très bien connue dans les études sur l'environnement et en matière de solidarité sociale. Comprise de cette façon, la compétitivité peut donc se mesurer par le rejet maximum des externalités -- lorsque l'on compare avec un concurrent qui n'est pas en mesure d'externaliser (ou disposé à le faire) tout autant -- dans une sorte de course au nivellement vers le bas. C'est sur cet axe que la prétendue compétitivité du privé joue contre le gouvernement, car ce dernier ne peut pas suivre le marché dans l'externalisation extrême. Pour illustrer simplement, les évasions à répétition de prisonniers des pénitenciers britanniques gérés en PPP ne sont pas des externalités qui ont été considérées acceptables par la collectivité et cette dernière n'était pas prête à prendre ce risque pour économiser sur le salaire de quelques gardiens. Alors que le partenaire privé cherche à «couper au maximum» pour augmenter son rendement, dans une société démocratique, on se rend rapidement compte de la limite du dogme de l'efficience en matière de gouvernance. Lorsque l'on s'attarde à la concurrence réelle, on peut constater qu'elle est quasi inexistante dans le contexte de mégaprojets, et ce, particulièrement au Québec. Avec la monopolisation croissante de nombre de secteurs économiques, l'argument d'une concurrence accrue à long terme est imaginaire, surtout que l'on assiste actuellement à des «mariages» d'entreprises dans des «consortiums». Qui plus est, au Québec, dans un contexte où les firmes de génie se comptent sur les doigts de la main et où tout le monde se connaît, le taux horaire, des uns comme des autres, n'est pas un secret de Polichinelle, et ce, particulièrement lorsque tout le monde suit les mêmes devis gouvernementaux. En fait, cette concurrence -- telle qu'elle est conceptualisée dans la rhétorique du marché -- est plutôt une version «édulcorée» et «faiblichonne». Dans ce contexte, les firmes recherchent constamment une «rotation» dans l'allocation des contrats à l'aide de nombreux lobbyistes, de contributions électorales et de «bons amis»; les problèmes éthiques ne sont jamais loin derrière. C'est pour cela que le président de SNC-Lavalin, Jacques Lamarre, multipliait «les coups de fil», allant jusqu'à effectuer son propre lobbying, pour que ce soit «son tour» avec le PPP Turcot (La Presse, 22 octobre 2008); il devra maintenant se trouver un nouveau projet! Gros biscuit pour un risque aussi réduit Contrairement à ce que certains tentent de laisser croire aux citoyens, les «consortiums» ne sont pas des regroupements spontanés de passionnés du «service à la clientèle» (c.-à-d. les citoyens dans le jargon réducteur des PPP); ce sont des holdings financiers, recherchant une rente étatique sécurisée, en finançant des projets publics garantis sur des décennies. Ces «bassins de liquidités» sont à la recherche constante de projets rentiers rapportant des intérêts à deux chiffres -- sans les risques assortis habituellement à cette gamme de taux; c'est dans ce contexte que le concept des PPP est très alléchant et que le public doit être extrêmement vigilant, de surcroît, lorsqu'un gouvernement complaisant siège. À l'inverse de ce qui est propagé par certains, le risque n'est pas «assumé» par le consortium, mais il est simplement évalué et inclus dans la facture totale; l'économie est donc factice «bon temps» et les Britanniques, parmi tant d'autres, ont appris à la dure ce que signifie «mauvais temps»: une prise de risque totale de l'État. Ce dernier ne peut pas laisser en friche un métro, un hôpital, une prison ou un pont que le «partenaire» a abandonné en cours de réalisation de projet. Encore heureux que la crise financière soit survenue avant que l'entente du PPP Turcot n'ait été signée! Mme Bertrand ne s'inspire pas de l'état de la recherche empirique dans son apologie sur les PPP, mais semble plutôt éprise, comme bien d'autres, d'une version libérale d'Alice au pays des merveilles! http://www.ledevoir.com/2009/08/10/262213.html
  10. Tuesday, July 21, 2009, by Lockhart Curbed.com Concept: bulldoze under Central Park and replace it with a modern, international airport. The idea is so simple, so beautifully elegant, so inevitable that it's hard to believe we didn't think of it ourselves. Rather, credit the shadowy figures behind The Manhattan Airport Foundation, who've worked up an incredibly detailed plan to turn Frederick Law Olmsted's bucolic paradise into a postmodern universe of runways, terminals, and baggage claims. Good news for purists, too: per the Manhattan Airport FAQ, "Whenever possible, vestigial architectural elements of the Park space be retained or reworked into the context of the new design." And they mean it! You've got to admire the Foundation's bravado: "Public dollars helped create Central Park in the 1850s. And public responsibility dictates that we transform this underutilized asset into something we so desperately need today. Manhattan Airport will prove New York City no longer allows it’s vestigial prewar cityscape to languish in irrelevance but instead reinvents these spaces with a daring and inspired bravado truly befitting one of the world’s great cities. The moment is now." Of course it is. (...)
  11. (Courtesy of Public Mobile) Thing is they are going to use CDMA G-Band. They are targeting the 38% of Canadians who do not have mobile phones. Seems interesting. Only way this can work if their plans are like $10/month or something.
  12. CBC, VIA Rail considered for auction block: Documents BY ANDREW MAYEDA, CANWEST NEWS SERVICE JUNE 1, 2009 6:49 PM OTTAWA — The federal Department of Finance has flagged several prominent Crown corporations as "not self-sustaining," including the CBC, VIA Rail and the National Arts Centre, and has identified them as entities that could be sold as part of the government's asset review, newly released documents show. In its fiscal update last November, the government announced that it would launch a review of its Crown assets, including so-called enterprise Crown corporations, real estate and "other holdings." Finance Department documents, obtained by Canwest News Service under the Access to Information Act, reveal that the review will focus on enterprise Crown corporations, which are not financially dependent on parliamentary subsidies. Such corporations include the Royal Canadian Mint and Ridley Terminals, which is a coal-shipping terminal in Prince Rupert, B.C. But the documents also reveal that the government will consider privatizing Crown corporations that require public subsidies to stay afloat. "The reviews will also examine other holdings in which the government competes directly with private enterprises, earn income from property or performs a commercial activity," states a Finance briefing note dated Dec. 2, 2008. "It includes Crown corporations that are not self-sustaining even though they are of a commercial nature." In the briefing note, the Finance Department identifies nine Crown corporations that fall in that category, including Atomic Energy of Canada Ltd., the CBC and VIA Rail. The government announced last week that it will split AECL in two and seek private-sector investors for the Crown corporation's CANDU nuclear-reactor business. The Crown asset review comes as the government struggles to contain the country's deficit, now expected to top $50 billion this year. The Jan. 27 budget assumes that the government will be able to raise as much as $4 billion through asset sales by the end of March 2010. The budget identified four federal departments whose Crown assets are being reviewed first: Finance, Indian and Northern Affairs, Natural Resources, and Transport and Infrastructure. VIA Rail is overseen by the Transport Department, while the CBC and the National Arts Centre fall under the portfolio of the Canadian Heritage department. The Finance Department documents confirm that all government assets will eventually be reviewed. Privatizations tend to work well when Crown corporations enter a reasonably competitive market with a good chance of turning a profit, said Aidan Vining, a professor of business and government relations at Simon Fraser University. Unlike successfully privatized firms such as Canadian National Railway, it's not clear that CBC and VIA Rail could operate as profitable ventures while maintaining the public mandates they provided as Crown corporations, he noted. "They're not the classic privatization candidates, where you sell and walk away," said Vining, an expert in Crown corporation privatizations. "Unless, of course, you're prepared to fully withdraw from the public purpose (of the Crown corporation)." Certainly, the sale of a flagship Crown asset such as the CBC would be politically controversial. After the CBC announced this spring that it would lay off hundreds of employees, opposition critics accused the government of turning a cold shoulder to the public broadcaster's struggles. Under the Financial Administration Act, Parliament would have to approve the privatization of any Crown corporation. "It's hard to believe that some of these sales would go forward in a minority Parliament," said Vining. The Finance Department has also begun to examine the government's vast real-estate portfolio, which includes 31 million hectares of land, and more than 46,000 buildings totalling 103 million square metres — more than double the office space available in the Greater Toronto Area, according to the Finance documents. The government's holdings are worth at least $17 billion, Finance officials estimate. A briefing note labelled "secret" said that the Department of Indian and Northern Affairs acquired $7 million in surplus properties between 1998 and 2006 for potential use in land-claims deals. Over the same period, the properties cost $2 million to maintain. Divesting such properties could not only generate revenue for the government, but also cut "ongoing operations and maintenance costs," states the briefing note. A Finance Department spokeswoman said the asset review won't necessarily lead to sales in all cases. "Reviews will assess whether value could be created through changes to the assets' structure and ownership, and report on a wide set of options including the status quo, amendments to current mandates or governance," department spokeswoman Stephanie Rubec said in an e-mail. "In some cases, it may be concluded that selling an asset to a private sector entity may generate more economic activity and deliver greater value to taxpayers." Crown corporations identified by the government as "not self-sustaining": (Company name, commercial revenues, parliamentary subsidy, expenses) Atomic Energy of Canada Ltd., $614.2 million, $285.3 million, $1.3 billion CBC, $565.5 million, $1.1 billion, $1.7 billion Cape Breton Development Corp., $5.1 million, $60 million, $94.1 million Federal Bridge Corp. Ltd., $14.6 million, $31.0 million, $42.9 million National Arts Centre Corp., $26.0 million, $40.6 million, $65.7 million Old Port of Montreal Corp., $16.7 million, $15.1 million, $32.0 million Parc Downsview Park Inc., not available, not available, not available VIA Rail Canada Inc., $293.9 million, $266.2 million, $505.5 million Source: Department of Finance, Public Accounts of Canada Note: Financial results are for 2007-08 http://www.ottawacitizen.com/Rail+considered+auction+block+Documents/1652330/story.html
  13. Un nouveau festival pour Juste pour rire Le Groupe Juste pour rire lancera un nouveau festival cet été. L'événement, qui se déroulera du 10 au 26 juillet, sera axé sur l'humour, la musique, la danse, le cirque et le théâtre. Le nom du festival, qui sera distinct du Festival Juste pour rire, devrait être annoncé le 9 juin prochain, tout comme l'ensemble de la programmation. Ce nouvel événement ciblera un public de 15 à 35 ans et proposera des spectacles dans des petites salles.
