Zaha Hadid's 142-metre tower for French shipping company CMA CGM in Marseille is documented in these new images by London photographers Hufton + Crow (+ slideshow).
Tuesday, 26 March 2013
Monday, 25 March 2013
Tallest building in southern hemisphere
News: a 388-metre-high hotel and apartment building, which will be the tallest building in the southern hemisphere when completed, has been approved by planners in Melbourne, Australia.
Sunday, 24 March 2013
Queen Alia International Airport by Foster + Partners
Foster + Partners drew inspiration from Bedouin tents to create a canopy of domes over a new airport terminal that opened yesterday in Amman, Jordan (+ slideshow).
Element tables by Tokujin Yoshioka for Desalto
Tables by Japanese designer Tokujin Yoshioka have tops that appear to balance precariously on angled stands.
Wednesday, 20 March 2013
Tuesday, 19 March 2013
Solar Powered Floating Homes
Life is reported to have started in the oceans with the first creatures coming ashore about 3 billion years ago. With 71% of the Earth’s surface made up of ocean water humans may spend the next few millennia re-inhabiting it.
While most people will not be able to afford their own tropical island the next best thing might be a Floating Island Home or a Solar Powered Floating Home. RAFAA Architects has helped design the Solar City Tower for the Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro scheduled for completion in 2016, a new Bike Share System in Copenhagen, and a 392-megawatt Solar Thermal Power facility in the Mojave Desert, California.
The concept of a Solar Powered Floating Homes originated in the lakes of Germany where there was a keen interest in floating homes. RAFFA’s architects wanted to design a conventional house and combine it with swimming architecture. This called for the creation of a new typology for designing floating homes and the architects believed that living on the water needed to be rethought.
The floating home is designed on two levels. The upper deck is the more spacious with 8.2 foot ceilings. The lower deck includes sleeping bunks, equipment and hatches. All beds couches and seats are retractable allowing multiple configurations. The living space includes a kitchen, a bathroom and two bedrooms.
The design was created to reflect the undulating shape of waves on a waterfront or ocean beach. The windows which are also retractable provide wide-open views of the water. The overall feeling of being on a Solar Powered Floating Home is that of an intense nature experience.
The current design is 16 x 48 feet. While there is no price yet RAFAA Architects have already received orders and manufacturing is expected to begin in 2013.
A company called Orsos has designed a Floating Island Home which is 65 x 121′ and can accommodate 12 guests. It is a completely sustainable Island with baton of us power supplied by the solar energy system. Excess energy produced by the systems is stored in state-of-the-art batteries. The price tag is considerably more at around $5 million.
Singapore’s $6.6 Billion Marina Bay Sands
Singapore’s Marina Bay Sands Hotel opened 2.5 years ago at a cost of $6.6 billion. It’s a 2,561 room hotel and casino that includes restaurants, bars, upscale shopping malls, a museum and a SkyPark with a 492 foot (150 m) swimming pool.
The largest and highest pool in the world is located on the 57th floor of Marina Bay Sands and offers a 360° panoramic views of Singapore and Marina Bay. Swimmers report feeling they are about to fall off the edge when swimming toward the skyline.
The park is only open to hotel guests which provides privacy and exclusivity. Room rates start at $399 with the high roller suites costing $14,000 per night. This is a mere pittance when compared with the Grand Resort Lagonissi in Athens at $47,000, a night or the Palms Casino Resort Hotel in Las Vegas at $38,000, or a night, or the Four Seasons Hotel in Manhattan at $32,000 per night. If you’ve got the money, it’s probably well worth it!
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