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December 12, 2016

Dream Eco-Home Of Russian Hemp Tycoon Will Be Noosa’s Priciest Abode

An international industrial hemp trader is building one of Australia’s most expensive and spectacular eco-homes at Queensland’s exclusive Sunshine Beach.

Russian Evgeny Skigin has commissioned a leading architect to build a $14 million six-bedroom, seven-bathroom contemporary home nestled into the hillside next to Noosa National Park.

The Australian has viewed planning documents for the “Skigin House”, on almost a hectare of absolute beachfront vacant land purchased by Liechtenstein-based Universal Property Company Establishment in late 2013 for $5.4m. The multi-million-dollar house is set to be one of Australia’s finest homes, in one of the nation’s best settings.

Early works have started on the site, after Universal Property Company Establishment awarded a $14m tender to Queensland builders Hutchinson for the challenging two-year construction.

The curved concrete and timber home spans more than 1400sq m of living space across three levels. It is designed for privacy in a structure that blends into the environment, with green awnings and a green roof.

Prominent architect Noel Robinson, whose workbook includes Brisbane’s equal-tallest tower, Skytower, said the client was confidential. He said the home was designed to sit unobtrusively in the natural surrounds and the client had allowed “a generous budget”.

“It’s a very special building and a very special site,” he said. “You only get one chance at this site and we’re privileged to work on it.”

Hutchinson’s Sunshine Coast area manager Michael Michell, who also declined to comment on the client, said the house was set to be a spectacular but unobtrusive landmark. He said the build would be difficult and complex due to engineering and scale.

“It is more commercial than residential,” he said. “It’s going to be a fairly impressive build.”

The house will be largely “off-grid”, with solar panels, batteries, water storage, a greywater system, natural pool filtration and a green roof and panelling.

Mr Skigin, understood to be aged in his 30s, is listed as a representative of the Cyprus-registered hemp company Konoplex Ltd, a member of the European Industrial Hemp Association.

The Australian was unable to contact Mr Skigin by email or phone.

The lowest level will include a large lounge spilling out to a pool terrace alongside a leisure pool and a lap pool. Inside is a cinema, gym, steam room, sauna and ice bath with changing facilities.

The lift takes residents up to the main living level. There the dining area and living space look out to uninterrupted views of the ocean. The kitchen includes a separate butler’s pantry, freezer room and cold store.

Five bedrooms all face the ocean and have ensuites. On the top level is a guest suite, workshop and study. There is parking for six cars.

The Lions Head pocket of Sunshine Beach is home to some of Australia’s most prominent identities. A neighbouring home is owned by television producer John Stainton. Down the road, tennis star Pat Rafter’s home is on the market.

Local real estate agent Peter Butt said the Sunshine Beach waterfront market was confined to just 54 homes and it was only increasing in prestige.

“It’s a very strong market,” he said. “Another $20m asset at the northern end of Sunshine Beach is quite a significant sign. It will be the most expensive single residence in Noosa.”

By Roseanne Barrett and Mark Schliebs

With many thanks to The Australian

Here is another one:

Replica Of Louis XIV's Versailles Is The World’s Most Expensive Home - $416 million

Pre-FabHobbit Houses You Can Actually Live In

The Most Expensive Things in the World

December 17, 2015

Replica Of Louis XIV's Versailles Is The World’s Most Expensive Home - $416 million

Louis XIV is possibly the best known king in European history, along with Henry V111 and the legendary King Arthur.

His magnificent palace was built to impress as many people as possible.

Like Henry V111 and Arthur many books and movies have been written and made about him.

Like many books and movies some are a little loose with the truth.

Some are even comedies.

Alexandre Dumas, for example, wrote "The Man In The Iron Mask" as part of his "Musketeer" trilogy.

The biopic "Vatel" is very good, "A Little Chaos" is only accurate inasmuch as Louis XIV and Le Notre were real people.

For a comedy there is Mel Brooks' "History Of The World Part 1".
(I am still waiting for part 2!)

Then there are books and movies about what The Sun King's eventually legacy was:
The French Revolution.

Yes, the peasants were revolting as the cliché goes, due to Louis' excessive spending.

Think of "A Tale of TwoCities", "Start The Revolution Without Me","Marie Antoinette",
"The Affair Of The Necklace" and many more.

Given the spectacle of Versailles, and the fact that it is still used today, it is hardly surprising that anyone, with enough resources, would want to emulate Louis' palace!

A new mansion modelled on Versailles, complete with gilded statues and fountains, has sold for £200 million ($416 million), making it the world’s most expensive house.

The Chateau Louis XIV, built a few miles from the palace by Emad Khashoggi, a Saudi property developer, was sold to a buyer from the Middle East, insiders said.

The previous record price for a home was £140 million, paid in 2010 for a penthouse at London’s One Hyde Park building.

Mr Khashoggi and his firm, Cogemad, set out to build the mansion in 2008 after buying 23 acres at Louveciennes, 10 miles west of Paris. It includes replicas of the architectural detail of Versailles and other 17th century chateaux and encloses 50,000 sq ft of living space.

A statue of Louis XIV peers down the long path in a garden of clipped box hedges and colour-co-ordinated gravel inspired by Andre Le Notre, who designed the Versailles park.