  14. Think big, Tremblay urges Montrealers People are too ready to slam projects: mayor By JAMES MENNIE, The GazetteMay 23, 2009 Citing a high-profile scheme for a $1-billion downtown casino and entertainment complex that spectacularly crashed and burned after it couldn't shake off public criticism, Mayor Gérald Tremblay has challenged the city's business community and Montrealers in general to support projects that can offer the city "unlimited returns." "You remember the Cirque du Soleil project?" Tremblay asked an audience of about 400 businesspeople who yesterday attended an overview meeting organized by Montreal's Board of Trade of the city's major development projects. "How many of you, individually or collectively, have said: 'I should have written something (in support); I should have taken a stand'? "If that had happened, perhaps we would have ended up with a different project that would have brought people together and created wealth. "The problem is that we only, or almost only, hear from people who are against something; we rarely hear from those in favour." Tremblay's remarks, coming in the middle of a five-hour presentation extolling the virtues of such projects as the Quartier des Spectacles, the 2-22 project slated for St. Laurent Blvd. and the development of the Université de Montréal's science centres, were a stark reminder of how major projects can collapse because of an apparent lack of public support. The Cirque du Soleil entertainment and casino complex had been the object of public criticism and government study ever since the idea was broached in 2004. When a provincially commissioned report found in 2006 that even more study was needed, both the Cirque and Loto-Québec pulled out of the scheme. A year later, Tremblay found himself in the usual position of asking Montrealers to put aside their "negative attitudes" as he announced the $1-billion Griffintown development project, the single biggest private investment in the city's history. But that project, too, was beset by criticism and has since been put on hold because of the economic downturn. Saying he's "fed up of hearing that we're doing nothing in Montreal," Tremblay yesterday told his audience there are still plenty of other projects out there. "Go visit the city of Montreal's website, you'll see 130 projects with a total value of $60 billion. They told me not to talk about them because it's too ambitious. "But too many people continue to look at the $60 billion as an expenditure rather than an investment with unlimited returns." Speaking to reporters afterward, Tremblay said he challenged his audience because "it's easy to work behind closed doors, but it's something else to say, loud and clear, that you're proud of Montreal, that there are good projects out there for the city and that we want to be a part of it. "It's important that citizens have their say, but once they've done so, a decision must be made, and when that time comes, it's nice to hear occasionally from the private sector." jmennie@ thegazette.canwest.com © Copyright © The Montreal Gazette
  15. Quality of Living global city rankings 2009 – Mercer survey United Kingdom London, 28 April 2009 * European cities dominate the top of the ranking * Vienna scores highest for overall quality of living, Baghdad the lowest * Singapore ranks top for city infrastructure; London ranks eighth Vienna has passed Zurich to take the top spot as the world’s city with the best quality of living, according to the Mercer 2009 Quality of Living Survey. Geneva retains its position in third place, while Vancouver and Auckland are now joint fourth in the rankings. Overall, European cities continue to dominate the top locations in this year’s survey. In the UK, London ranks at 38, while Birmingham and Glasgow are jointly at 56. In the US, the highest ranking entry is Honolulu at position 29. Singapore (26) is the top-scoring Asian city followed by Tokyo at 35. Baghdad, ranking 215, remains at the bottom of the table. The rankings are based on a point-scoring index, which sees Vienna score 108.6, and Baghdad 14.4. Cities are ranked against New York as the base city with an index score of 100. Mercer’s Quality of Living ranking covers 215 cities and is conducted to help governments and major companies place employees on international assignments. See top 50 quality of living rankings below. Slagin Parakatil, senior researcher at Mercer, commented: “As a result of the current financial crisis, multinationals are looking to review their international assignment policies with a view to cutting costs.” “Many companies plan to reduce the number of medium to long-term international assignments and localise their expatriate compensation packages where possible though the hardship allowance, based on quality of living criteria, will remain an essential component of the package,” he added. This year’s ranking also identifies the cities with the best infrastructure based on electricity supply, water availability, telephone and mail services, public transport provision, traffic congestion and the range of international flights from local airports. Singapore is at the top of this index (score 109.1) followed by Munich in second place and Copenhagen in third. Japanese cities Tsukuba (4) and Yokohama (5) fill the next two slots, whilst Dusseldorf and Vancouver share sixth place. Baghdad ranks at the bottom of the table with a score of only 19.6. See top 50 infrastructure rankings below Mr Parakatil commented: “Infrastructure has a significant effect on the quality of living experienced by expatriates. Whilst often taken for granted when functioning to a high standard, a city’s infrastructure can generate severe hardship when it is lacking. Companies need to provide adequate allowances to compensate their international workers for these and other hardships.” Americas There have been few changes in the rankings for North American cities. Canadian cities still dominate the top of the index for this region. Vancouver (4) retains the top spot and Honolulu (29) is the city in the United States with the highest quality of living. Washington and New York remain in positions 44 and 49 respectively. In Central and South America, San Juan in Puerto Rico retains the highest ranking at 72, followed by Montevideo at 79. Port au Prince (206) in Haiti continues to rank lowest in the region and has gone down four places in the overall ranking due to food shortages experienced in 2008 and the subsequent riots. Mr Parakatil commented: “A number of South and Central American countries have experienced positive changes. But on the whole, political and security issues, and the incidence of natural disasters, continue to hinder the improvement of quality of living in the region. Shortages of consumer goods have also contributed to a decline in quality of living in some cities.” In terms of city infrastructure, Vancouver (6) again tops the ranking for the whole of the region, with Atlanta following in position 15. Santiago in Chile has the best city infrastructure in Central and South America, whereas Port au Prince is again the lowest ranking at 212. Europe Europe’s cities once more dominate the world’s top 10 for quality of living. Vienna is the city rated with the best quality of living worldwide, moving up one place in the rankings following improvements in Austria’s political and social environment. The rest of the top 10 for Europe are dominated by German and Swiss cities, most of them retaining last year’s ranking and scores. Zurich, in second place, is followed by Geneva (3), Dusseldorf (6), Munich (7), Frankfurt (8) and Bern (9). Many Eastern European cities have seen an increase in quality of living. A number of countries which joined the European Union back in 2004 have experienced consistent improvement with increased stability, rising living standards and greater availability of international consumer goods. Ljubljana in Slovenia, for example, moves up four places to reach 78 while Bratislava moves up three places to 88. Zagreb moves three places to 103. In the city infrastructure index, German cities fair particularly well with Munich (2) the highest ranked in the region, followed by Dusseldorf (6) and Frankfurt in joint eighth place with London. “German city infrastructure is amongst the best in the world, in part due to its first class airport facilities and connections to other international destinations” said Mr Parakatil. London’s ranking in the infrastructure index reflects the high level of public services offered, with its extensive public transport network and wide variety of telecommunication services. Middle East and Africa Dubai (77) in the United Arab Emirates and Port Louis in Mauritius (82) are the region’s cities with the best quality of living. Dubai’s transport facilities have witnessed improvements, with the development of its road infrastructure and expansion of its international airport, and the city is up six places in the ranking. Cape Town in South Africa, previously the city in the region with the best quality of living, has dropped substantially in this year’s ratings (from 80 to 87 in 2009). This move follows violent riots in South Africa’s main cities in 2008. Baghdad (215) retains its position at the bottom of the table, though its index score has increased (from 13.5 to 14.4 in 2009) due to some slight improvements in its infrastructure and steps taken to encourage investment. Nevertheless, the lack of security and stability continue to have a large impact on quality of living and the city’s score remains far behind Bangui (29.3) in the Central African Republic, which is second to last. In the city infrastructure index, most of the region’s cities rank below 100. The exceptions are Dubai (35),Tel Aviv (55) Jerusalem (70), Abu Dhabi (72), Port Louis in Mauritius (92) and Cairo (93). Baghdad (215) is again at the bottom of the list with a city infrastructure score of 19.6, while Port Harcourt in Nigeria is at 214, scoring 30.5. Mr Parakatil continued: “Many countries on the African continent are experiencing continued political and economic unrest, making life for expatriates very difficult. This is generally reflected in the higher compensation and benefits packages offered there by multinationals, compared to other regions of the world.” Asia Pacific Auckland (4) retains its position as the highest ranking city for quality of living in the region. Sydney follows at 10 and Wellington in New Zealand at 12. While the majority of the region’s cities retain a similar ranking to last year, Singapore (26) is the region’s highest riser, up six places since 2008. The city has gained importance as a financial centre and offers a wide range of international and private schools to cater to its expatriate community. Beijing has also moved three places in the ranking, up from 116 to 113, mainly due to improvements in public transport facilities from the Olympic Games last August. Dropping down in the rankings, mainly due to a decline in stability and security are Bangkok (from 109 in 2008 to 120) and Mumbai (from 142 to 148). Thailand’s political turmoil continued throughout 2008 and 2009 with frequent and violent demonstrations and rallies taking place in Bangkok. Terrorist attacks in Mumbai have led to the city’s decline in quality of living for expatriates. Dhaka in Bangladesh holds the lowest ranking in the region at 205. Mr Parakatil commented: “As a region, Asia Pacific is highly diverse. Recent political unrest and terrorist attacks in some cities in the region have negatively impacted the quality of living there. In addition to providing an appropriate hardship allowance, companies need to make sure they review their expatriate strategies by implementing specific safety measures such as ensuring their expatriates’ accommodation is under surveillance and providing effective