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The Jalousie Enclave

Pascal Mahvi, the developer of the Jalousie Plantation Resort & Spa, and hospitality expert Monty Zullo have announced a new community in the heart of the Val des Pitons on the island of St. Lucia. The Jalousie Enclave will be the only residential development on Jalousie Bay and the first green resort in the world that gives buyers the opportunity to own property in a designated World Heritage Site. The residential resort consists of 21 two or three-bedroom villas and 52 estates situated within a World Heritage Site designated by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) in 2004. The 196-acre property is nestled in the Val des Pitons, on the edge of a rainforest and facing coral reefs along the coastline A protected marine park in the waters of The Jalousie Enclave's deeded-access beach offers some of the Caribbean's best dives. All structures at theJalousie Enclave will be built to LEED standards.. Low-hanging fruit trees will be planted to aid natural runoff and the resort will use filtered gray water in each home's toilets, solar-powered water heaters and some green roofs. Properties are sold freehold and owners have the option to rent or re-sell with no restrictions. Property management provides turnkey maintenance and staffing of trained butlers, maids and cooks for each estate. The Jalousie Enclave will also include a spa and two fine dining restaurants in the planned $7 million clubhouse, as well as a private club pool and lake. Each lot will come with membership to one of the seven new PGA courses. Ground was broken on the project this week and a soft open is scheduled for the end of 2010.

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Tags: jalouise enclave, JalouiseEnclave, resort, st lucia, StLucia, unesco

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.

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