Posts filed under 'Luxury Estates'
Every year more than 37 million people visit Las Vegas, a city that’s home to 17 of the 20 largest hotels in the world. In 2008 Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide, Inc., in partnership with Edge Resorts, will enter this vital market with its W Las Vegas offering a mix of hotel, condo-hotel, and residential units. The project will be located at the intersection of Harmon Avenue and Koval Lane, 500 meters east of the famed Las Vegas Strip.
About Edge Group: Edge Group, LLC is a development and investment company formed in 2004 by principals Trevor Pearlman, Reagan Silber and Adam Frank to focus on real estate and gaming primarily in the Las Vegas market. Edge Group is the parent company of Edge Resorts LLC, which has formed a partnership with Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide, Inc. to build The W Las Vegas Hotel, Casino and Residences. Edge Resorts owns 75% of the venture; Starwood owns the remainder and will manage the hotel.
The W Las Vegas will be located on 24.5 acres at the intersection of Harmon Avenue and Koval Lane, in the heart of Las Vegas’ most exciting development corridor, 500 meters east of the famed Las Vegas Strip. The development will be comprised of a mix of hotel, condo-hotel and residential units, offering owners a combination of poolside cabanas, studios, one and two-bedroom condominiums, with the benefits of being attached to a W Hotel.
The
W Las Vegas will feature the brand’s trademark modern design aesthetic throughout, multiple destination dining and nightlife venues, including a partnership with Hollywood nightlife impresario Amanda Scheer Demme, a signature W Hotel casino, the first for the brand, a Bliss Spa, a fitness center, and hotel and residential units. Residential owners at The W Las Vegas will experience W Hotel’s world-class amenities and signature Whatever/Whenever, W Hotel’s 24-hour concierge service while in the comfort of their own home.
April 4th, 2006
Underneath it all, celebrities may be just like the rest of us. But that doesn’t mean that behind it all–privet hedges, wrought-iron gates and watchful doormen–they live like your average American. Sure, they tend to cluster with people of like minds and incomes, just like everyone else. But that means the Malibu bluffs, Aspen slopes, Hamptons beaches and Miami waterfront. And like the rest of us, celebrities consider their homes sanctuaries. But getting a little peace and quiet can be difficult when magazines are willing to pay thousands of dollars for a shot of you shopping in your sweats or picking up the kids’ toys on the lawn.
They have a range of tastes–some like edgy modern mansions, others glass-walled penthouses or vintage estates. But unlike many of us, they can afford to indulge those desires.
Hip-hop mogul
Sean “P. Diddy” Combs has a glitzy spread in Alpine, N.J., as well as a three-bedroom Manhattan condo with views of Central Park.
P. Diddy has a major mansion in Alpine, N.J., but every hip-hop mogul needs an urban home. In 2004, he paid about $5 million for his three-bedroom spread in the Park Imperial in midtown Manhattan. The apartment has exposures on three sides, including a view of
Central Park, and his neighbors include music man Tommy Mottola and holistic healer and author Deepak Chopra.
April 3rd, 2006
Lovingly created, Hill House is an extraordinary estate of unsurpassed elegance set amidst approximately 115 acres of unspoiled native beauty. Hiking trails weave through lush forests abundant with wildlife from rushing creeks, spectacular rock outcroppings to sun-splashed hills and meadows. A stone, two-story gate house greets you and magnificent wrought iron gates invite you into a compound of award winning, manicured gardens where every turn offers beauty. From the limestone entry hall to the mahogany library, the main house was created with unparalleled craftsmanship and quality rarely seen. A guest apartment, gym and pool pavilion that seems conjured from a dream complete this tranquil wine country estate within minutes of the historic Sonoma Plaza.
March 25th, 2006
World’s Tallest Buildings
Soaring 1,670 feet (509 meters), the Taipei 101 Tower in Taipei, Taiwan appears to be the world’s tallest building. But the Taipei 101 Tower’s massive 60-foot spire contributes to much of that height.
Before the Taipei 101 Tower was completed, the Petronas Twin Towers in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia were described as the tallest buildings in the world.
But, like the Taipei 101 Tower, the Petronas Twin Towers get much of their height from spires, not from usable space.
If you count only habitable space and measure from the sidewalk level of the main entrance to the structural top of building (excluding flagpoles and spires), then Chicago’s Sears Tower, built in 1974, may still be the tallest building in the world.
But none of these buildings will keep their rankings for long. Even taller buildings are on the drawing board. Freedom Tower at the new World Trade Center in New York City is expected to rise 541 meters (1,776 feet) tall, including its enormous spire.
However, if spires, flagpoles, and antennas can be counted when we measure building heights, perhaps rankings of the World’s Tallest Buildings should include all man-made structures, whether or not they contain habitable space. In this case, the CN Tower in Canada is the world’s tallest building. The communications tower and tourist attraction measures 553.33 meters (1,815 ft., 5 inches) tall.
