tower

Ulysse Nardin Spasskaya Tower Watch

For proud Russians living outside of Russia, Ulysse Nardin offers this new limited edition Spasskaya Tower watch. Why for Russians outside of Russia? Because historically, limited edition watches made in honor of a certainly country or region, are almost exclusively purchased by people living outside of that place. Spasskaya Tower has a very interesting history. Originally built back in 1491, the tower is one of the Kremlin Towers in Moscow now. Overlooking Red Square, Spasskaya has been part of the scene in Russian history for a long, long time. In honor of the tower, Ulysse Nardin transformed their Maxi Marine into a wrist watch version of the tower clock. The hands and hour indicators match the clock perfectly, while the rest of the watch is all Maxi Marine Diver.

Case is 43mm wide in 18k rose gold (WR 200m), and the watch contained a Ulysse Nardin calibre 26 automatic movement (base ETA). The movement has a subsidiary seconds dial, date, and power reserve indicator, as well as being COSC Chronometer certified. The case is matched to a rubber strap that has a few links in it. As Ulysse Nardin is the most popular luxury watch in Russia, a watch like this makes sense. Not sure about price, as well as the number of piece in the limited edition. Don't expect it to be cheap though... that might dishonor the great tower!

Ariel Adams publishes the luxury watch reviews site aBlogtoRead.com.

Tags: russia, spasskaya, tower, ulysse nardin, watch

24 Karat Gold Tokyo Tower

by Rigel Celeste (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Art

It's always interesting to see what people are making out of gold, and this time it's a replica of the Tokyo Tower.

Made of 24 karat gold and true-to-detail in almost every way (except size of course) the replica even includes a representation of the four story shopping and dining center called Foot Town located at the tower's base.

The gold masterpiece stands about 26 inches high and weighs in at 11 lbs. Price? $510,000.

Source

Tags: tokyo, tokyo tower, TokyoTower, tower

Gipsy Tower, Estate of the Day

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Estates

The Gipsy Tower is one of the most unique dwellings in London. It was designed in 1861 by John Giles in a medieval gothic style. The detached 120' High Grade II listed "Castle Church" is located within easy reach of Central London with off-street parking. The ground floor features a hall, reception area and kitchen. A carved stone spiral staircase leads to the master bedroom with en-suite bathroom, two further bedrooms with en-suite bath/shower rooms plus a bedroom/study. It has phenomenal views over the city. It is listed in the U.S. with John Bruce Nelson for $5.495 million.

Experience more lush living in luxury homes and mansions or see the stars living large with celebrity homes galleries at AOL Real Estate.

Gallery: Gipsy Tower

Source

Tags: england, estate of the day, EstateOfTheDay, gipsy tower, GipsyTower, london, tower

Continue reading “Gipsy Tower, Estate of the Day ”

Shanghai Tower Breaks Ground

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Real Estate Developments

We've seen a lot of tower projects in trouble lately but one that will be the highest tower in China has broken ground. The Shanghai Tower will be a 2,073 foot tower located in the Luijiazui Finance and Trade Zone in Shanghai. The district, which was once farmland will be home to three skyscrapers including the Shangai Tower, Jin Mao Tower and Shanghai World Financial Center. The three form a past, present, feature configuration with the sustainable design of the Shanghai Tower as a symbol of China's future. The tower will hold office and retail space, a luxury hotel and cultural venues. It's not the place to be if you are acrophobic, it will have the world's highest non- enclosed observation deck. The building's wind-diffusing, 120-degree spiral shape includes a "double skin" that insulates the building. The funnel-shaped roof can store rainwater and wind turbines will help provide enough electricity to power the building's outer lighting. It is set to be completed in 2014.

Source

Tags: china, shangai, skyscraper, tower

Plans For U2 Tower Put On Hold

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Real Estate Developments

The latest architectural project to be shelved due to the economic crisis is the planned U2 Tower in Dublin, Ireland. The tower which has been in the planning stages for several years, was to have been the tallest building in Ireland. The Dublin Docklands Development Authority has said they are still committed to the project and are just putting it on hold until monetary conditions improve. The tower was supposed to have a recording studio for U2 at the top of the building as well as 180 apartments priced at over one million euros each, a price that now seems unreasonable as Ireland faces recession.

