building

NYC Building Boom Goes Bust

Changes in the famous NYC skyline would have been made but with the world in financial straits it seems new architectural icons will not mark the horizon anytime soon. Luxury apartments and swanky office spaces have been put on hold (some indefinitely) awaiting completion of financing and adequate percentage of tenants. Fortunately, some projects have not begun the process while others are already mid-process. Less than a year ago each of these projects were on their way but economic changes have taken their toll and some architectural dreams may never be realized. Hopefully, some of these shining new developments, shown in the gallery below, will someday share their unique design with this grand city.

Gallery: NYC Horizon Changes?

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Tags: architecture, building, new york, new york city, NewYork, NewYorkCity, nyc, nyc skyline, NycSkyline, skyline

Houston Building Projects Suffer In Credit Crunch

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Real Estate Developments

Just about every city is facing a building challenge these days. The Houston Chronicle recently rounded up a bunch of commercial real estate projects that have either been delayed or put on hold in the past six months. Part of the problem is finding financing. Banks are no longer willing to make big construction loans in this uncertain market, consumers are less likely to buy condos that they see are being riskier investments and it is harder for many to get mortgage approval. For Houston part of the problem is also the falling oil prices. Several of the developments that have been scrapped or delayed are luxury residential buildings as shown in the gallery below.

Gallery: Houston Building Projects

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Tags: building, condominiums, condos, houston, real estate development, RealEstateDevelopment

Seba Tower Planned for Abu Dhabi

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Estates

The latest large structure planned for the growing area of Abu Dhabi, the Seba tower, has a curvy appeal. This 50-story mixed-use tower will include retail space, offices and 316 apartment which will be available for rent by mid 2010. The curved bands around the tower are balconies offering views of the sea and the famous Abu Dhabi Corniche. The curves will be illuminated which will throw flashing "bands of light" against the sky. The tower will be topped with a rooftop terrace that includes a health club and an outdoor pool.

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Tags: abu dhabi, architecture, building, design, middle east, MiddleEast, seba tower, SebaTower, structure

Feel Like Godzilla in Your Own Home

by Rigel Celeste (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Decor

Okay, I'm not going to say these creations have no place anywhere, but I'm certainly going to say (in between fits of laughter) that appropriate placements for these Furniture Follies pieces are certainly limited! The idea is to have furniture in your home that is functional (storage chests, cupboards, TV cabinets...) yet interesting because it's all shaped like miniature buildings. And besides what you see here the creators are willing to work with you to create a bespoke piece just for you.

With this in my house I would totally feel like Godzilla, or King Kong, or somebody huge and I don't think I'd like it. But I could see these in a children's room maybe, that could be fun. Priced around £4500, depending.

Gallery: Furniture Follies

Via Wists

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Tags: building, buildings, dollhouse, dolls house, DollsHouse, follies, furniture, furniture follies, FurnitureFollies, godzilla, miniature

Palisades of Mount Adams

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Estates

I've seen a couple of luxury condo projects in the Cincinnati are but the Palisades of Mount Adams condominium project might be the most exclusive. There are just ten units in the seven-story building. The units in the building have private covered terraces, oversized showers, gas furnaces, granite countertops and high ceilings. The apartments in the tiered, seven-story building will sell for $1.2 million to $2 million and are expected to be completed at the end of the year.

Other projects we have covered in the Cincinnati area
SouthShore Residences
River Crossing

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Tags: building, cincinnati, condominiums, development, ohio

1 Hotel and Residences In Seattle

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Estates, Luxury Travel & Hotels

The latest big condo project in Seattle has broken ground. 1 Hotel and Residences is a 23-story, mixed-use development at Second Avenue and Pine Street in downtown Seattle. The hotel will have 110 city suites and 98 condominiums most of which are already under reservation for priority presales (the public sales debut is scheduled for September 2007). The $200 million project will have ten floors of condominium residences ranging in size from 800 square feet to more than 6,800 square feet. The 1 Hotel will be an eco-friendly, luxury hotel, part of Starwood Hotels new eco-friendly hotel chain. There will also be a 40,000 square foot full-service athletic club, a 8,000 square foot day spa, a restaurant and a specialty grocer with local and organic food. The project is expected to be completed in 2009.

Other condo projects we've covered in the Seattle area include:
Escala
1521 Second Avenue

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Tags: 1 hotel, 1Hotel, building, condominium, development, seattle

Park Fifth, Los Angeles To Get A New Skyscraper

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Estates

Downtown Los Angeles will look like a whole different city in a few years. A few months ago, I showed you the plans for Frank Gehry's Grand Avenue complex, now let's take a look at Park Fifth. The ambitious project is a $1-billion high-rise condominium complex overlooking Pershing Square park in downtown Los Angeles . The LA Times reveals the rendering for what will be the tallest residential building west of Chicago. The taller tower is 76 stories and will be one of Los Angeles's tallest skyscrapers. The shorter tower will be 43 stories. Construction could start as soon as early 2008, and the smaller tower, which will also be home to a 14-story five-star hotel could be open by 2010. The project's massive scale (732 condos and 218 hotel rooms) have some Los Angeles real estate watchers clucking nervously but it is hoped that in a few years the real estate market will have recovered and condo hunger will be on the rise again. The sales center for the condos is set to open this summer.

