Developments range from a new build offering affordable homes in the Elephant & Castle, to luxury apartments in Dubai costing up to £5m each
What Jasmine Gardens
Where The World Islands, Jumeirah, Dubai, UAE
Who Developer Profile
Architect BA
Masterplanner Nakheel
Why Residential resort Jasmine Gardens will be based in The World Islands, a collection of 300 man-made islands shaped like the world, covering 20 sq miles off the coast of Dubai. Individuals owning an island include Formula 1 champion Michael Schumacher. The development will embrace resort islands such as “Thailand”, where Jasmine Gardens will be found. Featuring Thai-influenced architecture and private beach gardens, the resort – due for completion in 2010 – will include studio and one-bedroom suites as well as four-bedroom stilt houses and beach villas.
What Springside
Where Edinburgh
Who Developer Grosvenor/AMA/Royal Bank of Scotland
Why A new city-centre neighbourhood is to be created in Edinburgh on the site of the former Scottish & Newcastle plant at Fountainbridge. The £200m scheme on eight acres will provide 650 homes, constructed of materials reflecting the site’s industrial heritage and designed in a contemporary interpretation of Edinburgh’s traditional tenements. The original streetscape is to be reinstated and a pedestrian-friendly environment created through the construction of a £9m, 650-space underground car park. The scheme will also include 160,000 sq ft of office space to provide 2,500 jobs. The first phase, with a public park, central courtyards and tree-lined avenues, has just won planning approval.
What Chicago Spire
Where Chicago
Who Developer Shelbourne Development
Architect Santiago Calatrava
Why Billed as the world’s tallest residential building, this twisting tower will transform the skyline of Chicago. Work on the 2,000 ft tower will start next month, with completion planned for 2010. Located where the Chicago River meets Lake Michigan, the 150-floor tower will feature a four-storey glass lobby area and an unusual shape which means that none of its 1,200 homes will be the same.
What The Pentominium
Where Dubai Marina, Dubai, UAE
Who Developer Trident
Architect Aedas
Interior design Hirsch Bedner & Associates
Why Serious luxury is on offer in this 120-floor residential development – and, with a price tag of between £1m and £5m a unit, so it should be. Each apartment will occupy an entire floor, with its own lobby and smart biometric access control, while the top floors will contain a banqueting hall, business centre, health clubs and private theatre. Named the Pentominium because it combines the concept of a penthouse with a luxury condominium, it is due to be completed in 2011.
What Les Salines
Where Mauritius
Who Developer Mauritian Property Partnerships
Architect Broadway Malyan
Engineer Peter Brett Associates
Landscape architect Roger Griffiths Associates
Why Rising 230 ft above the beach below, the 400-acre site of this residential, golf and leisure development on a peninsula of Mauritius will provide spectacular views across the lagoon, the Indian Ocean beyond and the mountains behind. Alongside the Rodney Wright-designed 18-hole championship golf course, beach club and hotel will be 230 freehold homes, from two-bedroom golf villas to six-bedroom hillside homes, each with a private pool. The design will draw on Mauritian cultural heritage, using traditional materials such as thatch and local stone. The scheme will also involve the regeneration of native coastal forest and saltpans.
What Lake Shore
Where Hartcliffe, Bristol
Who Developer Urban Splash
Architect Acanthus Ferguson Mann
Why The developer has worked closely with Bristol city council to bring back into use the grade II listed former headquarters of Imperial Tobacco at Hartcliffe. The 1970s building will be converted into 400 contemporary-styled apartments plus commercial space. The scheme aims to be a model for sustainability, featuring borehole ground source heating and wind turbines powering a pool of electric cars.
What Unity Building
Where Liverpool
Who Developer Rumford Investments
Architect Allford Hall Monoghan Morris
Structural engineer Faber Maunsel
Contractor Laing O’Rourke
Why Sited in Liverpool city centre, the Unity building comprises two towers – one providing 160 apartments over 27 floors, and the other, at 16 storeys high, 150,000 sq ft of offices.
What The Printworks
Where Elephant & Castle, London
Who Developer First Base
Architect Glenn Howells
Why Planning approval has been granted for this mixed-use nine-storey development on Amelia Street, providing 170 apartments around a courtyard. The English Partnerships-owned site is being developed as part of the London Wide Initiative to fast-track affordable housing for first-time buyers and key workers. The design of the homes, of which over 40% will be affordable, scores an EcoHomes “excellent” rating and a level four on the code for sustainable homes.
What The Reef Club
Where Pernambuco, Brazil
Who Developer Qualta Resorts Brazil
Architect KPM
Engineer ATP
Why The developer of this “eco resort” has promised to generate thousands of local jobs and set up a foundation to invest a proportion of profits in the local economy. Set in 1,400 acres, the resort will consist of more than 3,000 villas, cottages and lofts, a hotel and two boutique lodges, all built of sustainable wood and using solar power for hot water, pumps and lighting. Divided into residential “villages” amid lagoons and forest, the properties will be linked by walkways. The scheme will also feature a rainwater-irrigated golf course, theatre and cinema, watersports centres, riding school and 300-berth marina. First completions on the project are due in 2009.
