The Visioniare condominium complex in Manhattan's Battery Park City has received LEED Platinum certification from the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC), marking it the only LEED Platinum condominium on the east coast. The complex offers energy savings of more than 40 percent and has a high-efficiency air filtration system that conditions, filters and supplies fresh air to each home. A water treatment system recycles water and provides make-up water for the HVAC system cooling tower. The 35-story curved-glass tower has 247 units with a rooftop garden, solar panels and a central heating and cooling system powered by natural gas. Units cost from $825,000 to $2,950,000.

Visionaire is famous for its unique editions and the latest takes advantage of the summer sun in fascinating way. The Visionaire 56 SOLAR uses the latest in printing technology to create a book that is two different experiences. Viewed indoors under normal light an all white book contains black and white photographs. Take it outside and the case is alive with color and the photos inside change colors too. Calvin Klein is the designer supporting this issue and contributing artists include Yoko Ono, Mario Sorrenti, Alex Katz and Peter Lindbergh. There are 3,000 copies which sell for $250 each. You can get a sneak preview of the color change in action on the Visionaire website.

[via Vogue UK]

The Wall Street Journal reported that Visionaire magazine -- a publication where design, marketing, style, trends and art intersect -- is charging $50,000 for a special Goyard trunk designed for its collectors. The handmade trunk will house the magazine's first 50 issues. This summer, Visionaire also will offer 10 complete sets of its first 50 issues in the Goyard trunks for $150,000. The customized steamer trunks, assembled by hand, will have shelves and insets designed for all 50 issues. Collectors also can buy an empty trunks for €34,500 ($54,000).

From its premiere issue in April 1991 (now up to 54 issues, with each issue typically priced between $150 - $350), Visionaire "challenged notions of what it meant to be an art and fashion publication and was conceived of as a venue for artists such as Mario Testino and Steven Meisel to publish personal work," WSJ stated. It has morphed into something more like a design challenge for its many contributors.

Each issue (which can take between nine months and three years to complete) is typically a mixed-media riff on a theme, posing an ongoing set of challenges to a small crew of designers. For example, White began with the question: How do you publish without using ink? Answer: a combination of Braille, embossing, varnish and paper-cut illustrations. Scent came with perfume capsules, Taste had specially-designed flavor-strips and Sound featured a Mini Cooper toy car that played record albums.

Louis Vuitton lovers will have a unique temptation this fall. The next issue of the pricey periodical Visionaire will be guest edited by Marc Jacobs. The issue will feature photos of the famously fashionable (Drew Barrymore, Selma Blair, Lil' Kim, Scarlett Johansson, Stephanie Seymour, Gisele Bündchen et al.) by noted fashion photographers Mert Alas and Marcus Piggott. The biggest draw for the 192-page edition will probably be that it comes in a limited-edition Louis Vuitton gold Monogram Miroir case. You can get yours starting October 1 for $375.