Taipei 101, Taipei
Designers and Builders: C.Y. Lee and Partner, Architects, and Turner International Industries, Inc., project and construction management
Vital Statistics: With a massive 60-foot spire inspired by Twaiwan’s native bamboo plant, Taipei 101 Tower is one of the tallest buildings in the world. At 508 meters (1,667 feet) high, the tower and its spire outrank the Petronas Twin Towers in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Taipei Tower has 198,347 m2 (2,336,000 sq. ft.) of office space, 77,033 m2 (796,000 sq. ft.) of retail space, and 83,000 m2 (893,000 sq. ft.) of parking space for more than 1,800 vehicles.
Earthquake Safety: Designing a building this large presented unique challenges because Taiwan is subject to typhoons and earthquakes. To counter movement, a tuned mass damper system has been incorporated into the structure. The 800-metric ton (1,764,000 lbs.), spherical steel mass is located on level 88 and will be visible from the restaurant and observation decks. The system transfers the energy from the building to the swinging sphere, providing a stabilizing force.
Special Design Features: The design of Taipei 101 borrows heavily from Chinese culture. Both the building’s interior and exterior incorporate the Chinese pagoda form and the shape of bamboo flowers. The lucky number eight, which means blooming or success, is represented by the eight clearly delineated exterior sections of the building.
Observation Deck : Located on floors 89 and 91, the observation decks include the highest restaurant in Taiwan. Two high-speed elevators reach a maximum speed of 1,010 meters/minute (55 ft./second) when traveling to the 89th floor.
Petronas Towers, Kuala Lumpur
Each of the twin Petronas Towers is 88 stories plus an additional architectural point (at 1242 feet), plus a tall spire to 1483 feet.
At 1483 feet (452m) tall, the tallest building in the world at the date of its completion, measured to the highest point. However, the Sears Tower in Chicago still has the highest occupied building floor, more than 200 feet higher than the highest occupied floor of the Petronas Towers.
The foundation under each tower is a 4.5 meter thick, 32,500 tonne raft containing 13,200 m of grade 60 concrete, supported by 104 barrette piles driven into the soft rock.
A steel skybridge connects the towers 170m (558 feet) above the ground at the 41st and 42nd floors. The bridge is open to the public.
The security system includes a card access and alarm monitoring system, closed circuit television, a voice intercom, and a photo ID system.
The two towers have a total of 76 lifts, including 29 double-decker high speed passenger lifts in each tower. Each double-decker elevator can carry 26 persons.
The architectural and engineering team was chosen on the basis of its experience with the Miglin-Beitler Skyneedle, a world’s-tallest proposal from Chicago with a narrow concrete structure that was very similar to the Petronas design.
Sears Tower, Chicago IL
Chicago became home to the world’s tallest building in 1973 when the Sears Tower was topped off. The Sears Tower remained the tallest building in the world until February 13, 1996. The Sears Tower continues to be the tallest building in North America.
On July 10, 1997, the Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat met in Chicago to announce new standards with four categories for measuring tall buildings. These categories are:
Height to the structural or architectural top.
Height to the highest occupied floor.
Height to the top of the roof.
Height to the top of antenna.
The Sears Tower leads in the second and third categories. The height to the top of the roof is 1,450 feet and the height to the highest occupied floor is 1,431. The twin Petronas Towers in Malaysia win the first category with its 111-foot decorative spires.
Sitting on two city blocks and rising one quarter mile (1,454 feet) above the ground, the Tower’s 110 stories comprise some 4.5 million gross square feet of office and commercial space. It was designed by the architectural firm of Skidmore, Owings and Merrill, and was constructed in a little less than two and half years.
Jin Mao Tower, Shanghai SH
The Jin Mao Building, the tallest building in China, was built by the Shanghai Jian Gong Group and was completed on 18 March 1999.
The Jin Mao Building is almost as tall as Petronas Towers in Kuala Lumpur and Sears Tower in Chicago. It is the highest in China and the third highest in the world. The building is located in the Lu Jia Zui district in Huang Pudong east. There are three basement levels and 88 storeys. The total GFA is 289,500 sq m and the height of the tower is 420.5 m or 1,381 feet
The building is designed by US architectural firm Skidmore Owings & Merrill, and was built by the Shanghai Jian Gong Group, the first Chinese national construction group to tackle such a large and significant project. Construction of the Jin Mao Building began in June 1994, and the building was completed by March 1999.
2 International Finance Centre, Hong Kong HK
CITIC Plaza, Guangzhou GD
Shun Hing Square, Shenzhen GD
Empire State Building, New York City NY
Central Plaza, Hong Kong HK
March 12th, 2006
The Palm Trump International Hotel and Tower, also referred to as Trump Tower Dubai, will be the luxury centerpiece building of the Palm Golden Mile, located on the trunk of the Palm Jumeirah. Shaped like an opening tulip, the gold condo-apartment hotel will have five hundred 1, 2, and 3 bedroom apartments and penthouses, each with a sea view and access to five-star amenities.