Source

Tags: dublin, ireland, tower, u2

Race Car Driver Michael Schumacher Gets His Own Tower

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Sports, Real Estate Developments

Another big project for Abu Dhabi. Plans have been revealed for the Michael Schumacher World Champion Tower in the Central Business District of Reem Island, Abu Dhabi, It will be a wharf tower integrated with the water on the seafront and will include a luxury marina. The tower will be developed by Marasi and PYNG. The tower is the first of seven ttowers to be built around the world, one for each of the seven Formula One World Championship titles that Michael Schumacher won during his career.

Gallery: Abu Dhabi

Source

Tags: abu dhabi, michael schumacher, MichaelSchumacher, skyscraper, tower

Europe's Biggest Residential Tower Stalls Out

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Real Estate Developments

Another big residential project has hit the skids and this one's a biggie. The Lumiere tower in Leeds, England was set to be tallest residential tower in Western Europe. Now plans for the £225m development and its 992 units are on hold, ostensibly until the market gets a little better and the economy is stronger. The project was halted after the foundations were finished and the developer plans to pick up where they left off once conditions improve. The developer says this could be as early as November but I bet it could be a bit longer than that.

Source

Tags: england, leeds, lumiere, skyscraper, tower

The Plans For Europe's Largest Residential Tower

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Estates

It looks like the plans to develop Europe's tallest residential building are set to for forward. The Inacity Tower will be a 60-story tower located next to Manchester Piccadilly station in England. Ballymore, and international property development and investment group, has now taken a 95% interest in what is also being called the Piccadilly Tower project. The tower will have 430 residential units in phase one and the second phase will add an additional 267 residential units added and a luxury hotel. Construction is set to start early next year. No completion date or potential pricing has been released yet.

Source

Tags: condominiums, england, machester, residential tower, tower

The Gazprom Tower Could Cost St. Petersburg Its Heritage Title

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Estates

Check out the building on the right. Not the worst example of architecture I've seen but not the most fabulous either, especially when you consider that it is to be plopped down into the city of St. Petersburg, Russia, a city which has an almost fairy-tale-like beauty. The Russian gas company Gazprom wants to erect the tower next to the 18th century Smolny cathedral and use it as their headquarters. An article in The Guardian reports the city's unique low-rise skyline is in peril and that the city may lose its designation as a world heritage site. Unesco has said that Russia has until next February to submit a report on the projects impact and Marcio Barbosa, deputy director general of Unesco, is quoted as saying that if the situation does not change the site might be put on a list of sites that are in danger. The tower's architect, Philip Nikandrov, says the building anchors the city's panorama and will be a beautiful addition to the city. Building has not started on the tower yet.

It reminds me of a few other towers we've seen such as Gherkin and the Fordham Spire. I wonder if these similar skyscrapers lead to a certain homogenization of cities, where the skyline, once a distinctive fingerprint of place, becomes practically interchangeable all around the world.

Source

Tags: architecture, gazprom, russia, saint petersburg, skyscraper, tower, unesco

Granby Tower

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Estates

Norfolk, Virginia is the latest town to show up on my condo radar with the announcement that construction has begun at Granby Tower, Norfolk's new condominium/townhouse project that will, at 34 stories, become one of the tallest buildings in the city. The 300-unit building will include office space and retail space as well as condos which start as low as $270,000 and go up to $2.6 million for the penthouses all of which have already been sold. The project is set to be completed in November 2009.

Source

Tags: condominium, granby tower, GranbyTower, norfolk, tower, virginia

Torre Bicentenario, Mexico Celebrates Independence With A Large Tower

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Estates

Mexico City will have a new tower that will be Latin America's tallest building. Mexico City is already home to the tallest building in Latin America, the Torre Mayor which is 738 feet (55 stories). The new building, the Torre Bicentenario will be 984 feet tall and 85 stories. The building will be home to offices, restaurants and a convention center and will cost an estimated $600 million. The design is by Rem Koolhaas famed for his designs of the Prada stores in New York and Los Angeles and other places as well as the Seattle Central Library. The building is set to be completed in 2010, when Mexico celebrates 200 years since the start of its battle for independence from Spain. Not the most stunning design I've ever seen but perhaps the low center of gravity provides some protection again earthquakes.