channels of communication should evacuation be necessary.” For city infrastructure, Singapore has the highest score world-wide (109.1). The city boasts an airport with excellent facilities and connections, as well as an efficient and extensive public transport network. Other high rankers in the region include Hong Kong (8), Sydney (11) and Tokyo (12). Dhaka ranks lowest in the region at 197. Notes for Editors The worldwide rankings are produced from the most recent Worldwide Quality of Living Survey, conducted by Mercer. Individual reports are produced for each city surveyed. Comparative quality of living indexes between a base city and a host city are available, as are multiple city comparisons. Further information is available from Mercer Client Services, on tel. +48 22 434 5383. Alternatively, please visit http://www.mercer.com/qualityofliving'>http://www.mercer.com/qualityofliving Data was largely collected between September and November 2008 and is regularly updated to take account of changing circumstances. In particular, the assessments are revised in the case of any new developments. The Mercer database contains more than 420 cities, however only 215 cities have been considered for the quality of living 2008 ranking in order to compare them from one year to the next. Compensating expatriates to live and work in difficult locations: determining appropriate allowances and incentives The provision of incentives to reward and recognise the efforts that employees and their families make when taking on international assignments remains a typical practice, particularly for difficult locations. Common incentives include a quality of living allowance and mobility premium. Companies need to be able to determine their compensation package in a rational, consistent and systematic way. Quality of living or hardship allowances are designed to compensate expatriates for differences in the quality of living between their home and host locations. The mobility premium is more intended to compensate for the inconvenience of being uprooted and having to work in another country. The former is typically location-related whilst a mobility premium is usually independent of the host location. A number of major international companies combine these premiums but the vast majority of international companies provide them separately. The latter approach has the advantage of clarity and transparency. Mercer hardship allowance recommendations Mercer evaluates local living conditions in all the 420 cities it surveys worldwide. Living conditions are analysed according to 39 factors, grouped in 10 categories: * Political and social environment (political stability, crime, law enforcement, etc) * Economic environment (currency exchange regulations, banking services, etc) * Socio-cultural environment (censorship, limitations on personal freedom, etc) * Health and sanitation (medical supplies and services, infectious diseases, sewage, waste disposal, air pollution, etc) * Schools and education (standard and availability of international schools, etc) * Public services and transportation (electricity, water, public transport, traffic congestion, etc) * Recreation (restaurants, theatres, cinemas, sports and leisure, etc) * Consumer goods (availability of food/daily consumption items, cars, etc) * Housing (housing, household appliances, furniture, maintenance services, etc) * Natural environment (climate, record of natural disasters) The scores attributed to each factor allow for city-to-city comparisons to be made. The result is a Quality of Living Index which compares the relative differences between any two locations. For the indices to be used in a practical manner, Mercer has created a grid that allows companies to link the resulting index to a Quality of Living Allowance amount by recommending a percentage value in relation to the index. The following list of rankings is provided to journalists for reference, and should not be published in full. The top 10 and bottom 10 cities in either list may be reproduced in a table. For a full copy of the city rankings please contact the press office. <table class=MsoNormalTable border=1 cellspacing=1 cellpadding=0 width="100%" style='width:100.0%;background:white;border:outset #0057A6 1.0pt'> <tr style='height:24.0pt'> <td width="10%" style='width:10.0%;border:inset #0057A6 1.0pt;background: #0057A6;padding:3.0pt 3.0pt 3.0pt 3.0pt;height:24.0pt'> <p><strong><span style='color:white'>Rank 2009</span></strong></p> </td> <td width="10%" style='width:10.0%;border:inset #0057A6 1.0pt;background: #0057A6;padding:3.0pt 3.0pt 3.0pt 3.0pt;height:24.0pt'> <p class=style3><strong><span style='color:white'>Rank 2008</span></strong></p> </td> <td width="30%" style='width:30.0%;border:inset #0057A6 1.0pt;background: #0057A6;padding:3.0pt 3.0pt 3.0pt 3.0pt;height:24.0pt'> <p><strong><span style='color:white'>City</span></strong></p> </td> <td width="30%" style='width:30.0%;border:inset #0057A6 1.0pt;background: #0057A6;padding:3.0pt 3.0pt 3.0pt 3.0pt;height:24.0pt'> <p><strong><span style='color:white'>Country</span></strong></p> </td> <td width="10%" style='width:10.0%;border:inset #0057A6 1.0pt;background: #0057A6;padding:3.0pt 3.0pt 3.0pt 3.0pt;height:24.0pt'> <p><strong><span style='color:white'>Index 2009</span></strong></p> </td> <td width="10%" style='width:10.0%;border:inset #0057A6 1.0pt;background: #0057A6;padding:3.0pt 3.0pt 3.0pt 3.0pt;height:24.0pt'> <p><strong><span style='color:white'>Index 2008</span></strong></p> </td> </tr> <tr style='height:13.5pt'> <td style='border:inset #0057A6 1.0pt;padding:3.0pt 3.0pt 3.0pt 3.0pt; height:13.5pt'> <p>1</p> </td> <td style='border:inset #0057A6 1.0pt;padding:3.0pt 3.0pt 3.0pt 3.0pt; height:13.5pt'> <p>2</p> </td> <td style='border:inset #0057A6 1.0pt;padding:3.0pt 3.0pt 3.0pt 3.0pt; height:13.5pt'> <p>VIENNA</p> </td> <td style='border:inset #0057A6 1.0pt;padding:3.0pt 3.0pt 3.0pt 3.0pt; height:13.5pt'> <p>AUSTRIA</p> </td> <td style='border:inset #0057A6 1.0pt;padding:3.0pt 3.0pt 3.0pt 3.0pt; height:13.5pt'> <p>108.6</p> </td> <td style='border:inset #0057A6 1.0pt;padding:3.0pt 3.0pt 3.0pt 3.0pt; height:13.5pt'> <p>107.9</p> </td> </tr> <tr style='height:13.5pt'> <td style='border:inset #0057A6 1.0pt;background:#CFE7FF;padding:3.0pt 3.0pt 3.0pt 3.0pt; height:13.5pt'> <p>2</p> </td> <td style='border:inset #0057A6 1.0pt;background:#CFE7FF;padding:3.0pt 3.0pt 3.0pt 3.0pt; height:13.5pt'> <p>1</p> </td> <td style='border:inset #0057A6 1.0pt;background:#CFE7FF;padding:3.0pt 3.0pt 3.0pt 3.0pt; height:13.5pt'> <p>ZURICH</p> </td> <td style='border:inset #0057A6 1.0pt;background:#CFE7FF;padding:3.0pt 3.0pt 3.0pt 3.0pt; height:13.5pt'> <p>SWITZERLAND</p> </td> <td style='border:inset #0057A6 1.0pt;background:#CFE7FF;padding:3.0pt 3.0pt 3.0pt 3.0pt; height:13.5pt'> <p>108</p> </td> <td style='border:inset #0057A6 1.0pt;background:#CFE7FF;padding:3.0pt 3.0pt 3.0pt 3.0pt; height:13.5pt'> <p>108</p> </td> </tr> <tr style='height:13.5pt'> <td style='border:inset #0057A6 1.0pt;padding:3.0pt 3.0pt 3.0pt 3.0pt; height:13.5pt'> <p>3</p> </td> <td style='border:inset #0057A6 1.0pt;padding:3.0pt 3.0pt 3.0pt 3.0pt; height:13.5pt'> <p>2</p> </td> <td style='border:inset #0057A6 1.0pt;padding:3.0pt 3.0pt 3.0pt 3.0pt; height:13.5pt'> <p>GENEVA</p> </td> <td style='border:inset #0057A6 1.0pt;padding:3.0pt 3.0pt 3.0pt 3.0pt; height:13.5pt'> <p>SWITZERLAND</p> </td> <td style='border:inset #0057A6 1.0pt;padding:3.0pt 3.0pt 3.0pt 3.0pt; height:13.5pt'> <p>107.9</p> </td> <td style='border:inset #0057A6 1.0pt;padding:3.0pt 3.0pt 3.0pt 3.0pt; height:13.5pt'> <p>107.9</p> </td> </tr> <tr style='height:13.5pt'> <td style='border:inset #0057A6 1.0pt;background:#CFE7FF;padding:3.0pt 3.0pt 3.0pt 3.0pt; height:13.5pt'> <p>4</p> </td> <td style='border:inset #0057A6 1.0pt;background:#CFE7FF;padding:3.0pt 3.0pt 3.0pt 3.0pt; height:13.5pt'> <p>4</p> </td> <td style='border:inset #0057A6 1.0pt;background:#CFE7FF;padding:3.0pt 3.0pt 3.0pt 3.0pt; height:13.5pt'> <p>VANCOUVER</p> </td> <td style='border:inset #0057A6 1.0pt;background:#CFE7FF;padding:3.0pt 3.0pt 3.0pt 3.0pt; height:13.5pt'> <p>CANADA</p> </td> <td style='border:inset #0057A6 1.0pt;background:#CFE7FF;padding:3.0pt 3.0pt 3.0pt 3.0pt; height:13.5pt'> <p>107.4</p> </td> <td style='border:inset #0057A6 1.0pt;background:#CFE7FF;padding:3.0pt 3.0pt 3.0pt 3.0pt; height:13.5pt'> <p>107.6</p> </td> </tr> <tr style='height:13.5pt'> <td style='border:inset #0057A6 1.0pt;padding:3.0pt 3.0pt 3.0pt 3.0pt; height:13.5pt'> <p>4</p> </td> <td style='border:inset #0057A6 1.0pt;padding:3.0pt 3.0pt 3.0pt 3.0pt; height:13.5pt'> <p>5</p> </td> <td style='border:inset #0057A6 1.0pt;padding:3.0pt 3.0pt 3.0pt 3.0pt; height:13.5pt'> <p>AUCKLAND</p> </td> <td style='border:inset #0057A6 1.0pt;padding:3.0pt 3.0pt 3.0pt 3.0pt; height:13.5pt'> <p>NEW ZEALAND</p> </td> <td style='border:inset #0057A6 1.0pt;padding:3.0pt 3.0pt 3.0pt 3.0pt; height:13.5pt'> <p>107.4</p> </td> <td style='border:inset #0057A6 1.0pt;padding:3.0pt 3.0pt 3.0pt 3.0pt; height:13.5pt'> <p>107.3</p> </td> </tr> <tr style='height:13.5pt'> <td style='border:inset #0057A6 1.0pt;background:#CFE7FF;padding:3.0pt 3.0pt 3.0pt 3.0pt; height:13.5pt'> <p>6</p> </td> <td style='border:inset #0057A6 1.0pt;background:#CFE7FF;padding:3.0pt 3.0pt 3.0pt 3.0pt; height:13.5pt'> <p>6</p> </td> <td style='border:inset #0057A6 1.0pt;background:#CFE7FF;padding:3.0pt 3.0pt 3.0pt 3.0pt; height:13.5pt'> <p>DUSSELDORF</p> </td> <td style='border:inset #0057A6 1.0pt;background:#CFE7FF;padding:3.0pt 3.0pt 3.0pt 3.0pt; height:13.5pt'> <p>GERMANY</p> </td> <td style='border:inset #0057A6 1.0pt;background:#CFE7FF;padding:3.0pt 3.0pt 3.0pt 3.0pt; height:13.5pt'> <p>107.2</p> </td> <td style='border:inset #0057A6 1.0pt;background:#CFE7FF;padding:3.0pt 3.0pt 3.0pt 3.0pt; height:13.5pt'> <p>107.2</p> </td> </tr> <tr style='height:13.5pt'> <td style='border:inset #0057A6 1.0pt;padding:3.0pt 3.0pt 3.0pt 3.0pt; height:13.5pt'> <p>7</p> </td> <td style='border:inset #0057A6 1.0pt;padding:3.0pt 3.0pt 3.0pt 3.0pt; height:13.5pt'> <p>7</p> </td> <td style='border:inset #0057A6 1.0pt;padding:3.0pt 3.0pt 3.0pt 3.0pt; height:13.5pt'> <p>MUNICH</p> </td> <td style='border:inset #0057A6 1.0pt;padding:3.0pt 3.0pt 3.0pt 3.0pt; height:13.5pt'> <p>GERMANY</p> </td> <td style='border:inset #0057A6 1.0pt;padding:3.0pt 3.0pt 3.0pt 3.0pt; height:13.5pt'> <p>107</p> </td> <td style='border:inset #0057A6 1.0pt;padding:3.0pt 3.0pt 3.0pt 3.0pt; height:13.5pt'> <p>107</p> </td> </tr> <tr style='height:13.5pt'> <td style='border:inset #0057A6 1.0pt;background:#CFE7FF;padding:3.0pt 3.0pt 3.0pt 3.0pt; height:13.5pt'> <p>8</p> </td> <td style='border:inset #0057A6 1.0pt;background:#CFE7FF;padding:3.0pt 3.0pt 3.0pt 3.0pt; height:13.5pt'> <p>7</p> </td> <td style='border:inset #0057A6 1.0pt;background:#CFE7FF;padding:3.0pt 3.0pt 3.0pt 3.0pt; height:13.5pt'> <p>FRANKFURT</p> </td> <td style='border:inset #0057A6 1.0pt;background:#CFE7FF;padding:3.0pt 3.0pt 3.0pt 3.0pt; height:13.5pt'> <p>GERMANY</p> </td> <td style='border:inset #0057A6 1.0pt;background:#CFE7FF;padding:3.0pt 3.0pt 3.0pt 3.0pt; height:13.5pt'> <p>106.8</p> </td> <td style='border:inset #0057A6 1.0pt;background:#CFE7FF;padding:3.0pt 3.0pt 3.0pt 3.0pt; height:13.5pt'> <p>107</p> </td> </tr> <tr style='height:13.5pt'> <td style='border:inset #0057A6 1.0pt;padding:3.0pt 3.0pt 3.0pt 3.0pt; height:13.5pt'> <p>9</p> </td> <td style='border:inset #0057A6 1.0pt;padding:3.0pt 3.0pt 3.0pt 3.0pt; height:13.5pt'> <p>9</p> </td> <td style='border:inset #0057A6 1.0pt;padding:3.0pt 3.0pt 3.0pt 3.0pt; height:13.5pt'> <p>BERN</p> </td> <td style='border:inset #0057A6 1.0pt;padding:3.0pt 3.0pt 3.0pt 3.0pt; height:13.5pt'> <p>SWITZERLAND</p> </td> <td style='border:inset #0057A6 1.0pt;padding:3.0pt 3.0pt 3.0pt 3.0pt; height:13.5pt'> <p>106.5</p> </td> <td style='border:inset #0057A6 1.0pt;padding:3.0pt 