The Palm Trump International Hotel and Tower will be a 50-storey building, rising 360 meters (1,181 feet) high. The development will also include a selection of high-end boutiques, fine dining, signature roof top restaurants, bars, swimming pools, and a luxurious spa and health club. The AED 1.46 billion (US$ 400 million) hotel will be the first joint venture between Al Nakheel and The Trump Organization, who’s president and chairman is Donald Trump.
Construction on the Palm Trump Hotel and Tower is expected to begin in early 2006.
Location - The Palm Jumeirah, Dubai, United Arab Emirates
March 8th, 2006
OPENING DATE: January 15, 1997
LOCATION: Trump International Hotel & Tower is located in Manhattan at the juncture of Columbus Circle, Central Park West, Central Park South and Broadway. It is adjacent to Central Park and three city blocks away from Lincoln Center. The location provides easy access to Midtown businesses, the Broadway Theater District, and the recreation in Central Park.
DESCRIPTION: Designed by noted architects Philip Johnson and Costas Kondylis, the 52-story tower features 167 luxury hotel accommodations on its third to 17th floors. Guest rooms have just undergone a soft goods renovation.
ACCOMMODATIONS: The hotel features 167 luxury accommodations, including 38 deluxe and superior guest rooms, 89 executive one-bedroom suites and 40 two bedroom suites, all with splendid marble bathrooms and most with fully equipped European-style kitchens.
SIGNATURE SERVICES: A new concept in luxury hospitality, a Trump Attach provides guests with comprehensive service - no matter how particular - throughout their stay. Following check-out, the Attach meticulously records each guest’s preferences and maintains a detailed guest history to ensure that no stay feels like the first and no request needs repeating.
DINING: The hotel’s five-star restaurant, Jean Georges, serves contemporary French cuisine. The restaurant bears the name of its award winning chef, Jean-Georges Vongerichten, whose other New York restaurants include the highly praised Vong, Jo Jo, 66 and Mercer Kitchen. For an exceptional experience, room service literally brings the hotel’s restaurant to a guest’s room, and is available 24 hours. With advance notice, an in-room chef can be arranged to prepare culinary specialties in a guest’s kitchen, and present the gourmet meal course by course.
FITNESS CENTER AND SPA: The 6,000-square-foot facility features a 55-foot lap pool and state-of-the-art athletic equipment.For additional fees, the fitness center offers personal training sessions as well as accompanied biking and jogging work-outs in Central Park. PLUStraining, an individually designed, computer-generated personal exercise program, is also available. The spa offers nutritional consulting, as well as a wide range of massages, herbal wraps, body glow treatments and manicures and pedicures. In-room massages and nail treatments can also be arranged.
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March 8th, 2006
The Clinton Presidential Center is a new model for Presidential libraries, serving as a public policy center, national archive and media-rich exhibition space. The library’s design pays homage to the architecture and traditions of some of the world’s great libraries. Its dramatic, vertical space punctuated by floor-to-ceiling piers was inspired by the library at Trinity College in Dublin, Ireland.
The piers contain boxes of original documents from the presidential archives and frame the 16 policy alcoves within which the history of the Clinton administration unfolds.
The visitor’s journey is anchored by two major spatial events that signify the beginning and end of the museum experience: the Cabinet Room and the Oval Office. A 120-foot timeline chronicling the eight years of the Clinton administration’s work runs through the middle of the hall and serves as the historical and physical backbone to the exhibits.
The exhibits’ graphic design draws on journalistic standards by avoiding stylistic frills and utilizing bold typography and clear illustrations to present factual and statistical information
February 22nd, 2006
Microsoft’s chief visionary moving further away from day-to-day corporate work. For the first time did not offer a strategy outlook at this year’s financial analyst meeting. Instead, prefers to dive into innovative projects, foster collaboration among Microsoft’s many divisions. Microsoft aims to be omnipotent, selling software for PCs, servers, cell phones, television set-top boxes, gaming consoles, the Web. Fifteen product launches slated for the next year and a half, including new version of Windows, called Vista, and gaming console Xbox 360.
At the ripe (tech sector) age of 30, Gates’ company impressively beats rivals in profit margins, market capitalization and R&D budget, but its sales growth is slowing to a (recently) single-digit percentage pace. Like elder statesman of computing, IBM, has been investing heavily in its own stock ($8 billion worth so far). Diversifies methodically, selling 20 million shares every quarter, reinvesting through Cascade Investment. Big stakes in Canadian National Railway, Republic Services, Berkshire Hathaway. Philanthropy, via $29 billion Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, aimed at fighting infectious disease (hepatitis B, AIDS, malaria) and improving high schools.
Net Worth: $51.0 billion
February 21st, 2006
