Crystal Island

Crystal Island is a planned building project in Moscow, Russia that is planned to have around 2,500,000 square meters (27,000,000 square ft) of floor space and a height of 450 meters (1,476 ft) designed by Norman Foster. At these dimensions upon completion it would be the largest structure (in floor space) on earth. The architectural firm behind the design is Foster and Partners.

The tent-like superstructure would rise to 450 m, and form a breathable "second skin" and thermal buffer for the main building, shielding the interior spaces from Moscow’s weather. This section skin will be sealed in winter to minimize heat loss, and opened in the summer to naturally cool the interior. The building would be integrated into a new ark, which would provide a range of activities throughout the year, with cross country skiing and ice skating in the winter.

It is stated to have a multitude of cultural, exhibition, performance, hotel, apartment, retail and office space, as well as an international school for 500 students. The building would be powered by built-in solar panels and wind turbines. The structure would also feature on-site renewable and low-carbon energy generation.

List of islands in the Detroit River

The following is a description of islands in the Detroit River. The Detroit River is a river in the Great Lakes system, about 32 miles (51 km) long and 0.5–2.5 miles (0.8–4.0 km) wide. The river serves as a major shipping channel, jointly controlled by the United States and Canada, and is a major component of the Canada–United States border. Ownership and control of the islands varies by their geographic location along the river. The majority of islands are on the American side of the river, which are all under the jurisdiction of Wayne County in Michigan. The Canadian islands are part of Essex County in Ontario. There are no islands in the Detroit River that are divided by the international border.

Most of the islands are very small and uninhabited, and many of these islands around the southern portion of the river serve as wildlife refuges as part of the Detroit River International Wildlife Refuge. The largest and most populous island is Grosse Ile at 9.0 sq mi (23.3 km²) and a population of around 10,000. Most of the islands in the Detroit River are around and closely connected to Grosse Ile. The Michigan city of Gibraltar is also located on several islands in the southern portion of the river. Some of the islands have also been geologically modified throughout the industrialization of the area. For example, Michigan's Stony Island and Canada's Crystal Island have been largely formed from dredged sediments for a deep shipping lane, and Zug Island and Elizabeth Park are artificial islands, as they were once part of the mainland.