Source

Tags: mexico, mexico city, rem koolhaas, skyscraper, torres bicentenario, TorresBicentenario, tower

Trump's Toronto Tower Gets A Trim

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Estates

A few months ago, I mentioned that Donald Trump's 70-storyToronto tower was a go. Seems those reports were premature, the tower will go up but not quite as high as planned. The Toronto Star reports that the tower is getting a bit of a shave, down to 57 stories. The new plans lop off 11 residential floors and two hotels floors but the overall number of units has gone up (with a decrease in unit size).

The Toronto tower has been a slow seller by Trump standards although now it looks to be 80% sold in the pre-construction stage. Concerns over the elevators and the HVAC system were also cited as reasons for the downsizing. The building will still be lavish with massive penthouses spanning up to 7,719 square feet and a wide variety of multi-million dollar properties for sale.

Source

Tags: condominium, donald trump, DonaldTrump, skyscraper, toronto, tower

Liverpool To Get The U.K.'s Highest Living Spaces

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Estates

The town of Liverpool in England may become home to the highest living space in the entire U.K. The King Edward Tower is a £130m skyscraper which will have 54 stories with 412 apartments, 25,000 sq ft of commercial office space and 7,500 sq ft of retail and leisure space. The penthouses on the 54th floor will be the highest living spaces in the country. The top of the tower will also have a rooftop bar/ restaurant that will have an express elevator from the ground floor. Construction is planned to start in mid-2008 and is projected to take three years.

Source

Tags: england, king edward tower, liverpool, tower

The Shapery Park Tower, Does It Remind You Of Anything?

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Estates

We are back in San Diego today because I couldn't see this development and not comment on it. The Shapery Park Tower as conceived by developer Sandor Shapery is in the news because the design has been called phallic by Gwynne Pugh, an architect hired by the downtown redevelopment agency to review building designs . Shapery has said that he thought the 40-story residential tower, created by architect C.W. Kim resembled the shape of a flower. Now he finds himself in the awkward position of having to perhaps tone down the design.

The building is to contain 90 hotel/condominium suites, 30 one bedroom condominium suites, 42 two bedroom condominium suites, one penthouse condominium suite, a spa/health club, pool and 164 parking spaces located in the project parking garage. The building would be crowned by a restaurant, a roof-top bar and an observatory topped out with back lit canvas petals.

The design of the tower had and additional purpose, energy conservation. The plan was to use ice blocks in the air conditioning system and then reuse the melted water in the swimming pool, laundry and for irrigation. The project's water features are also designed to function as cooling towers for the air-conditioning system. Photovoltaic glass will be installed on the south side building balconies to reduce each tenant's electrical requirements.

I've always thought the Aegon Center in Louisville had a similar problem, especially when lit up at night. Boing Boing has an excellent list going of buildings and structures that also resemble nature's most excellent design.

Source

Tags: park tower, phallic, san diego, sandor shapery, shapery, tower

A Diamond Tower Planned For Siberia

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Estates

Another amazing design from Foster and Partners. The innovative design firm that we most recently covered when they announced their plans for a carbon-neutral city in Abu Dhabi, has now created an ecological tower in Khanty Mansiysk in Siberia. The mixed-used building includes a tower which rises above two buildings that are designed in the shape of faceted diamonds. The design is created to keep the interior flooded with natural light and will have a viewing platform and restaurant at the top. Again Foster and Partners have been skimpy on the details, but the design is intriguing.

[via Sci Fi Tech]

Source

Tags: architecture, construction, design, development, foster and partners, FosterAndPartners, siberia, siberian, tower

Continue reading “A Diamond Tower Planned For Siberia”