Here’s a simple, yet funky, house in Munich designed by Jakob Bader Architecture. I particularly like the upper story bedroom and deck, which, according to the architects, is technically a “pitched roof space” and not a bedroom (council rules).
Images via Contemporist
Situated on a seaside cliff in Sorrento, La Minervetta was fairly recently (2003) returned to the hands of the Cacace family and remodeled (with some great colours). It was originally built by Don Giovanni Cacace in the 1950′s as a restaurant.
Images: Mr and Mrs Smith via Apartment Therapy
Saffire Freycinet, a new luxury boutique resort, has just opened up on the east coast of Tasmania. With superb architecture and breathtaking views, this place looks outstanding.
Click here for more photos from The Cool Hunter and click here to book your stay — rates start at $1,550/night.
Images: The Cool Hunter
We recently sat down with Reena Daswani, a real estate developer based in Curacao, to discuss her new project ZenCity.
Reena Daswani is the Vice President of the development team at ZenCity. Born and Raised in Curacao, Reena has a strong understanding of the local and Caribbean real estate markets, but also brings an international perspective. She recently graduated from The Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania with a Bachelor of Science in Economics concentrating in Real Estate and Finance. She previously worked at The Permal Group and Deutsche Bank Asset Management in New York as a Hedge Fund Analyst before moving back to Curacao to join her family’s real estate business.
GP: You’re currently developing a luxury villa community called ZenCity in Curacao (located in the Caribbean Sea). Could you tell us about the project?
The illusion of shifting masses as an architectural move is certainly not new. But the BUMPS in Beijing pulls it off with graphic flair and Japanese refinement (SAKO Architects).
The towers themselves are rotated 45 degrees from the north-south grid of the city, which consequently eliminates a truly north facing elevation and allows more natural light into the units.
Images via Arch Daily
Mexico City is one big bad city. It’s congested, sprawling and frenetic; but as the Distrito Capital Hotel clearly demonstrates, Mexico City is also exceptionally hip.
Designed by Parisian Joseph Dirand, the Distrito Capital is a 30 room boutique hotel that recently opened in the Sante Fe area — one of the cities’ business districts.
Images via Contemporist
“Une luxueuse manière de se sentir chez soi, pour quelques jours ou quelques semaines.” (La Réserve Paris)
There is a growing global trend towards apartment-style travel accommodations rather than conventional hotels. The objective is a more authentic experience of a city — in other words a residency as opposed to a tourist visit. One example of this is La Réserve in Paris which offers stays in its 10 apartments from 3 days to forever. With units ranging from roughly 150 square meters to 300 square meters, the exquisite La Réserve is obviously targeting an upscale niche market (How many hotels have you stayed in that have a Tom Ford coffee table book?). However, that doesn’t negate the fact that discerning global citizens are now beginning to demand that pied-à-terre feeling when they jet-set.
Image: La Réserve
The inaugural development by Blurredge Group — Lippincott Living — is set to break ground this fall in downtown Toronto’s Little Italy neighbourhood. The development team is a partnership between famed interior design group Cecconi Simone and Netkin Architect. Consistent with their respective backgrounds, the project strives to blur the distinction between interior and exterior spaces through intelligent and sustainable design.
The boutique infill project consists of 8 three-storey townhouses that range from C$869,000 to the low $900,000s. Each townhouse will be approximately 2000 square feet, so roughly $450 per square foot, and will feature outdoor terraces, a balcony, and a myriad of eco-sensitive features. Occupancy is expected in March 2010.
While the project will feature many sustainable initiatives such as green roofs and a LED-ready lighting system (LED lights are expected to be the next big thing), I would argue that perhaps the most significant “green” feature is its location. What’s great about infill developments — particularly ones like Lippincott that offer larger units — is that they create housing options for families in the core of the city. These are not first-time homes for folks on the way to the ‘burbs, these are fully fledged urban residences.
Why does this matter? It matters for a number of reasons.
Firstly, the land being developed is not greenfield land, it’s previously developed land that is simply being brought up to its highest and best use. In other words, no new land is being consumed.
