Event: Columbia University invites Zaha Hadid

Columbia University is validating its name once more for being an incredible academic institution by offering lectures as this tonight to its students and guests... The Graduate School of Architecture, Planning and Preservation is hosting Zaha Hadid to discuss about her recent works and her thoughts about the future in architectural design in line of the recent economic events. Zaha has just launched her recent creation in New York, a Pavilion in Central Park that features objets de la Maison Chanel...  More on this... soon!  

Architecture: The Dream House

This could easily be the definition of an oasis... the private house in Arizona designed by the owners themselves, Sarah Swartz Wessel and Ethan Wessel of Tennen Studio is sited on a rocky slope planted with agave, desert mikweed and night-blooming cacti. The 10,500 SF house carries a strong influence of Asian design that is eminent to all of the work of Tennen Studio. The house is projected out from the slope, taking advantage of the mountain views mostly rather than the valley near by. Its undeniable how this modern creation has a timeless element to it... With the use of natural materials, the house is perfectly embraced within the natural landscape. The art above, a Lucien Wercollier bronze sculpture, is just icing on the cake! 

via Architectural Digest 

Architecture: a Sheik's High-Tech McMansion...

While architecture and new developments have come to a halt, due to the current economic crisis, one place that is still keeping things busy is Qatar. This private villa was designed by Project A01 architects, based in Vienna, located in the West Bay Lagoon area in Doha.  The beach house, with a very Zaha Hadid air to it, has blended modernism and heritage perfectly, by embedding local ornamental and traditional patterns in its context. 

Architecture: The Green House

We love when New York gets greener and especially it's rooftops... Above is real estate developer Matthew Blesso's 3,000 SF penthouse in Lower Manhattan, a New York heaven, that cost over $1 Million in renovation. The house now includes a herb garden, full of peppermint and spearmints, and wooden floors. 

Architecture: Minimal wonder...

...is what architect Len Marmol and partner Ron Radzinger created by renovating and expanding interior designer Carole Katleman's 1963 Beverly Hills residence. "The modern character of the house had potential, but we simplified the plan and improved the disjointed circulation patterns", says Marmol. The designers cleared out the doors, in order to connect all units to create a more spacious living area. A Frank Gehry corrugated-cardboard chair is next to Valerie Jaudon's Mound Bayou, 1978. (May 2002 of Architectural Digest)

Development: Proyecto excelente

                                   

Sited within 28 acres of private beachfront on Riviera Maya, Nizuc entails the best of the best in its location, development, team and product. Nizuc, designed by Becker Arquitectos, includes a 45-room hotel and 160-room condos, including 16 penthouses, operated by the incredible Aman Resorts. The project includes 8 buildings that are facing a lagoon. Designer, Jean-Michel Gathy, has put touches of Mayan and Asian style to complement the units that are sold furnished and will feature patios or terraces with private plunge pools.  There will be an Espa and two restaurants, one with Peruvian cuisine and the other a Mexican bistro. The resort will have eight pools, and additional amenities will include boardwalks through the mangroves, a cigar lounge, a shaded jetty with daybeds and cabanas on the private beach. Prices start at $1.3 million and completion is scheduled in October 2009. The design is so earthy and minimal that it brings the whole concept of "less is more" to another level... Let's hope this project does not stall like so many others in today's market crisis! 

Architecture: Something to light up our moods...

... and make us jealous of this New York penthouse designed by Andrew Berman. The rooftop is transformed into a magnificent garden... all surrounded by incredible views of Midtown Manhattan.