3.0pt 3.0pt 3.0pt; height:13.5pt'> <p>106.5</p> </td> </tr> <tr style='height:13.5pt'> <td style='border:inset #0057A6 1.0pt;background:#CFE7FF;padding:3.0pt 3.0pt 3.0pt 3.0pt; height:13.5pt'> <p>10</p> </td> <td style='border:inset #0057A6 1.0pt;background:#CFE7FF;padding:3.0pt 3.0pt 3.0pt 3.0pt; height:13.5pt'> <p>10</p> </td> <td style='border:inset #0057A6 1.0pt;background:#CFE7FF;padding:3.0pt 3.0pt 3.0pt 3.0pt; height:13.5pt'> <p>SYDNEY</p> </td> <td style='border:inset #0057A6 1.0pt;background:#CFE7FF;padding:3.0pt 3.0pt 3.0pt 3.0pt; height:13.5pt'> <p>AUSTRALIA</p> </td> <td style='border:inset #0057A6 1.0pt;background:#CFE7FF;padding:3.0pt 3.0pt 3.0pt 3.0pt; height:13.5pt'> <p>106.3</p> </td> <td style='border:inset #0057A6 1.0pt;background:#CFE7FF;padding:3.0pt 3.0pt 3.0pt 3.0pt; height:13.5pt'> <p>106.3</p> </td> </tr> <tr style='height:13.5pt'> <td style='border:inset #0057A6 1.0pt;padding:3.0pt 3.0pt 3.0pt 3.0pt; height:13.5pt'> <p>11</p> </td> <td style='border:inset #0057A6 1.0pt;padding:3.0pt 3.0pt 3.0pt 3.0pt; height:13.5pt'> <p>11</p> </td> <td style='border:inset #0057A6 1.0pt;padding:3.0pt 3.0pt 3.0pt 3.0pt; height:13.5pt'> <p>COPENHAGEN</p> </td> <td style='border:inset #0057A6 1.0pt;padding:3.0pt 3.0pt 3.0pt 3.0pt; height:13.5pt'> <p>DENMARK</p> </td> <td style='border:inset #0057A6 1.0pt;padding:3.0pt 3.0pt 3.0pt 3.0pt; height:13.5pt'> <p>106.2</p> </td> <td style='border:inset #0057A6 1.0pt;padding:3.0pt 3.0pt 3.0pt 3.0pt; height:13.5pt'> <p>106.2</p> </td> </tr> <tr style='height:13.5pt'> <td style='border:inset #0057A6 1.0pt;background:#CFE7FF;padding:3.0pt 3.0pt 3.0pt 3.0pt; height:13.5pt'> <p>12</p> </td> <td style='border:inset #0057A6 1.0pt;background:#CFE7FF;padding:3.0pt 3.0pt 3.0pt 3.0pt; height:13.5pt'> <p>12</p> </td> <td style='border:inset #0057A6 1.0pt;background:#CFE7FF;padding:3.0pt 3.0pt 3.0pt 3.0pt; height:13.5pt'> <p>WELLINGTON</p> </td> <td style='border:inset #0057A6 1.0pt;background:#CFE7FF;padding:3.0pt 3.0pt 3.0pt 3.0pt; height:13.5pt'> <p>NEW ZEALAND</p> </td> <td style='border:inset #0057A6 1.0pt;background:#CFE7FF;padding:3.0pt 3.0pt 3.0pt 3.0pt; height:13.5pt'> <p>105.9</p> </td> <td style='border:inset #0057A6 1.0pt;background:#CFE7FF;padding:3.0pt 3.0pt 3.0pt 3.0pt; height:13.5pt'> <p>105.8</p> </td> </tr> <tr style='height:13.5pt'> <td style='border:inset #0057A6 1.0pt;padding:3.0pt 3.0pt 3.0pt 3.0pt; height:13.5pt'> <p>13</p> </td> <td style='border:inset #0057A6 1.0pt;padding:3.0pt 3.0pt 3.0pt 3.0pt; height:13.5pt'> <p>13</p> </td> <td style='border:inset #0057A6 1.0pt;padding:3.0pt 3.0pt 3.0pt 3.0pt; height:13.5pt'> <p>AMSTERDAM</p> </td> <td style='border:inset #0057A6 1.0pt;padding:3.0pt 3.0pt 3.0pt 3.0pt; height:13.5pt'> <p>NETHERLANDS</p> </td> <td style='border:inset #0057A6 1.0pt;padding:3.0pt 3.0pt 3.0pt 3.0pt; height:13.5pt'> <p>105.7</p> </td> <td style='border:inset #0057A6 1.0pt;padding:3.0pt 3.0pt 3.0pt 3.0pt; height:13.5pt'> <p>105.7</p> </td> </tr> <tr style='height:13.5pt'> <td style='border:inset #0057A6 1.0pt;background:#CFE7FF;padding:3.0pt 3.0pt 3.0pt 3.0pt; height:13.5pt'> <p>14</p> </td> <td style='border:inset #0057A6 1.0pt;background:#CFE7FF;padding:3.0pt 3.0pt 3.0pt 3.0pt; height:13.5pt'> <p>14</p> </td> <td style='border:inset #0057A6 1.0pt;background:#CFE7FF;padding:3.0pt 3.0pt 3.0pt 3.0pt; height:13.5pt'> <p>BRUSSELS</p> </td> <td style='border:inset #0057A6 1.0pt;background:#CFE7FF;padding:3.0pt 3.0pt 3.0pt 3.0pt; height:13.5pt'> <p>BELGIUM</p> </td> <td style='border:inset #0057A6 1.0pt;background:#CFE7FF;padding:3.0pt 3.0pt 3.0pt 3.0pt; height:13.5pt'> <p>105.4</p> </td> <td style='border:inset #0057A6 1.0pt;background:#CFE7FF;padding:3.0pt 3.0pt 3.0pt 3.0pt; height:13.5pt'> <p>105.4</p> </td> </tr> <tr style='height:13.5pt'> <td style='border:inset #0057A6 1.0pt;padding:3.0pt 3.0pt 3.0pt 3.0pt; height:13.5pt'> <p>15</p> </td> <td style='border:inset #0057A6 1.0pt;padding:3.0pt 3.0pt 3.0pt 3.0pt; height:13.5pt'> <p>15</p> </td> <td style='border:inset #0057A6 1.0pt;padding:3.0pt 3.0pt 3.0pt 3.0pt; height:13.5pt'> <p>TORONTO</p> </td> <td style='border:inset #0057A6 1.0pt;padding:3.0pt 3.0pt 3.0pt 3.0pt; height:13.5pt'> <p>CANADA</p> </td> <td style='border:inset #0057A6 1.0pt;padding:3.0pt 3.0pt 3.0pt 3.0pt; height:13.5pt'> <p>105.3</p> </td> <td style='border:inset #0057A6 1.0pt;padding:3.0pt 3.0pt 3.0pt 3.0pt; height:13.5pt'> <p>105.3</p> </td> </tr> <tr style='height:13.5pt'> <td style='border:inset #0057A6 1.0pt;background:#CFE7FF;padding:3.0pt 3.0pt 3.0pt 3.0pt; height:13.5pt'> <p>16</p> </td> <td style='border:inset #0057A6 1.0pt;background:#CFE7FF;padding:3.0pt 3.0pt 3.0pt 3.0pt; height:13.5pt'> <p>19</p> </td> <td style='border:inset #0057A6 1.0pt;background:#CFE7FF;padding:3.0pt 3.0pt 3.0pt 3.0pt; height:13.5pt'> <p>OTTAWA</p> </td> <td style='border:inset #0057A6 1.0pt;background:#CFE7FF;padding:3.0pt 3.0pt 3.0pt 3.0pt; height:13.5pt'> <p>CANADA</p> </td> <td style='border:inset #0057A6 1.0pt;background:#CFE7FF;padding:3.0pt 3.0pt 3.0pt 3.0pt; height:13.5pt'> <p>105</p> </td> <td style='border:inset #0057A6 1.0pt;background:#CFE7FF;padding:3.0pt 3.0pt 3.0pt 3.0pt; height:13.5pt'> <p>104.7</p> </td> </tr> <tr style='height:13.5pt'> <td style='border:inset #0057A6 1.0pt;padding:3.0pt 3.0pt 3.0pt 3.0pt; height:13.5pt'> <p>16</p> </td> <td style='border:inset #0057A6 1.0pt;padding:3.0pt 3.0pt 3.0pt 3.0pt; height:13.5pt'> <p>16</p> </td> <td style='border:inset #0057A6 1.0pt;padding:3.0pt 3.0pt 3.0pt 3.0pt; height:13.5pt'> <p>BERLIN</p> </td> <td style='border:inset #0057A6 1.0pt;padding:3.0pt 3.0pt 3.0pt 3.0pt; height:13.5pt'> <p>GERMANY</p> </td> <td style='border:inset #0057A6 1.0pt;padding:3.0pt 3.0pt 3.0pt 3.0pt; height:13.5pt'> <p>105</p> </td> <td style='border:inset #0057A6 1.0pt;padding:3.0pt 3.0pt 3.0pt 3.0pt; height:13.5pt'> <p>105</p> </td> </tr> <tr style='height:13.5pt'> <td style='border:inset #0057A6 1.0pt;background:#CFE7FF;padding:3.0pt 3.0pt 3.0pt 3.0pt; height:13.5pt'> <p>18</p> </td> <td style='border:inset #0057A6 1.0pt;background:#CFE7FF;padding:3.0pt 3.0pt 3.0pt 3.0pt; height:13.5pt'> <p>17</p> </td> <td style='border:inset #0057A6 1.0pt;background:#CFE7FF;padding:3.0pt 3.0pt 3.0pt 3.0pt; height:13.5pt'> <p>MELBOURNE</p> </td> <td style='border:inset #0057A6 1.0pt;background:#CFE7FF;padding:3.0pt 3.0pt 3.0pt 3.0pt; height:13.5pt'> <p>AUSTRALIA</p> </td> <td style='border:inset #0057A6 1.0pt;background:#CFE7FF;padding:3.0pt 3.0pt 3.0pt 3.0pt; height:13.5pt'> <p>104.8</p> </td> <td style='border:inset #0057A6 1.0pt;background:#CFE7FF;padding:3.0pt 3.0pt 3.0pt 3.0pt; height:13.5pt'> <p>104.8</p> </td> </tr> <tr style='height:13.5pt'> <td style='border:inset #0057A6 1.0pt;padding:3.0pt 3.0pt 3.0pt 3.0pt; height:13.5pt'> <p>19</p> </td> <td style='border:inset #0057A6 1.0pt;padding:3.0pt 3.0pt 3.0pt 3.0pt; height:13.5pt'> <p>17</p> </td> <td style='border:inset #0057A6 1.0pt;padding:3.0pt 3.0pt 3.0pt 3.0pt; height:13.5pt'> <p>LUXEMBOURG</p> </td> <td style='border:inset #0057A6 1.0pt;padding:3.0pt 3.0pt 3.0pt 3.0pt; height:13.5pt'> <p>LUXEMBOURG</p> </td> <td style='border:inset #0057A6 1.0pt;padding:3.0pt 3.0pt 3.0pt 3.0pt; height:13.5pt'> <p>104.6</p> </td> <td style='border:inset #0057A6 1.0pt;padding:3.0pt 3.0pt 3.0pt 3.0pt; height:13.5pt'> <p>104.8</p> </td> </tr> <tr style='height:13.5pt'> <td style='border:inset #0057A6 1.0pt;background:#CFE7FF;padding:3.0pt 3.0pt 3.0pt 3.0pt; height:13.5pt'> <p>20</p> </td> <td style='border:inset #0057A6 1.0pt;background:#CFE7FF;padding:3.0pt 3.0pt 3.0pt 3.0pt; height:13.5pt'> <p>20</p> </td> <td style='border:inset #0057A6 1.0pt;background:#CFE7FF;padding:3.0pt 3.0pt 3.0pt 3.0pt; height:13.5pt'> <p>STOCKHOLM</p> </td> <td style='border:inset #0057A6 1.0pt;background:#CFE7FF;padding:3.0pt 3.0pt 3.0pt 3.0pt; height:13.5pt'> <p>SWEDEN</p> </td> <td style='border:inset #0057A6 1.0pt;background:#CFE7FF;padding:3.0pt 3.0pt 3.0pt 3.0pt; height:13.5pt'> <p>104.5</p> </td> <td style='border:inset #0057A6 1.0pt;background:#CFE7FF;padding:3.0pt 3.0pt 3.0pt 3.0pt; height:13.5pt'> <p>104.5</p> </td> </tr> <tr style='height:13.5pt'> <td style='border:inset #0057A6 1.0pt;padding:3.0pt 3.0pt 3.0pt 3.0pt; height:13.5pt'> <p>21</p> </td> <td style='border:inset #0057A6 1.0pt;padding:3.0pt 3.0pt 3.0pt 3.0pt; height:13.5pt'> <p>21</p> </td> <td style='border:inset #0057A6 1.0pt;padding:3.0pt 3.0pt 3.0pt 3.0pt; height:13.5pt'> <p>PERTH</p> </td> <td style='border:inset #0057A6 1.0pt;padding:3.0pt 3.0pt 3.0pt 3.0pt; height:13.5pt'> <p>AUSTRALIA</p> </td> <td style='border:inset #0057A6 1.0pt;padding:3.0pt 3.0pt 3.0pt 3.0pt; height:13.5pt'> <p>104.3</p> </td> <td style='border:inset #0057A6 1.0pt;padding:3.0pt 3.0pt 3.0pt 3.0pt; height:13.5pt'> <p>104.3</p> </td> </tr> <tr style='height:13.5pt'> <td style='border:inset #0057A6 1.0pt;background:#CFE7FF;padding:3.0pt 3.0pt 3.0pt 3.0pt; height:13.5pt'> <p>22</p> </td> <td style='border:inset #0057A6 1.0pt;background:#CFE7FF;padding:3.0pt 3.0pt 3.0pt 3.0pt; height:13.5pt'> <p>22</p> </td> <td style='border:inset #0057A6 1.0pt;background:#CFE7FF;padding:3.0pt 3.0pt 3.0pt 3.0pt; height:13.5pt'> <p>MONTREAL</p> </td> <td style='border:inset #0057A6 1.0pt;background:#CFE7FF;padding:3.0pt 3.0pt 3.0pt 3.0pt; height:13.5pt'> <p>CANADA</p> </td> <td style='border:inset #0057A6 1.0pt;background:#CFE7FF;padding:3.0pt 3.0pt 3.0pt 3.0pt; height:13.5pt'> <p>104.2</p> </td> <td style='border:inset #0057A6 1.0pt;background:#CFE7FF;padding:3.0pt 3.0pt 3.0pt 3.0pt; height:13.5pt'> <p>104.2</p> </td> </tr> <tr style='height:13.5pt'> <td style='border:inset #0057A6 1.0pt;padding:3.0pt 3.0pt 3.0pt 3.0pt; height:13.5pt'> <p>23</p> </td> <td style='border:inset #0057A6 1.0pt;padding:3.0pt 3.0pt 3.0pt 3.0pt; height:13.5pt'> <p>23</p> </td> <td style='border:inset #0057A6 1.0pt;padding:3.0pt 3.0pt 3.0pt 3.0pt; height:13.5pt'> <p>NURNBERG</p> </td> <td style='border:inset #0057A6 1.0pt;padding:3.0pt 3.0pt 3.0pt 3.0pt; height:13.5pt'> <p>GERMANY</p> </td> <td style='border:inset #0057A6 1.0pt;padding:3.0pt 3.0pt 3.0pt 3.0pt; height:13.5pt'> <p>104.1</p> </td> <td style='border:inset #0057A6 1.0pt;padding:3.0pt 3.0pt 3.0pt 3.0pt; height:13.5pt'> <p>104.1</p> </td> </tr> <tr style='height:13.5pt'> <td style='border:inset #0057A6 1.0pt;background:#CFE7FF;padding:3.0pt 3.0pt 3.0pt 3.0pt; height:13.5pt'> <p>24</p> </td> <td style='border:inset #0057A6 1.0pt;background:#CFE7FF;padding:3.0pt 3.0pt 3.0pt 3.0pt; height:13.5pt'> <p>24</p> </td> <td style='border:inset #0057A6 1.0pt;background:#CFE7FF;padding:3.0pt 3.0pt 3.0pt 3.0pt; height:13.5pt'> <p>OSLO</p> </td> <td style='border:inset #0057A6 1.0pt;background:#CFE7FF;padding:3.0pt 3.0pt 3.0pt 3.0pt; height:13.5pt'> <p>NORWAY</p> </td> <td style='border:inset #0057A6 1.0pt;background:#CFE7FF;padding:3.0pt 3.0pt 3.0pt 3.0pt; height:13.5pt'> <p>103.7</p> </td> <td style='border:inset #0057A6 1.0pt;background:#CFE7FF;padding:3.0pt 3.0pt 3.0pt 3.0pt; height:13.5pt'> <p>103.7</p> </td> </tr> <tr style='height:13.5pt'> <td style='border:inset #0057A6 1.0pt;padding:3.0pt 3.0pt 3.0pt 3.0pt; height:13.5pt'> <p>25</p> </td> <td style='border:inset #0057A6 1.0pt;padding:3.0pt 3.0pt 3.0pt 3.0pt; height:13.5pt'> <p>25</p> </td> <td style='border:inset #0057A6 1.0pt;padding:3.0pt 3.0pt 3.0pt 3.0pt; height:13.5pt'> <p>DUBLIN</p> </td> <td style='border:inset #0057A6 1.0pt;padding:3.0pt 3.0pt 3.0pt 3.0pt; height:13.5pt'> <p>IRELAND</p> </td> <td style='border:inset #0057A6 1.0pt;padding:3.0pt 3.0pt 3.0pt 3.0pt; height:13.5pt'> <p>103.6</p> </td> <td style='border:inset #0057A6 1.0pt;padding:3.0pt 3.0pt 3.0pt 3.0pt; height:13.5pt'> <p>103.5</p> </td> </tr> <tr style='height:13.5pt'> <td style='border:inset #0057A6 1.0pt;background:#CFE7FF;padding:3.0pt 3.0pt 3.0pt 3.0pt; height:13.5pt'> <p>26</p> </td> <td style='border:inset #0057A6 1.0pt;background:#CFE7FF;padding:3.0pt 3.0pt 3.0pt 3.0pt; height:13.5pt'> <p>32</p> </td> <td