Luxury: The Latest Architecture and News

KPF’s “Tower 36,” has received unanimous approval in Miami, Florida. The building features an office space, set to become the tallest in the region at 193 meters. Emphasizing occupant well-being, the tower is designed by integrating the surrounding landscape and increasing access to outdoor areas.

The tower serves as the northern entryway to Miami’s high-rise zone, at the intersection of Biscayne Boulevard and 36th Street. Acting as a gateway to the neighborhood, the scheme connects Miami Beach with the mainland of Miami. To complement the office floors, the building’s podium boasts ground-floor retail, bicycle, car parking, and a restaurant on the landscaped roof.

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Foster + Partners has just revealed their first project in Qingdao, a major seaport and financial hub in the Shandong Province of China. 1 Nanjing Road is a mixed-use development in the city’s southern district. From office space to luxury apartments, the studio’s mixed-use design integrates into the existing urban fabric.

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The history of architects designing resorts is intertwined with the development of the hospitality industry and the concept of leisure travel. The origins can be traced back to ancient times when the Romans built luxurious villas and bathhouses as retreats for the wealthy. However, the modern notion of resorts emerged during the 19th century with industrialization and the growing middle class seeking recreational experiences.

At a very high standard of luxury, resort hotels provide an immersive and rejuvenating vacation experience. These resorts are frequently rooted in beautiful landscapes in remote locations, often containing full-service accommodations, offering escapism and complete disconnection. Architects have continued to shape the resort landscape in recent decades with their designs. Sustainability and integration with natural surroundings have gained importance as architects strive to create environmentally conscious and immersive resort experiences.

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When designing bathrooms, maximizing space is key for creating functional layouts that meet user needs and enhance their well-being, while also being aesthetically pleasing. In addition providing guidance on where to best place each element, AXOR’s bathroom collection elevates these spaces through an array of features, including mixers, showers, wash basins, bath tubs and accessories. These elements seamlessly blend with carefully chosen color schemes, materials and finishes to build the space.

Being one of the most intimate spaces in our homes, the creation of personalized bathrooms has a direct impact on our daily lives. With Make it yours!, AXOR dives into customized luxury and how to apply it in bathroom design. Exploring diverse styles, powerful colors, and individualized detailing, their collections are able to reflect multiple personalities by designing unique spaces through the inspiration of unique bathroom concepts from leading designers. In collaboration with London-based Barber Osgerby, AXOR developed the ‘Skyline’ concept, a customizable project designed with individual distinction.

Hawaii has become a place that defines paradise. From pristine beaches and a warm climate to natural scenery and active volcanoes, the islands are home to incredible landscapes and culture. With indigenous and modern building styles, the state’s architecture is intimately tied to the environment. Reinterpreting historic building techniques and traditions, contemporary Hawaiian architecture balances a desire to honor the past while celebrating new experiences and modern culture. This has led to the formation of incredible spaces to live and dwell.

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UNStudio has recently designed the masterplan for Gyeongdo Island, a new sustainable leisure destination in South Korea. Driven by nature, the 470,000 m2 buildings and public spaces are centered on the qualities of a green environment.

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The Louis Vuitton Maison Osaka Midosuji is now open to the public. As a result of a close collaboration between architects Jun Aoki and Peter Marino, the four-floor luxury store is a reflection of the city’s international travel hub status. The very first Louis Vuitton café, entitled Le Café V, created in cooperation with Paola Lenti and celebrated chef Yosuke Suga, sits atop Louis Vuitton Maison Osaka Midosuji, as well as Sugalabo V, the chef’s exclusive restaurant.

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The Louis Vuitton Maison Seoul, imagined by architects Frank Gehry and Peter Marino has just opened in the South Korean capital. Celebrating Korean heritage and culture, the design puts in place a curved glass facade, perched atop a white cubic mass.

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Thomas Heatherwick is touching the New York Architecture Scene again, revealing his design for a pair of residential towers in a pair of renderings. The two towers will flank either side of the New York High Line, located at 18th Street, it will situate itself adjacent to Frank Gehry’s IAC Headquarters building.

International Architecture office 10 Design has released their first images of their Jefaira Seafront Development along Egypt’s North Coast. Spanning 550 hectares, the site stretches 3km along the Mediterranean coastline. The project is in collaboration with INERTIA, one of Egypt’s prominent real-estate developers leading various luxury residential and commercial developments across the country.

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Although societies have transformed through the ages, wealth never truly seems to go out of style. That said, the manner in which it is expressed continually adapts to each successive cultural epoch. As a consequence of evolving social mores and emerging technologies, the ideal of “luxury” and “splendour” sees priorities shift from opulence to subtlety, from tradition to innovation, and from visual ornamentation to physical comfort.

AD Classics are ArchDaily's continually updated collection of longer-form building studies of the world's most significant architectural projects. In these ten examples of "high-end" residences, which represent centuries of history across three separate continents, the ever-changing nature of status, power and fine living is revealed.

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