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Tags: building, condo, development, los angeles, LosAngeles, park fifth, skyscraper

Another Major Skyscraper Set To Rise In Toronto

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Estates

Another big condo/hotel comes to Toronto (joining Trump and a whole host of other projects). This one involves a developer from Kazakhstan. The Toronto Star reports that the building at the corner of Yonge and Bloor will be known as 1 Bloor and the developer, Bazis International, has permission to start work on the $450 million project. The 80-story residential tower will include three floors of retail space followed by a hotel and then condos on top of that, the classic three-layer combo we have seen in buildings around the world. Toronto architect Roy Varacalli has created a multi-part tower, one part, curved, faces west and the other, straight-edged and square, faces east. The idea is to mirror the two facets of the city, its buttoned-up side and its playful side. Bazis International also created the Crystal Blu condos in Toronto. One Bloor is scheduled to be completed by 2011. Christopher Hume of the Toronto Star thinks the building may be bit too glitzy for Toronto but it is restrained compared to other designs we've seen for the area.

[Thanks, Duarte]

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Tags: building, canada, condominium, hotel, toronto

LeBron James Plans A Massive Home

by Rigel Celeste (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Estates

The word "massive" really has its work cut out when it comes to describing the new house basketball player LeBron James is building himself and plans to move into next summer. In addition to absolutely "massive" living spaces like a two-story walk-in closet off the master suite, and not only a huge "great room" but an even bigger "grand room" as well, James really outdoes himself (and the rest of the neighborhood) with a casino, a bowling alley, and a barbershop included in the over 35,000 sq feet of house plans.

Throw in a Starbucks and a gas station and he can upgrade from "massive home" to "small town."

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Tags: basketball, bath township, BathTownship, building, estate, home, homes, house, houses, james, lebron, lebron james, LebronJames, mansion, massive home, MassiveHome, real estate, RealEstate, sports

Building 'Green' in a Big Way: The EcoManor

by Rigel Celeste (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Estates

With global warming becoming such an unavoidably huge issue, pretty much everybody has a soft spot for all things "eco." But that being said, not everybody takes it quite as far as Ted Turner's daughter, Laura Turner Seydel, and her husband did when they decided to built the biggest environmentally friendly home in the United States, the EcoManor.

It wasn't cheaper to build, although with features like recycled water from the showers irrigating the drought-resistant lawn, and rainwater-filled toilets, it will be cheaper to maintain -- 80 to 90 percent cheaper than other homes of similar size in the area. And with beautiful white linen wallpaper (made of recycled newspaper, of course) and natural lighting via solar tubes, the Seydels didn't have to sacrifice any style while they were doing their part to help the environment.

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Tags: building, construction, eco, eco-friendly, ecofriendly, ecomanor, environment, environmentally friendly, EnvironmentallyFriendly, global warming, GlobalWarming, LEED, mansion, recycle, recycled, Seydel, Turner

Reflections at Keppel Bay

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Estates

The rather stunning design shown here, a collection of six glass towers and 11 villa apartment blocks is another luxury project from starchitect Daniel Libeskind. Reflections at Keppel Bay will be going up in Singapore, offering 1,160 luxury residences along a shoreline. The towers are topped with sky gardens are are linked together with sky bridges. People are already signing up to live in the project which offers everything from modest 732 square foot studio apartments to a 12,900 square foot five-bedroom super penthouse.

[via Property Report]

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Tags: architect, architecture, building, daniel libeskind, DanielLibeskind, development, singapore

Jeriko House, Another Entry In The Hot Prefab Market

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Estates

Anyone who has ever flipped through an issue of Dwell knows that prefab homes can be quite attractive and deluxe these days. A new option in prefab comes from a New Orleans-based business owner, Shawn Burst, who is the founder of Jeriko House. Burst met with a German engineer to develop an interlocking aluminum framing system that is the basis of his new housing system. Each section is manufactured with the electrical and plumbing infrastructures already incorporated for ease of setup. There are five major design models and they will have details like Asian teak finishes, coconut skin walls, marble and ceramics sourced from around the world. The first Jeriko House will go up on May 1 in New Orleans and there are tentative plans for a 100-house development in Utah.

Burst has also promised a portion of Jeriko's first $7 million in profits to help build a Community Outreach Center on St. Charles Avenue in New Orleans. He has also planned that for every 10th Jeriko House sold, those ten homeowners will form a committee that votes to give a Jeriko House to a family in need somewhere in the U.S.

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Tags: building, housing, prefab, real estate

1521 Second Avenue

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Estates

The developers of Fifteen Twenty-One Second Avenue in Seattle have officially launched construction. The building will be Seattle's tallest residential high-rise. The 440-foot glass-and-steel tower is a residential high-rise meant to promote urban density and environmentally conscious living. Only three to five homes will be located on each floor. The building which has a protected water view over Pike Place Market and each apartment has a "glass room" (some with fireplaces) to take advantage of the gorgeous vista. The project is scheduled to open in 2008.

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Tags: 1521 second, 1521Second, building, seattle, skyscraper

Avalon Bay Asylum Project

by Nicole Weston (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Estates

The site of the Danvers State Hospital for the mentally ill in Massachusetts is being renovated by Avalon Bay Communities, Inc. into a complex of luxury condos. Avalon is planning on putting in 497 units in total. They intend to create a "'campus-like environment' with a swimming pool, WiFi cafe and fitness center. Rents will start around $1,400 for a one-bedroom, and about half-a-million dollars for a condo." The 40 or so buildings on the 75-acre property are being demolished, though the central portion of the original 313,000-square foot Kirkbridge building, pictured, is being preserved as an historical monument.

The hospital was built in the 1870's and has been called one of the "world's scariest buildings." Some people believe that it is even haunted. The architecture is Gothic and the majority of the rooms were built in the style of a dormitory, as the facility was meant to house around 600 patients. During the 1950s, allegations of various shock therapies and lobotomies being used to control the overcrowded facility that held more than 2,000 residents were common and continued until the Hospital was completely closed in 1992. Avalon Bay bought the facility for $18 million.

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Tags: apartments, asylum, building, condos, danvers, danvers state hospital, estate, gothic, haunted, historic, hospital, lunatic, massachusetts, mental hospital, patients, rennovation, world's scariest building