style='border:inset #0057A6 1.0pt;background:#CFE7FF;padding:3.0pt 3.0pt 3.0pt 3.0pt; height:13.5pt'> <p>SINGAPORE</p> </td> <td style='border:inset #0057A6 1.0pt;background:#CFE7FF;padding:3.0pt 3.0pt 3.0pt 3.0pt; height:13.5pt'> <p>SINGAPORE</p> </td> <td style='border:inset #0057A6 1.0pt;background:#CFE7FF;padding:3.0pt 3.0pt 3.0pt 3.0pt; height:13.5pt'> <p>103.5</p> </td> <td style='border:inset #0057A6 1.0pt;background:#CFE7FF;padding:3.0pt 3.0pt 3.0pt 3.0pt; height:13.5pt'> <p>102.9</p> </td> </tr> <tr style='height:13.5pt'> <td style='border:inset #0057A6 1.0pt;padding:3.0pt 3.0pt 3.0pt 3.0pt; height:13.5pt'> <p>26</p> </td> <td style='border:inset #0057A6 1.0pt;padding:3.0pt 3.0pt 3.0pt 3.0pt; height:13.5pt'> <p>25</p> </td> <td style='border:inset #0057A6 1.0pt;padding:3.0pt 3.0pt 3.0pt 3.0pt; height:13.5pt'> <p>CALGARY</p> </td> <td style='border:inset #0057A6 1.0pt;padding:3.0pt 3.0pt 3.0pt 3.0pt; height:13.5pt'> <p>CANADA</p> </td> <td style='border:inset #0057A6 1.0pt;padding:3.0pt 3.0pt 3.0pt 3.0pt; height:13.5pt'> <p>103.5</p> </td> <td style='border:inset #0057A6 1.0pt;padding:3.0pt 3.0pt 3.0pt 3.0pt; height:13.5pt'> <p>103.5</p> </td> </tr> <tr style='height:13.5pt'> <td style='border:inset #0057A6 1.0pt;background:#CFE7FF;padding:3.0pt 3.0pt 3.0pt 3.0pt; height:13.5pt'> <p>28</p> </td> <td style='border:inset #0057A6 1.0pt;background:#CFE7FF;padding:3.0pt 3.0pt 3.0pt 3.0pt; height:13.5pt'> <p>27</p> </td> <td style='border:inset #0057A6 1.0pt;background:#CFE7FF;padding:3.0pt 3.0pt 3.0pt 3.0pt; height:13.5pt'> <p>HAMBURG</p> </td> <td style='border:inset #0057A6 1.0pt;background:#CFE7FF;padding:3.0pt 3.0pt 3.0pt 3.0pt; height:13.5pt'> <p>GERMANY</p> </td> <td style='border:inset #0057A6 1.0pt;background:#CFE7FF;padding:3.0pt 3.0pt 3.0pt 3.0pt; height:13.5pt'> <p>103.4</p> </td> <td style='border:inset #0057A6 1.0pt;background:#CFE7FF;padding:3.0pt 3.0pt 3.0pt 3.0pt; height:13.5pt'> <p>103.4</p> </td> </tr> <tr style='height:13.5pt'> <td style='border:inset #0057A6 1.0pt;padding:3.0pt 3.0pt 3.0pt 3.0pt; height:13.5pt'> <p>29</p> </td> <td style='border:inset #0057A6 1.0pt;padding:3.0pt 3.0pt 3.0pt 3.0pt; height:13.5pt'> <p>28</p> </td> <td style='border:inset #0057A6 1.0pt;padding:3.0pt 3.0pt 3.0pt 3.0pt; height:13.5pt'> <p>HONOLULU, HI</p> </td> <td style='border:inset #0057A6 1.0pt;padding:3.0pt 3.0pt 3.0pt 3.0pt; height:13.5pt'> <p>UNITED STATES</p> </td> <td style='border:inset #0057A6 1.0pt;padding:3.0pt 3.0pt 3.0pt 3.0pt; height:13.5pt'> <p>103.1</p> </td> <td style='border:inset #0057A6 1.0pt;padding:3.0pt 3.0pt 3.0pt 3.0pt; height:13.5pt'> <p>103.1</p> </td> </tr> <tr style='height:13.5pt'> <td style='border:inset #0057A6 1.0pt;background:#CFE7FF;padding:3.0pt 3.0pt 3.0pt 3.0pt; height:13.5pt'> <p>30</p> </td> <td style='border:inset #0057A6 1.0pt;background:#CFE7FF;padding:3.0pt 3.0pt 3.0pt 3.0pt; height:13.5pt'> <p>29</p> </td> <td style='border:inset #0057A6 1.0pt;background:#CFE7FF;padding:3.0pt 3.0pt 3.0pt 3.0pt; height:13.5pt'> <p>SAN FRANCISCO, CA</p> </td> <td style='border:inset #0057A6 1.0pt;background:#CFE7FF;padding:3.0pt 3.0pt 3.0pt 3.0pt; height:13.5pt'> <p>UNITED STATES</p> </td> <td style='border:inset #0057A6 1.0pt;background:#CFE7FF;padding:3.0pt 3.0pt 3.0pt 3.0pt; height:13.5pt'> <p>103</p> </td> <td style='border:inset #0057A6 1.0pt;background:#CFE7FF;padding:3.0pt 3.0pt 3.0pt 3.0pt; height:13.5pt'> <p>103</p> </td> </tr> <tr style='height:13.5pt'> <td style='border:inset #0057A6 1.0pt;padding:3.0pt 3.0pt 3.0pt 3.0pt; height:13.5pt'> <p>30</p> </td> <td style='border:inset #0057A6 1.0pt;padding:3.0pt 3.0pt 3.0pt 3.0pt; height:13.5pt'> <p>29</p> </td> <td style='border:inset #0057A6 1.0pt;padding:3.0pt 3.0pt 3.0pt 3.0pt; height:13.5pt'> <p>HELSINKI</p> </td> <td style='border:inset #0057A6 1.0pt;padding:3.0pt 3.0pt 3.0pt 3.0pt; height:13.5pt'> <p>FINLAND</p> </td> <td style='border:inset #0057A6 1.0pt;padding:3.0pt 3.0pt 3.0pt 3.0pt; height:13.5pt'> <p>103</p> </td> <td style='border:inset #0057A6 1.0pt;padding:3.0pt 3.0pt 3.0pt 3.0pt; height:13.5pt'> <p>103</p> </td> </tr> <tr style='height:13.5pt'> <td style='border:inset #0057A6 1.0pt;background:#CFE7FF;padding:3.0pt 3.0pt 3.0pt 3.0pt; height:13.5pt'> <p>30</p> </td> <td style='border:inset #0057A6 1.0pt;background:#CFE7FF;padding:3.0pt 3.0pt 3.0pt 3.0pt; height:13.5pt'> <p>29</p> </td> <td style='border:inset #0057A6 1.0pt;background:#CFE7FF;padding:3.0pt 3.0pt 3.0pt 3.0pt; height:13.5pt'> <p>ADELAIDE</p> </td> <td style='border:inset #0057A6 1.0pt;background:#CFE7FF;padding:3.0pt 3.0pt 3.0pt 3.0pt; height:13.5pt'> <p>AUSTRALIA</p> </td> <td style='border:inset #0057A6 1.0pt;background:#CFE7FF;padding:3.0pt 3.0pt 3.0pt 3.0pt; height:13.5pt'> <p>103</p> </td> <td style='border:inset #0057A6 1.0pt;background:#CFE7FF;padding:3.0pt 3.0pt 3.0pt 3.0pt; height:13.5pt'> <p>103</p> </td> </tr> <tr style='height:13.5pt'> <td style='border:inset #0057A6 1.0pt;padding:3.0pt 3.0pt 3.0pt 3.0pt; height:13.5pt'> <p>33</p> </td> <td style='border:inset #0057A6 1.0pt;padding:3.0pt 3.0pt 3.0pt 3.0pt; height:13.5pt'> <p>32</p> </td> <td style='border:inset #0057A6 1.0pt;padding:3.0pt 3.0pt 3.0pt 3.0pt; height:13.5pt'> <p>PARIS</p> </td> <td style='border:inset #0057A6 1.0pt;padding:3.0pt 3.0pt 3.0pt 3.0pt; height:13.5pt'> <p>FRANCE</p> </td> <td style='border:inset #0057A6 1.0pt;padding:3.0pt 3.0pt 3.0pt 3.0pt; height:13.5pt'> <p>102.9</p> </td> <td style='border:inset #0057A6 1.0pt;padding:3.0pt 3.0pt 3.0pt 3.0pt; height:13.5pt'> <p>102.9</p> </td> </tr> <tr style='height:13.5pt'> <td style='border:inset #0057A6 1.0pt;background:#CFE7FF;padding:3.0pt 3.0pt 3.0pt 3.0pt; height:13.5pt'> <p>34</p> </td> <td style='border:inset #0057A6 1.0pt;background:#CFE7FF;padding:3.0pt 3.0pt 3.0pt 3.0pt; height:13.5pt'> <p>34</p> </td> <td style='border:inset #0057A6 1.0pt;background:#CFE7FF;padding:3.0pt 3.0pt 3.0pt 3.0pt; height:13.5pt'> <p>BRISBANE</p> </td> <td style='border:inset #0057A6 1.0pt;background:#CFE7FF;padding:3.0pt 3.0pt 3.0pt 3.0pt; height:13.5pt'> <p>AUSTRALIA</p> </td> <td style='border:inset #0057A6 1.0pt;background:#CFE7FF;padding:3.0pt 3.0pt 3.0pt 3.0pt; height:13.5pt'> <p>102.4</p> </td> <td style='border:inset #0057A6 1.0pt;background:#CFE7FF;padding:3.0pt 3.0pt 3.0pt 3.0pt; height:13.5pt'> <p>102.4</p> </td> </tr> <tr style='height:13.5pt'> <td style='border:inset #0057A6 1.0pt;padding:3.0pt 3.0pt 3.0pt 3.0pt; height:13.5pt'> <p>35</p> </td> <td style='border:inset #0057A6 1.0pt;padding:3.0pt 3.0pt 3.0pt 3.0pt; height:13.5pt'> <p>35</p> </td> <td style='border:inset #0057A6 1.0pt;padding:3.0pt 3.0pt 3.0pt 3.0pt; height:13.5pt'> <p>TOKYO</p> </td> <td style='border:inset #0057A6 1.0pt;padding:3.0pt 3.0pt 3.0pt 3.0pt; height:13.5pt'> <p>JAPAN</p> </td> <td style='border:inset #0057A6 1.0pt;padding:3.0pt 3.0pt 3.0pt 3.0pt; height:13.5pt'> <p>102.2</p> </td> <td style='border:inset #0057A6 1.0pt;padding:3.0pt 3.0pt 3.0pt 3.0pt; height:13.5pt'> <p>102.2</p> </td> </tr> <tr style='height:13.5pt'> <td style='border:inset #0057A6 1.0pt;background:#CFE7FF;padding:3.0pt 3.0pt 3.0pt 3.0pt; height:13.5pt'> <p>35</p> </td> <td style='border:inset #0057A6 1.0pt;background:#CFE7FF;padding:3.0pt 3.0pt 3.0pt 3.0pt; height:13.5pt'> <p>37</p> </td> <td style='border:inset #0057A6 1.0pt;background:#CFE7FF;padding:3.0pt 3.0pt 3.0pt 3.0pt; height:13.5pt'> <p>BOSTON, MA</p> </td> <td style='border:inset #0057A6 1.0pt;background:#CFE7FF;padding:3.0pt 3.0pt 3.0pt 3.0pt; height:13.5pt'> <p>UNITED STATES</p> </td> <td style='border:inset #0057A6 1.0pt;background:#CFE7FF;padding:3.0pt 3.0pt 3.0pt 3.0pt; height:13.5pt'> <p>102.2</p> </td> <td style='border:inset #0057A6 1.0pt;background:#CFE7FF;padding:3.0pt 3.0pt 3.0pt 3.0pt; height:13.5pt'> <p>101.8</p> </td> </tr> <tr style='height:13.5pt'> <td style='border:inset #0057A6 1.0pt;padding:3.0pt 3.0pt 3.0pt 3.0pt; height:13.5pt'> <p>37</p> </td> <td style='border:inset #0057A6 1.0pt;padding:3.0pt 3.0pt 3.0pt 3.0pt; height:13.5pt'> <p>36</p> </td> <td style='border:inset #0057A6 1.0pt;padding:3.0pt 3.0pt 3.0pt 3.0pt; height:13.5pt'> <p>LYON</p> </td> <td style='border:inset #0057A6 1.0pt;padding:3.0pt 3.0pt 3.0pt 3.0pt; height:13.5pt'> <p>FRANCE</p> </td> <td style='border:inset #0057A6 1.0pt;padding:3.0pt 3.0pt 3.0pt 3.0pt; height:13.5pt'> <p>101.9</p> </td> <td style='border:inset #0057A6 1.0pt;padding:3.0pt 3.0pt 3.0pt 3.0pt; height:13.5pt'> <p>101.9</p> </td> </tr> <tr style='height:13.5pt'> <td style='border:inset #0057A6 1.0pt;background:#CFE7FF;padding:3.0pt 3.0pt 3.0pt 3.0pt; height:13.5pt'> <p>38</p> </td> <td style='border:inset #0057A6 1.0pt;background:#CFE7FF;padding:3.0pt 3.0pt 3.0pt 3.0pt; height:13.5pt'> <p>38</p> </td> <td style='border:inset #0057A6 1.0pt;background:#CFE7FF;padding:3.0pt 3.0pt 3.0pt 3.0pt; height:13.5pt'> <p>YOKOHAMA</p> </td> <td style='border:inset #0057A6 1.0pt;background:#CFE7FF;padding:3.0pt 3.0pt 3.0pt 3.0pt; height:13.5pt'> <p>JAPAN</p> </td> <td style='border:inset #0057A6 1.0pt;background:#CFE7FF;padding:3.0pt 3.0pt 3.0pt 3.0pt; height:13.5pt'> <p>101.6</p> </td> <td style='border:inset #0057A6 1.0pt;background:#CFE7FF;padding:3.0pt 3.0pt 3.0pt 3.0pt; height:13.5pt'> <p>101.6</p> </td> </tr> <tr style='height:13.5pt'> <td style='border:inset #0057A6 1.0pt;padding:3.0pt 3.0pt 3.0pt 3.0pt; height:13.5pt'> <p>38</p> </td> <td style='border:inset #0057A6 1.0pt;padding:3.0pt 3.0pt 3.0pt 3.0pt; height:13.5pt'> <p>38</p> </td> <td style='border:inset #0057A6 1.0pt;padding:3.0pt 3.0pt 3.0pt 3.0pt; height:13.5pt'> <p>LONDON</p> </td> <td style='border:inset #0057A6 1.0pt;padding:3.0pt 3.0pt 3.0pt 3.0pt; height:13.5pt'> <p>UNITED KINGDOM</p> </td> <td style='border:inset #0057A6 1.0pt;padding:3.0pt 3.0pt 3.0pt 3.0pt; height:13.5pt'> <p>101.6</p> </td> <td style='border:inset #0057A6 1.0pt;padding:3.0pt 3.0pt 3.0pt 3.0pt; height:13.5pt'> <p>101.6</p> </td> </tr> <tr style='height:13.5pt'> <td style='border:inset #0057A6 1.0pt;background:#CFE7FF;padding:3.0pt 3.0pt 3.0pt 3.0pt; height:13.5pt'> <p>40</p> </td> <td style='border:inset #0057A6 1.0pt;background:#CFE7FF;padding:3.0pt 3.0pt 3.0pt 3.0pt; height:13.5pt'> <p>40</p> </td> <td style='border:inset #0057A6 1.0pt;background:#CFE7FF;padding:3.0pt 3.0pt 3.0pt 3.0pt; height:13.5pt'> <p>KOBE</p> </td> <td style='border:inset #0057A6 1.0pt;background:#CFE7FF;padding:3.0pt 3.0pt 3.0pt 3.0pt; height:13.5pt'> <p>JAPAN</p> </td> <td style='border:inset #0057A6 1.0pt;background:#CFE7FF;padding:3.0pt 3.0pt 3.0pt 3.0pt; height:13.5pt'> <p>100.9</p> </td> <td style='border:inset #0057A6 1.0pt;background:#CFE7FF;padding:3.0pt 3.0pt 3.0pt 3.0pt; height:13.5pt'> <p>100.9</p> </td> </tr> <tr style='height:13.5pt'> <td style='border:inset #0057A6 1.0pt;padding:3.0pt 3.0pt 3.0pt 3.0pt; height:13.5pt'> <p>41</p> </td> <td style='border:inset #0057A6 1.0pt;padding:3.0pt 3.0pt 3.0pt 3.0pt; height:13.5pt'> <p>41</p> </td> <td style='border:inset #0057A6 1.0pt;padding:3.0pt 3.0pt 3.0pt 3.0pt; height:13.5pt'> <p>MILAN</p> </td> <td style='border:inset #0057A6 1.0pt;padding:3.0pt 3.0pt 3.0pt 3.0pt; height:13.5pt'> <p>ITALY</p> </td> <td style='border:inset #0057A6 1.0pt;padding:3.0pt 3.0pt 3.0pt 3.0pt; height:13.5pt'> <p>100.8</p> </td> <td style='border:inset #0057A6 1.0pt;padding:3.0pt 3.0pt 3.0pt 3.0pt; height:13.5pt'> <p>100.8</p> </td> </tr> <tr style='height:13.5pt'> <td style='border:inset #0057A6 1.0pt;background:#CFE7FF;padding:3.0pt 3.0pt 3.0pt 3.0pt; height:13.5pt'> <p>42</p> </td> <td style='border:inset #0057A6 1.0pt;background:#CFE7FF;padding:3.0pt 3.0pt 3.0pt 3.0pt; height:13.5pt'> <p>48</p> </td> <td style='border:inset #0057A6 1.0pt;background:#CFE7FF;padding:3.0pt 3.0pt 3.0pt 3.0pt; height:13.5pt'> <p>PORTLAND, OR</p> </td> <td style='border:inset #0057A6 1.0pt;background:#CFE7FF;padding:3.0pt 3.0pt 3.0pt 3.0pt; height:13.5pt'> <p>UNITED STATES</p> </td> <td style='border:inset #0057A6 