Secondly, the density of a project like this mean that the land is being used more efficiently, than say in the suburbs. It also means that the city is able to service the units at a lower cost. Intensification is quite “green.”
What I’m effectively arguing is that New York is a more efficient city than Los Angeles. Per capita energy consumption is lower in New York because of the sheer efficiency in which the city houses its 8.4 million residents. New Yorkers take transit, they occupy less space, and they live in high-density dwellings. While many would argue that this translates into a lower quality of life, clearly it hasn’t hampered New York as a global city.
Lippincott Living is indicative of Toronto’s maturation as an urban centre. Intelligent design, environmental awareness and more urbanites living in the core are all things we should be striving for as a city.
Images: The Blurredge Group
Designed by Marcio Kogan Architects, the Paraty House in Paraty, Brazil (located between Sao Paulo and Rio de Janeiro) is a stunning assembly of 2 reinforced concrete boxes along the Brazilian coast.
One thing I’ve always admired about tropical & Mediterranean climates is the architectural possibility of blurring the interior and exterior spaces — something that isn’t so easy to achieve in northern cities. It happens, but it never has the same carefreeness.
Images: Contemporist
The Interlace Condominium in Singapore — designed by Rotterdam-based Office of Metropolitan Architects and being developed by a CapitaLand-led consortium — is going to be a 1,040 unit residential condominium with ground floor retail.
The architecture is comprised of a series of of 6-storey apartment blocks stacked on top of each other to form a series of inner courtyards and grand outdoor terraces.
Architect: Office of Metropolitan Architects (OMA)
Developer: CapitalLand Residential Singapore & Hotel Properties Limited
Gross Floor Area: 170,00 sqm (1.8M sqft)
Height: 24 stories
Image: CapitaLand Ltd & Hotel Properties Ltd via Archinect
Architect: Jorge Sousa Santos
Location: Arelho, Óbidos, Portugal
Photography: SG + FG
Images: ArchDaily
For Klaus Biesenbach — chief curator of media at the Museum of Modern Art in New York — it’s a stark and minimal flat on the Lower East Side, fully equipped with all of life’s necessities: a chair, mini-fridge, flat screen TV and a mattress.
“Small objects make me nervous,” says Biesenbach, 42, looking around his apartment on New York’s Lower East Side, which is notable for its lack of not only small objects but also large ones. [W Magazine]
Images: Dean Kaufman at W Magazine
“True luxury is custom made. Built by leaders in high end luxury estate homes, this five bedroom home incorporates local stone, sandblasted fir, heated floors, open beams and floor to ceiling windows that frame a view of the village, Whistler and Blackcomb mountains and Fissile Peak. Step through the one-of-a-kind pivot door and take in everything from the wine cellar and gym to the two rooftop patios. A chef’s kitchen and expansive entertainers’ patio, complete with a fireplace and hot tub, complete the space.” [Compass Pointe Whistler]
Compass Pointe Whistler [Official Site]
Luxury Property in Whistler, Canada [Adelto]
Photos from Adelto by Kristen Mcgaughey
The undulating curtain wall is almost complete on One Jackson Square and occupancy is slated for this summer. Designed by Kohn Pedersen Fox (KPF) and developed by Hines and RFR, the property will feature 35 ultra luxurious loft condominium residences.
According to Street Easy, prices are around US$2,500 per square foot, which seems very 2007.
Construction Watch: One Jackson Square’s Final Undulation [Curbed]
One Jackon Square [Street Easy]
Images from One Jackson Square [Official Site]
Coming to Rome: 62 luxury flats and duplexes by Armani/Casa — Giorgio Armani’s home furnishing company — in the heart of Rome at Via Cavour 220.
The historic site entails 6 buildings, including an old convent, and is within close proximity to Termini train station. The developer is Europa Risorse.
Prices are expected to be firmed up in September, but will start at around €1M for a 50 sq m studio. A triplex with private garden will run you more than €8.5M.
Giorgio Armani: High style meets hot property [Times Online UK]
Image from Cavour 220 [Official Site]
