MUNICH, Germany, Oct 22, 2007 (AFP) - A chic glass building, all curvy lines, the new BMW exhibition centre opened its doors over the weekend to thousands curious to take in the German carmaker's ultimate marketing experience.

More than 40,000 visitors came to admire the latest models, learn about new technologies or simply stroll around the 15,000 square-metre (161,400 square-foot) 'BMW Welt' (World), built on the site of the carmaker's original factory founded in 1916.

JOHANNESBURG, Oct 21, 2007 (AFP) - The tallest apartment block in Africa, which has long symbolized Johannesburg's inner-city decay, is shedding its image as a no-go zone in a radical makeover aimed at young urban professionals.

Overrun by drug dealers and gangsters in the 1990s, the 54-storey cylindrical Ponte, whose 173 meters (570 feet) offer bird's eye views of downtown and neighbouring Ellis Park stadium, had been a byword for danger.

BERLIN, Oct 20, 2007 (AFP) - Germany's longest bridge, linking the country's northeast with the Baltic sea tourist island of Ruegen, was inaugurated Saturday in a bid to reduce traffic jams and rake in revenue.

Spanning 4.1 kilometres (2.6 miles) and reaching a height of 42 metres above the ocean, the new, three-lane bridge was built in just over three years, and can carry up to 23,000 vehicles daily.

Officials hope it will relieve the traffic-choked, 71-year-old Ruegendamm span which served as the only connection between the island and mainland until now.

PRAGUE, Oct 18, 2007 (AFP) - A wave of protests threaten plans for an avant garde library in Prague, designed by world renowned architect Jan Kaplicky and known as 'the Octopus'.

The nine storey edifice with a large 'eye' staring out at the historic centre and Prague castle, has split inhabitants of the capital since the Czech-born architect and his London-based studio, Future Systems, was selected by an international jury.

MOSCOW, Oct 18, 2007 (AFP) - Russia's grandest toy store, a gift to Soviet children after the dark days of Stalin, is facing a capitalist makeover that critics fear will sap the soul from one of Moscow's most cherished sites.

The Detsky Mir building, an Art Deco landmark in the heart of the booming capital, is set to undergo reconstruction that experts say could deface the last major work of one of the city's most celebrated architects.

Remodeling details are still sketchy but fans fear the worst in a capital where rampant construction often tramples over heritage.

TOKYO, Oct 12, 2007 (AFP) - Renowned Japanese architect Kisho Kurokawa, who tried to meld nature and Asian tradition with grand futuristic designs in projects such as the Kuala Lumpur International Airport, died Friday. He was 73.

An official at Tokyo Women's Medical University Hospital, where he was being treated, confirmed his death but declined to specify the cause. News reports said he suffered multiple-organ failure.

LONDON, Oct 6, 2007 (AFP) - Germany's Museum of Modern Literature, a pavilion-like building which perches on top of a rock plateau, won Britain's top prize for architecture Saturday.

The building in Marbach am Neckar, southern Germany, designed by Britain's David Chipperfield Architects won the Royal Institute of British Architects' Stirling Prize, which is worth 20,000 pounds (29,000 euros, 41,000 dollars).

Previous winners have included the Richard Rogers Partnership and Foster and Partners.

WASHINGTON, Oct 5, 2007 (AFP) - American, Canadian and European university students battle for architectural and engineering supremacy in Washington this month in a contest of homes whose lights, refrigerators and televisions must be powered by solar energy.

Twenty teams will show off their futuristic creations at the third edition of 'Solar Decathlon 2007' between October 12-20 in the US capital's vast Mall esplanade, and 125,000 people are expected to visit the homes.

BRUSSELS, Oct 2, 2007 (AFP) - A cradle of the Art Nouveau in Europe, Brussels will fete many of the finest examples of the style in the city by throwing open its doors to dozens of private homes usually closed to the public.

As the Belgian capital boomed at the end of the nineteenth century, Art Nouveau became all the rage among Brussels' upper crust, which chose the fresh new look to ornate many of the houses that sprung up at the time.

AMSTERDAM, Oct 1, 2007 (AFP) - Amsterdam authorities began Monday an inventory of the city's picturesque canal-side houses, in order to help identify and prop up those most in danger of collapsing.

According to a study carried out in the mid-1990s, between 3,500 to 4,000 of the historic homes now lean at such a precarious angle they are in danger of falling down.

The city council has pledged to repair 1,500 of those with the worst foundations or the heaviest listing by 2010.