1.0pt;background:#CFE7FF;padding:3.0pt 3.0pt 3.0pt 3.0pt; height:13.5pt'> <p>100.6</p> </td> <td style='border:inset #0057A6 1.0pt;background:#CFE7FF;padding:3.0pt 3.0pt 3.0pt 3.0pt; height:13.5pt'> <p>100.2</p> </td> </tr> <tr style='height:13.5pt'> <td style='border:inset #0057A6 1.0pt;padding:3.0pt 3.0pt 3.0pt 3.0pt; height:13.5pt'> <p>42</p> </td> <td style='border:inset #0057A6 1.0pt;padding:3.0pt 3.0pt 3.0pt 3.0pt; height:13.5pt'> <p>42</p> </td> <td style='border:inset #0057A6 1.0pt;padding:3.0pt 3.0pt 3.0pt 3.0pt; height:13.5pt'> <p>BARCELONA</p> </td> <td style='border:inset #0057A6 1.0pt;padding:3.0pt 3.0pt 3.0pt 3.0pt; height:13.5pt'> <p>SPAIN</p> </td> <td style='border:inset #0057A6 1.0pt;padding:3.0pt 3.0pt 3.0pt 3.0pt; height:13.5pt'> <p>100.6</p> </td> <td style='border:inset #0057A6 1.0pt;padding:3.0pt 3.0pt 3.0pt 3.0pt; height:13.5pt'> <p>100.6</p> </td> </tr> <tr style='height:13.5pt'> <td style='border:inset #0057A6 1.0pt;background:#CFE7FF;padding:3.0pt 3.0pt 3.0pt 3.0pt; height:13.5pt'> <p>44</p> </td> <td style='border:inset #0057A6 1.0pt;background:#CFE7FF;padding:3.0pt 3.0pt 3.0pt 3.0pt; height:13.5pt'> <p>44</p> </td> <td style='border:inset #0057A6 1.0pt;background:#CFE7FF;padding:3.0pt 3.0pt 3.0pt 3.0pt; height:13.5pt'> <p>WASHINGTON, DC</p> </td> <td style='border:inset #0057A6 1.0pt;background:#CFE7FF;padding:3.0pt 3.0pt 3.0pt 3.0pt; height:13.5pt'> <p>UNITED STATES</p> </td> <td style='border:inset #0057A6 1.0pt;background:#CFE7FF;padding:3.0pt 3.0pt 3.0pt 3.0pt; height:13.5pt'> <p>100.3</p> </td> <td style='border:inset #0057A6 1.0pt;background:#CFE7FF;padding:3.0pt 3.0pt 3.0pt 3.0pt; height:13.5pt'> <p>100.3</p> </td> </tr> <tr style='height:13.5pt'> <td style='border:inset #0057A6 1.0pt;padding:3.0pt 3.0pt 3.0pt 3.0pt; height:13.5pt'> <p>44</p> </td> <td style='border:inset #0057A6 1.0pt;padding:3.0pt 3.0pt 3.0pt 3.0pt; height:13.5pt'> <p>44</p> </td> <td style='border:inset #0057A6 1.0pt;padding:3.0pt 3.0pt 3.0pt 3.0pt; height:13.5pt'> <p>OSAKA</p> </td> <td style='border:inset #0057A6 1.0pt;padding:3.0pt 3.0pt 3.0pt 3.0pt; height:13.5pt'> <p>JAPAN</p> </td> <td style='border:inset #0057A6 1.0pt;padding:3.0pt 3.0pt 3.0pt 3.0pt; height:13.5pt'> <p>100.3</p> </td> <td style='border:inset #0057A6 1.0pt;padding:3.0pt 3.0pt 3.0pt 3.0pt; height:13.5pt'> <p>100.3</p> </td> </tr> <tr style='height:13.5pt'> <td style='border:inset #0057A6 1.0pt;background:#CFE7FF;padding:3.0pt 3.0pt 3.0pt 3.0pt; height:13.5pt'> <p>44</p> </td> <td style='border:inset #0057A6 1.0pt;background:#CFE7FF;padding:3.0pt 3.0pt 3.0pt 3.0pt; height:13.5pt'> <p>44</p> </td> <td style='border:inset #0057A6 1.0pt;background:#CFE7FF;padding:3.0pt 3.0pt 3.0pt 3.0pt; height:13.5pt'> <p>LISBON</p> </td> <td style='border:inset #0057A6 1.0pt;background:#CFE7FF;padding:3.0pt 3.0pt 3.0pt 3.0pt; height:13.5pt'> <p>PORTUGAL</p> </td> <td style='border:inset #0057A6 1.0pt;background:#CFE7FF;padding:3.0pt 3.0pt 3.0pt 3.0pt; height:13.5pt'> <p>100.3</p> </td> <td style='border:inset #0057A6 1.0pt;background:#CFE7FF;padding:3.0pt 3.0pt 3.0pt 3.0pt; height:13.5pt'> <p>100.3</p> </td> </tr> <tr style='height:13.5pt'> <td style='border:inset #0057A6 1.0pt;padding:3.0pt 3.0pt 3.0pt 3.0pt; height:13.5pt'> <p>44</p> </td> <td style='border:inset #0057A6 1.0pt;padding:3.0pt 3.0pt 3.0pt 3.0pt; height:13.5pt'> <p>44</p> </td> <td style='border:inset #0057A6 1.0pt;padding:3.0pt 3.0pt 3.0pt 3.0pt; height:13.5pt'> <p>CHICAGO, IL</p> </td> <td style='border:inset #0057A6 1.0pt;padding:3.0pt 3.0pt 3.0pt 3.0pt; height:13.5pt'> <p>UNITED STATES</p> </td> <td style='border:inset #0057A6 1.0pt;padding:3.0pt 3.0pt 3.0pt 3.0pt; height:13.5pt'> <p>100.3</p> </td> <td style='border:inset #0057A6 1.0pt;padding:3.0pt 3.0pt 3.0pt 3.0pt; height:13.5pt'> <p>100.3</p> </td> </tr> <tr style='height:13.5pt'> <td style='border:inset #0057A6 1.0pt;background:#CFE7FF;padding:3.0pt 3.0pt 3.0pt 3.0pt; height:13.5pt'> <p>48</p> </td> <td style='border:inset #0057A6 1.0pt;background:#CFE7FF;padding:3.0pt 3.0pt 3.0pt 3.0pt; height:13.5pt'> <p>43</p> </td> <td style='border:inset #0057A6 1.0pt;background:#CFE7FF;padding:3.0pt 3.0pt 3.0pt 3.0pt; height:13.5pt'> <p>MADRID</p> </td> <td style='border:inset #0057A6 1.0pt;background:#CFE7FF;padding:3.0pt 3.0pt 3.0pt 3.0pt; height:13.5pt'> <p>SPAIN</p> </td> <td style='border:inset #0057A6 1.0pt;background:#CFE7FF;padding:3.0pt 3.0pt 3.0pt 3.0pt; height:13.5pt'> <p>100.2</p> </td> <td style='border:inset #0057A6 1.0pt;background:#CFE7FF;padding:3.0pt 3.0pt 3.0pt 3.0pt; height:13.5pt'> <p>100.5</p> </td> </tr> <tr style='height:13.5pt'> <td style='border:inset #0057A6 1.0pt;padding:3.0pt 3.0pt 3.0pt 3.0pt; height:13.5pt'> <p>49</p> </td> <td style='border:inset #0057A6 1.0pt;padding:3.0pt 3.0pt 3.0pt 3.0pt; height:13.5pt'> <p>49</p> </td> <td style='border:inset #0057A6 1.0pt;padding:3.0pt 3.0pt 3.0pt 3.0pt; height:13.5pt'> <p>NEW YORK CITY, NY</p> </td> <td style='border:inset #0057A6 1.0pt;padding:3.0pt 3.0pt 3.0pt 3.0pt; height:13.5pt'> <p>UNITED STATES</p> </td> <td style='border:inset #0057A6 1.0pt;padding:3.0pt 3.0pt 3.0pt 3.0pt; height:13.5pt'> <p>100</p> </td> <td style='border:inset #0057A6 1.0pt;padding:3.0pt 3.0pt 3.0pt 3.0pt; height:13.5pt'> <p>100</p> </td> </tr> <tr style='height:13.5pt'> <td style='border:inset #0057A6 1.0pt;background:#CFE7FF;padding:3.0pt 3.0pt 3.0pt 3.0pt; height:13.5pt'> <p>50</p> </td> <td style='border:inset #0057A6 1.0pt;background:#CFE7FF;padding:3.0pt 3.0pt 3.0pt 3.0pt; height:13.5pt'> <p>50</p> </td> <td style='border:inset #0057A6 1.0pt;background:#CFE7FF;padding:3.0pt 3.0pt 3.0pt 3.0pt; height:13.5pt'> <p>SEATTLE, WA</p> </td> <td style='border:inset #0057A6 1.0pt;background:#CFE7FF;padding:3.0pt 3.0pt 3.0pt 3.0pt; height:13.5pt'> <p>UNITED STATES</p> </td> <td style='border:inset #0057A6 1.0pt;background:#CFE7FF;padding:3.0pt 3.0pt 3.0pt 3.0pt; height:13.5pt'> <p>99.8</p> </td> <td style='border:inset #0057A6 1.0pt;background:#CFE7FF;padding:3.0pt 3.0pt 3.0pt 3.0pt; height:13.5pt'> <p>99.8</p> </td> </tr> </table> Mercer is a leading global provider of consulting, outsourcing and investment services. Mercer works with clients to solve their most complex benefit and human capital issues, designing and helping manage health, retirement and other benefits. It is a leader in benefit outsourcing. Mercer’s investment services include investment consulting and investment management. Mercer’s 18,000 employees are based in more than 40 countries. The company is a wholly owned subsidiary of Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc., which lists its stock (ticker symbol: MMC) on the New York, Chicago and London stock exchanges. For more information, visit http://www.mercer.com
  16. New York City streets go green New York City transportation head, Janette Sadik-Kahn is taking it to the streets, literally. The visionary transportation planner, who has been on the job for two years and was tapped by the Obama Administration for a top post, is serious about sustainability. And, while her first attempt to reduce the city’s carbon footprint by proposing congestion pricing for those who came in to the city by car went over like a lead balloon, her current efforts to green the city’s streets by reinventing car lanes as public space has carried favor with just about everyone. Her latest project, dubbed “Green Lights for Broadway”, aims to transform the city’s iconic car-clogged thoroughfare into a pedestrian oasis. As the only street in Midtown that is off the grid, Broadway poses significant traffic problems and safety issues along its length. “Green Lights for Broadway” aims to reduce traffic congestion through Midtown with targeted improvements focused at Times Square and Herald Square that will speed cross town traffic and replace car lanes with public space where pedestrians can lunch or relax in the middle of the street. Broadway is just one of many areas of the city that is being “pedestrianised” by Sadik-Kahn. Another intiative to green the city steets is the Plaza Program which began last year aiming to put all New Yorkers within a 10-minute walk of a park. Under this program, streets throughout the city are being reinvented as public plazas, as, for example, at Madison Square Park where 45,000 sq ft of public space was recently added in the middle of Madison Avenue and in nearby Chelsea where a car lane was transformed into a plaza with planters and a bike lane. While these efforts will no doubt make the city more liveable, the Mayor and the Transportation Commissioner would like to see a Manhattan with fewer cars. As such, the city is tweaking its public transportation system to expand and speed service. While the focus is mainly on adding designated bus lanes and improving ferry service, there may also be a tramway in New York’s future. In the 1990s, while with the Dinkins Administration, Sadik-Kahn tried to build a light rail system on 42nd Street. And though that project died on the vine, the idea of a building a light rail line on 42nd Street is still very much alive. The Institute for Rational Mobility (RUM), an advocacy group, is currently floating a proposal, dubbed “Vision 42” that re-imagines 42nd Street as a landscaped pedestrian mall with a 2.5-mile long light rail line that runs river to river. In a recently released report, RUM indicates the roughly $500 million project would generate $704 million in annual benefit. While that project’s future is yet to be determined, Sadik-Kahn has said she is not opposed to using the dedicated bus lanes initiative as a “back door “ step toward light rail, noting that cities all over the world, like Bogotá Columbia, are working toward a light rail service by reclaiming auto space in this way. Regardless, the city’s green transportation czar is on the case manipulating over 6,000 miles of roadway and 12,000 miles of sidewalks for the betterment of the public. While incomplete, her efforts have led to large increases in cycling as a primary mode of transit, increased ridership on subways and busses, and reduced mortalities amongst bicyclists and pedestrians. Sharon McHugh US Correspondent http://www.worldarchitecturenews.com/index.php?fuseaction=wanappln.projectview&upload_id=11479
