Archinect - News

The World is coming back to life in Dubai

2018-02-14T14:26:00-05:00

Underwater bedrooms, ‘Lohan Island’ and snow all year round – a decade after it was scuppered by the financial crash, the fantasy archipelago of 300 artificial ‘countries’ is back in business. Has anybody learned anything?

Remember The World? Dubai's lofty vision a decade-and-a-half ago to recreate the globe's map with artificial, celebrity-owned islands dredged from the Gulf floor that was just as grandiose and monumental as its financial crash in 2008? Well, it appears to be back in business again.

The Guardian's Oliver Wainwright takes a trip to the long-abandoned and now-bustling-with-development-again artificial archipelago of 300 islands 2.5 miles off Dubai's coast and confirms: "After a decade in limbo, The World is back – with more ambitious plans than ever before."

And yes, Lindsay Lohan is designing her own island, too.

This private island with two Frank Lloyd Wright-designed homes is on the market for $14.9 mill

2017-08-03T18:33:00-04:00

Most homes don't have their very own Wikipedia page, but then again, most homes aren't located on their own private island either. Based 50 miles north of NYC, a simple 15-minute helicopter ride away, the Massaro House sits atop the heart-shaped Petre island in the middle of Lake Mahopac and has quite the backstory, hence the free encyclopedic page in its honor.

Google Earth.

Back in 1949, the famed architect, Frank Lloyd Wright, was commissioned to design a home for the island by the engineer A.K Chahroudi. Due to money issues, the house was never built and a modest cottage, also designed by Wright, was put up instead until about 50 years later, when Joseph Massaro bought the whole property for $700,000. Instead of just getting an island, Massaro, who made his money as a sheet metal contractor, also acquired the blueprints and renderings of the original home. In 2000, he decided to sell his business and focus on the creation of the house and hired Wright historian Thomas A. Heinz t...

Buy your own private island off the coast of Copenhagen, just $8.5 m

2015-08-26T15:42:00-04:00

It may not have palm trees or tiki torches, but – if you're in the market for a private island – you should probably check out Flakfortet, some 3.5 miles off the coast of lovely Copenhagen.

An artificial island constructed in 1915 as a naval base to protect the city during World War I, Flakfortet is a protected landmark and was in use until 1968.

A restaurant was added to the 330,000 sq ft island and draws around 20,000 people a year. Bingo! It basically pays for itself!

Not only would you (conceivably) gain access to the perks of Denmark's robust welfare state, you could also have fun exploring the 1km network of underground tunnels.

Have friends visiting? Have them park their yacht in the marina.

For just £5.5 million (56 million Danish Krone or USD $8.5 million), Flakfortet could be yours!

via Claus Borg & Partner, h/t The Spaces

Luxury Anthropocene: Dubai gets its first private floating islands

2015-06-11T13:25:00-04:00

Completely stable on the water, the base of the island is built to last for far over 100 years and will create a new underwater habitat for sea life, the company states, adding, it is building similar islands in Maldives and in Miami in the US.

Dubai's "The World", a man-made archipelago of islands arranged like a world map, is now spawning private floating homes. The "luxury floating private islands" will be designed to specific client wishes, and reportedly will all come with a pool. Developed by Amillarah Private Islands, these aren't in fact the only floating-homes being developed in The World – Kleindienst Group is selling "floating seahorses", with submerged bedrooms and bathrooms. Just don't call it a houseboat.