  17. Méga article très intéressant du magazine The Economist Lien The world economy A glimmer of hope? Apr 23rd 2009 From The Economist print edition The worst thing for the world economy would be to assume the worst is over THE rays are diffuse, but the specks of light are unmistakable. Share prices are up sharply. Even after slipping early this week, two-thirds of the 42 stockmarkets that The Economist tracks have risen in the past six weeks by more than 20%. Different economic indicators from different parts of the world have brightened. China’s economy is picking up. The slump in global manufacturing seems to be easing. Property markets in America and Britain are showing signs of life, as mortgage rates fall and homes become more affordable. Confidence is growing. A widely tracked index of investor sentiment in Germany has turned positive for the first time in almost two years. All this is welcome—not least because the slump has been made so much worse by panic and despair. When the financial system was on the brink of collapse in September, investors shunned all but the safest assets, consumers stopped spending and firms shut down. That plunge into the depths could be succeeded by a virtuous cycle, where the wheels of finance turn again, cheerier consumers open their wallets and ambitious firms turn from hoarding cash to pursuing profits. But, welcome as it is, optimism contains two traps, one obvious, the other more subtle. The obvious trap is that confidence proves misplaced—that the glimmers of hope are misinterpreted as the beginnings of a strong recovery when all they really show is that the rate of decline is slowing. The subtler trap, particularly for politicians, is that confidence and better news create ruinous complacency. Optimism is one thing, but hubris that the world economy is returning to normal could hinder recovery and block policies to protect against a further plunge into the depths. Luminous indicators Begin with those glimmers. It is easy to read too much into the gain in share prices. Stockmarkets usually rally before economies improve, because investors spy the promise of fatter profits before the statisticians document a turnaround. But plenty of rallies fizzle into nothing. Between 1929 and 1932, the Dow Jones Industrial Average soared by more than 20% four times, only to fall back below its previous lows. Today’s crisis has seen five separate rallies in which share prices rose more than 10% only to subside again. The economic statistics are hard to interpret, too. The past six months have seen several slumps, each with a different trajectory. The plunge in manufacturing is in part the result of a huge global inventory adjustment. With unsold goods piling up and finance hard to come by, firms around the world have slashed production even faster than demand has fallen. Once firms have run down their stocks they will start making things again and the manufacturing recession will be past its worst. Even if that moment is at hand, two other slumps are likely to poison the economy for much longer. The most important is the banking crisis and the purge of debt in the bubble economies, especially America and Britain. Demand has plummeted as tighter credit and sinking asset prices have exposed consumers’ excessive borrowing and scared them into saving more. History suggests that such balance-sheet recessions are long and that the recoveries which eventually follow them are feeble. The second slump is in the emerging world, where many economies have been hit by the sudden fall in private cross-border capital flows. Emerging economies, which imported capital worth 5% of their GDP in 2007, now face a world where cautious investors keep their money at home. According to the IMF, banks, firms and governments in the emerging world have some $1.8 trillion-worth of borrowing to roll over this year, much of that in central and eastern Europe. Even if emerging markets escape a full-blown debt crisis, investors’ confidence is unlikely to recover for years. These crises sent the world economy into a decline that, on several measures, has been steeper than the onset of the Depression. The IMF’s latest World Economic Outlook expects global output to shrink by 1.3% this year, its first fall in 60 years. But the collapse has been countered by the most ambitious policy response in history. Central banks have pumped out trillions of dollars of liquidity and, in rising numbers, have resorted to an increasingly exotic arsenal of “unconventional” firepower to ease credit markets and loosen monetary conditions even as policy rates approach zero. Governments have battled to prop up their banks, committing trillions of dollars in the process. The IMF has new money. Every big rich country has bolstered demand with fiscal stimulus (and so have many emerging ones). The rich world’s budget deficits will, on average, reach almost 9% of GDP, six times higher than before the crisis hit. The Depression showed how damaging it can be if governments don’t step in when the rest of the economy seizes up. Yet action on the current scale has never been tried before and nobody knows when it will have an effect—let alone how much difference it will make. Whatever the impact, it would be a mistake to confuse the twitches of an economy on life-support with a lasting recovery. A real recovery depends on government demand being supplanted by sustainable sources of private spending. And here the news is almost uniformly grim. Searching for new demand Take the country many are pinning their hopes on: America. The adjustment in the housing market began earlier there than anywhere else. Prices peaked almost three years ago, and are now down by 30%. Manufacturing production has been falling at an annualised rate of more than 20% for the past three months. And the government’s offsetting policy offensive has been the rich world’s boldest. As the inventory adjustment ends and the stimuli kick in, America’s slump is sure to ease. Cushioned by the government, the economy may even begin to grow again before too long. But it is hard to see the ingredients for a recovery that is robust enough to stop unemployment rising. Weakness abroad will crimp exports. America’s banks are propped up with public capital, but their balance-sheets are clogged with toxic assets. Consumer spending and firms’ investment will be dragged lower by the need to pay back debt and restore savings. This will be a long slog. Private-sector leverage, which rose by 70% of GDP between 2000 and 2008, has barely begun to unwind. At 4%, the household savings rate has jumped sharply from its low of near zero, but it is still far below its post-war average of 7%. Higher unemployment and rising bankruptcies could easily cause a vicious new downward lurch. In Britain, given the size of its finance industry, housing boom and consumer debt, the balance-sheet adjustment will, if anything, be greater. The weaker pound will buoy exports, but fragile public finances suggest that Britain has much less scope to use government spending to cushion the private sector than America does—as this week’s flawed budget made painfully clear (see article). The outlook should in theory be brighter for Germany and Japan. Both have seen output slump faster than in other rich countries because of the collapse in trade and manufacturing, but neither has the huge private borrowing of the sort that haunts the Anglo-Saxon world. Once inventories have adjusted, recovery should come quickly. In practice, though, that seems unlikely, especially in Germany. As the output slump sends Germany’s jobless rate towards double-digits, it is hard to see consumers going on a spending spree. Nor has the government shown much appetite for boosting demand. Germany’s fiscal stimulus, although large by European standards, falls well short of what it could afford. Worse, the country’s banks are still in trouble. Germans did not behave recklessly, but their banks did—along with many others in continental Europe. New figures from the IMF suggest that European banks face some $1.1 trillion in losses, hardly any of which have yet been recognised (see article). This week’s German plan to set up several bad banks was no more than a down payment on the restructuring ahead. Japan has acted more boldly. Its latest package of tax cuts and government spending, unveiled in early April, will provide the biggest fiscal boost, relative to GDP, of any rich country this year. Its economy is likely to perk up, temporarily at least. But its public-debt stock is approaching 200% of GDP, so Japan has scant room for more fiscal stimulus. With export markets weak, demand will soon need to be privately generated at home. But the past two decades offer little evidence that Japan can make that shift. For the time being, the brightest light glows in China, where a huge inventory adjustment has exaggerated the impact of falling foreign demand, and where the government has the cash and determination to prop up domestic spending. China’s stimulus is already bearing fruit. Loans are soaring and infrastructure investment is growing smartly. The IMF’s latest forecast, that China’s economy will grow by 6.5% this year, may prove conservative. Yet even China has its difficulties. Perhaps three-quarters of the growth will come from government demand, particularly infrastructure spending. Not much to glow about Add all this up and the case for optimism fades quickly. The worst is over only in the narrowest sense that the pace of global decline has peaked. Thanks to massive—and unsustainable—fiscal and monetary transfusions, output will eventually stabilise. But in many ways, darker days lie ahead. Despite the scale of the slump, no conventional recovery is in sight. Growth, when it comes, will be too feeble to stop unemployment rising and idle capacity swelling. And for years most of the world’s economies will depend on their governments. Consider what that means. Much of the rich world will see jobless rates that reach double-digits, and then stay there. Deflation—a devastating disease in debt-laden economies—could set in as record economic slack pushes down prices and wages, particularly since headline inflation has already plunged thanks to sinking fuel costs. Public debt will soar because of weak growth, prolonged stimulus spending and the growing costs of cleaning up the financial mess. The OECD’s member countries began the crisis with debt stocks, on average, at 75% of GDP; by 2010 they will reach 100%. One analysis suggests persistent weakness could push the biggest economies’ debt ratios to 140% by 2014. Continuing joblessness, years of weak investment and higher public-debt burdens, in turn, will dent economies’ underlying potential. Although there is no sign that the world economy will return to its trend rate of growth any time soon, it is already clear that this speed limit will be lower than before the crisis hit. Start preparing for the next decade Welcome to an era of diminished expectations and continuing dangers; a world where policymakers must steer between the imminent threat of deflation while countering investors’ (reasonable) fears that swelling public debts and massive monetary easing could eventually lead to high inflation; an uncharted world where government borrowing reaches a scale not seen since the second world war, when capital controls ensured that savings stayed at home. How to cope with these dangers? Certainly not by clutching at scraps of better news. That risks leading to less action right now. Warding off deflation, for instance, will demand more unconventional steps from more central banks for longer than many now seem to foresee. Laggards, such as the European Central Bank, do themselves and the world no favours by holding back. Nor should governments immediately seek to take back the fiscal stimulus. Prolonged economic weakness does far greater damage to public finances than temporary fiscal activism. Remember how Japan snuffed out its recovery in the 1990s by rushing to raise taxes. Japan also put off bank reform. Countries facing big balance-sheet adjustments should heed that lesson and nudge reform along, in particular by doing more to clean up and restructure the banks. Countries with surpluses must encourage private spending at home more vigorously. China’s leaders are still doing too little to boost private citizens’ income and their spending by fostering reforms, from widening health-care coverage to forcing state-owned firms to pay higher dividends. At the same time policymakers must give themselves room to change course in the future. Central banks need to lay out the rules that will govern their exit from exotic forms of policy easing (see article). That may require new tools: the Federal Reserve would gain from being able to issue bonds that could mop up liquidity. All governments, especially those with the ropiest public finances, should think boldly about how to lower their debt ratios in the medium term—in ways that do not choke off nascent private demand. Rather than pushing up tax rates, they should think about raising retirement ages, reining in health costs and broadening the tax base. This weekend many of the world’s finance ministers and central bankers will meet in Washington, DC, for the spring meetings of the IMF and World Bank. Amid rising confidence, they will be tempted to pat themselves on the back. There is no time for that. The worst global slump since the Depression is far from finished. There is work to do.
  18. Five-stars for Foster design Luxury Heathrow hotel given Mayoral seal of approval Foster + Partners’ design for a new five-star hotel on Bath Road, close to Heathrow Airport has been approved by the Mayor of London. The only five-star hotel in the area, it will offer a range of services, including the most extensive conference facilities of any London hotel, to serve the local community and businesses, as well as passengers using Heathrow. The hotel, developed by Riva Properties is characterised by a distinctive layered glass shell, which floods the public spaces with daylight. Articulated as a 13-storey structure, several levels are sunk into the ground, keeping the building’s profile low in response to the immediate surroundings. The rooms are contained within six pavilions, linked by bridges and wrapped in a unifying glass envelope, which acts as a barrier to aircraft noise. The entrance lobby has a floating glass deck with views down to the sunken restaurant level, shallow pool and waterfall. This restaurant floor is accessed via a timber walkway and incorporates a business centre, as well as a variety of venues to eat and drink. The double-height conference facilities, which have their own reception to allow separate access from street-level, encircle a top-lit atrium that brings natural light deep into the building and down to the lower levels. As well as a selection of meeting venues and breakout areas, there is a flexible 1,200-capacity ballroom, two auditoriums and a large conference room. The bowling centre that currently occupies the site will be reinstated within the new scheme at basement level and will remain a public facility. The hotel also incorporates a health centre with a pool, gym, saunas and treatment rooms. Grant Brooker, Executive Director at Foster + Partners, said: “This will be the first five-star hotel in the immediate vicinity of Heathrow and marks a key stage in the area's transformation. We have enjoyed great support and encouragement from local residents, businesses and the Borough of Hillingdon and we believe that the hotel’s wide range of facilities will ensure that it plays a vital role in serving both international travellers and the local community.” http://www.worldarchitecturenews.com/index.php?fuseaction=wanappln.projectview&upload_id=11465
  19. New condo building in NYC offers ‘couture living’ 170 East End Avenue is the latest of a crop of new luxury residential buildings recently completed in New York City. Located on Manhattan’s toney Upper East Side and situated on Carl Schulz Park, the 20-storey building, designed by Peter Marino, houses 110 couture homes with 3 to 4 bedrooms and a selection of duplexes, maisonettes and smaller one and two bedroom units. Regardless of size, Marino has brought a high degree of luxury and sophistication to the design of each apartment. All units feature custom oak rift cut and quarter sawn parquet floors, kitchens with custom wood cabinets accented with aluminum inlays and oversized stone floors, and bedrooms with master baths finished in polished Italian marble with 6 foot soaking tubs. The building’s public amenities are many and include a well stocked library, squash court, golf simulator, toddler’s play room and art room, and a fully interactive center with Arcade games. There is also a private outdoor garden and waterfall with sheep sculptures by LaLanne. http://www.worldarchitecturenews.com/index.php?fuseaction=wanappln.projectview&upload_id=11473
  20. peluche

    Blunting excess

    Architect Koolhaas sees economic woes blunting excess SEOUL (Reuters Life!) – Architect Rem Koolhaas, renowned for his striking designs and musings on cities, believes the global economic downturn will lead to less ostentatious, more "socially responsible" buildings that better serve the public. The Dutch architect, whose firm designed the gravity-defying CCTV Headquarters in Beijing, Casa de Musica in Portugal and the Seattle Central Library, said more emphasis will now be placed on the efficient use of space during these lean times. "The last 10 years have been noteworthy for the excess in the private sector," Koolhaas told Reuters at the opening of a sleek temporary exhibit hall he and his Office for Metropolitan Architecture designed for fashion house Prada in Seoul. "What we are going to see is a return to the public sector. This is a healthy thing," he said on Wednesday. The Prada Transformer structure, located next to an ancient palace in central Seoul, will open on Saturday with a fashion display. The tetrahedron-shaped steel building, covered in a translucent white skin, is designed to be lifted by cranes and rotated so that it can best use each of its differently designed sides to show movies, host fashion shows or hold art exhibits. Koolhaas said the building provides a bit of lightness -- constructed at a reasonable costs -- that is needed during an economic downturn. Prada would not provide the amount it paid to construct the building. (Editing by Miral Fahmy)
  21. http://www.nytimes.com/2009/04/22/bu...t.html?_r=1&hp FLINT, Mich. — Dozens of proposals have been floated over the years to slow this city’s endless decline. Now another idea is gaining support: speed it up. Instead of waiting for houses to become abandoned and then pulling them down, local leaders are talking about demolishing entire blocks and even whole neighborhoods. The population would be condensed into a few viable areas. So would stores and services. A city built to manufacture cars would be returned in large measure to the forest primeval. “Decline in Flint is like gravity, a fact of life,” said Dan Kildee, the Genesee County treasurer and chief spokesman for the movement to shrink Flint. “We need to control it instead of letting it control us.” The recession in Flint, as in many old-line manufacturing cities, is quickly making a bad situation worse. Firefighters and police officers are being laid off as the city struggles with a $15 million budget deficit. Many public schools are likely to be closed. “A lot of people remember the past, when we were a successful city that others looked to as a model, and they hope. But you can’t base government policy on hope,” said Jim Ananich, president of the Flint City Council. “We have to do something drastic.” In searching for a way out, Flint is becoming a model for a different era.
  22. Diagrid design completed for Ernst & Young headquarters Foster + Partners has completed a headquarters building for Ernst & Young at the gateway to the Vivaldi-park area of the new Zuidas district, south of Amsterdam. Commissioned by ING, the tower establishes a landmark on the route into the city with its diagrid façade. Ten per cent more efficient than the target Dutch environmental standards, the building also extends the public realm with a water court at its base. The 24-storey building is divided into two twelve metre-wide column free towers with open, flexible floor plates. The blocks are staggered in plan to admit as much natural light as possible and to make the most of the northerly city views. The northern façade is fully glazed, while partial thirty per cent glazing to the east, west and south limits solar gain. Combined with ground water storage to further save on energy for cooling, the overall environmental strategy is highly efficient. Linked by a shared transparent core, the offices are serviced by double-height meeting spaces and light-filled social spaces allowing communication between different floors. The structural steel diagrid is clad in silver aluminium and is offset by opaque black panels, which reduce the definition of the individual floor levels. This lattice scales the entire 87-metre high facade and gives the building its identity. At the base of the building the height of the diagrid creates a triple-storey lobby space, while at the top of each tower north and south-facing terraces are set into the structure. The towers are approached via a water-court with an ecological pond beneath an overhanging canopy. Defining the relationship between public and private, this space houses the social functions, such as staff restaurant, terrace, auditorium and bar, clustered around the water-court. Coupled with a green roof on the restaurant building, the pond has an important environmental contribution. 65 per cent of rainwater is retained on site while the run-off feeds into the Amsterdam canal system to control water levels following peak rainfall. The pond is naturally cleansed by a planted biotope of reeds, water lilies and grasses. David Nelson, Senior Executive and joint Head of Design at Foster + Partners said: “Our first building in Amsterdam not only exceeds Dutch environmental regulations by ten per cent, but provides a striking marker for the Vivaldi park area, a high quality, flexible working environment for tenants Ernst & Young and a lively public water-court with a working ecological pond at its base.” http://www.worldarchitecturenews.com/index.php?fuseaction=wanappln.projectview&upload_id=2434
  23. Completed Vancouver Convention Centre West goes for Leed Gold certification Vancouver's waterfront has a spectacular new addition in the completion of Vancouver Convention Centre West, the city's latest flagship eco-development which triples the total square footage and functional capacity of the Centre and completes the development of the public realm. With 6 acres of green roof it boasts the largest in Canada, and the largest non-industrial green roof in North America. This combined with many other eco-measures is set to help the project achieve LEED Canada Gold certification. The project consists of 1.2 million sq ft divided into exhibition space, meeting rooms, 90,000 sq ft of retail space, a 55,000 sq ft ballroom and 400,000 sq ft of public realm including walkways and bikeways. All in, the project promises to be “a celebration of people and place and a model of sustainability”. Architects LMN worked in collaboration with Vancouver-based Musson Cattell Mackey Partnership and DA Architects & Planners to design the centre which will be used as a hub to support 7,000 media during the XXI Olympic & Paralympic Winter Games. But not suffice to support homosapians, a key element of the design was the restoration of the shoreline and marine habitat. Having worked with marine scientists, an underwater habitat skirt or artificial reef was developed as part of the centre’s foundation and now provides new habitat for barnacles, mussels, seaweed, starfish, crabs and various fish species. The green roof too is home to 400,000 indigenous plants and grasses, providing natural habitat to birds, insects and small mammals. But it will also provide vital insulation for the building. Other eco-measures include black water treatment and desalinization, a heat pump system that takes advantage of the constant temperature of adjacent seawater, extensive use of controlled daylighting and energy efficient fixtures. Local materials including locally harvested Douglas fir and Hemlock have been used for wood finishes reducing the harmful effects of transportation on the environment. Vancouver is a mixed bag of spectacular natural environment with an impressive urban core. This latest addition attempts to blend the two and create a synergy, acting as a powerful visual ambassador of the Pacific Northwest region’s commitment to sustainability. Niki May Young News Editor http://www.worldarchitecturenews.com/index.php?fuseaction=wanappln.projectview&upload_id=11387
  24. All in the balance Prix' Art Museum creates art from the landscape with panoramic views Coop Himmelb(l)au has been commissioned for the Art Museum Strongoli in Calabria, the firm's third project in Italy. The museum is not only a cultural center but also understood as a generator for a future development of Calabria, a place for cultural entertainment and recreation. Situated on the top of the “Motta Grande” hill in front of the city, the Art Museum is visible from far away, it's steely form contrasting with the lush green hillside. The new museum houses not only flexible exhibition spaces, but also a small “multi-hall” and a panorama restaurant. The project is a composition of three main elements: the emblematic, coneshaped construction with the entrance is orientated towards the city,Its spiralling ramp which gives access to the exhibition zone makes it is also a spectacular event space, while the cantilevering restaurant at the opposite end of the building offers a panoramic terrace facing the sea in the east. Both public attractors are linked by a two storey exhibition volume. The exhibition areas are determined to be as flexible as possible, supported by underground service facilities accessed via two elevators. The multi-hall can be used as temporary exhibition space, lecture hall, auditorium and cinema or simply as an extension space of the foyer for public events. http://www.worldarchitecturenews.com/index.php?fuseaction=wanappln.projectview&upload_id=11366
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