The pond in front contains a two-thirds-size replica of the Apollo fountain at Versailles, its rampant horses smothered in gold leaf.

Mr Khashoggi’s firm has used the mansion as a show home for potential customers for two years. It has a leisure complex that occupies a whole floor, with two mosaic-lined pools and a gym. The cinema has a multiplex-sized screen.

Kim Kardashian, the reality television star, and Kanye West, the rapper, looked at it as a possible venue for their wedding 18 months ago but decided to marry in Italy instead.

“To tell the truth, I’m glad it didn’t happen,” Mr Khashoggi said last year.

By Charles Bremner

With many thanks to The Australian

The Musketeers

Charles Dickens: Literary Legend

The World’s Priceless Treasures

Glastonbury Legends, King Arthur’s ‘Grave’, Made Up For Cash By Monks

How HenryVIII Started The Age Of Industry

Pre-FabHobbit Houses You Can Actually Live In

The Most Expensive Things in the World

The Most Expensive Substances In The World

Hermès Birkin Bag Sells For $US298,000
Spectacular Waterfall Takes Over The Palace Of Versailles
Top Ten Lost Treasures of the World
Dream Eco-Home Of Russian Hemp Tycoon Will Be Noosa’s Priciest Abode

December 06, 2015

Pre-Fab Hobbit Houses You Can Actually Live In

A long time ago, a friend gave me The Hobbit as a Christmas present (he even wrote a message in Elvish in the front. Rad, right?), and I LOVED it. Particularly the parts that happened in Bilbo's Hobbit hole. It sounded so cozy and comfortable and full of delicious treats.

My point here is that someone (who obviously loved the book even more than I did) has created pre-fab Hobbit holes that you can actually buy. And live in. I KNOW.

The company, called Green Magic Homes, has created prefabricated modular micro-houses designed specifically to exist under a layer of soil and turf. In other words, just like Hobbit-Holes.

The structure features perforated flaps so the components can be screwed and sealed. The company website claims three people can assemble the structure in three days, with no special skills or heavy equipment.

So if you can handle a screwdriver, and have two friends, you can probably build one. Just sayin'.

Because the design is so simple, yet modular, the home can be adapted to any type of topography (mountains, beach, city--you name it) and customized to fit individual needs. Many people start out with one 400 square foot model, then add others on to expand their space as needed.

And if you think the outside looks rad, just wait until you see the cozy interior.

Yeahhhh. I'm pretty sure ol' Bilbo would feel right at home in there.

Learn more at Green Magic Homes.

By Beth Buczynski

Source: Via Stumbleupon

Related:

Replica Of Louis XIV's Versailles Is The World’s Most Expensive Home - $416 million

Dream Eco-Home Of Russian Hemp Tycoon Will Be Noosa’s Priciest Abode

May 12, 2015

The Most Expensive Things in the World

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April 03, 2015

The World’s Priceless Treasures

Having a budget to blow on whatever you please is one of the major benefits of being a billionaire, but the world’s priceless treasures underline that not everything has its price. In this Billionaires countdown, we’ll check out 10 of the world’s priceless treasures that money just can’t buy.

British Imperial State Crown, UK

The Imperial State Crown is the crown that was worn by British monarch Elizabeth II at her coronation in 1953 and was made for her father, King George VI in 1937. It is also the crown worn by the Queen at the annual State Opening of Parliament.
The piece is part of the British Crown Jewels and is displayed under high security at the Tower of London. Although relatively modern in creation, a version of the Imperial State Crown – which is a symbol of sovereignty – has been in the Royal Family since the 15th Century. The current crown is a replica of one made for Queen Victoria in 1838, which needed to be replaced because its frame was worn out.
The piece contains some famous jewels: the Cullinan II Diamond, the Stuart Sapphire, St Edward’s Sapphire, the Black Prince’s Ruby and Queen Elizabeth’s Pearls. There are a total of 2,868 diamonds, 273 pearls, 17 sapphires, 11 emeralds and five rubies contained in this priceless crown.

The Shroud of Turin, Italy

A rather controversial, but nonetheless priceless, addition to our list is the world-famous Shroud of Turin – controversial because arguments still rage over whether this was the actual cloth in which the body of Jesus was wrapped after his crucifixion.
The piece of linen appears to show the outline of a man who had been crucified, but scientists have not been able to agree on how the image on the cloth was created. Further mystery is added to the mix because modern radio carbon dating suggests that it was actually made during the Medieval period, not 2,000 years ago.
The Shroud is in the Cathedral of St John the Baptist in Turin and has been described as an icon by Pope Francis and Pope Benedict XVI.

The Antikythera Mechanism, Greece

Found by sponge divers off the wreck of a ship believed to have been lying on the Greek seabed for 2,000 years, the Antikythera Mechanism is an ancient computer believed to have been used to track the movements of planets and stars.
The piece, now in the National Museum of Archaeology in Athens, was found in 1901 off the Greek Island of Antikythera. But it wasn’t until the 1970s that the full extent of the mechanism was discovered, including its 30 bronze gears and two faces bearing detailed Ancient Greek inscriptions.
According to professor Michael Edmunds of Cardiff University, this priceless treasure is “more valuable than the Mona Lisa”.(pictured above).

Queen Nefertiti’s Bust, Germany

This beautiful work of art depicting a strikingly attractive woman is believed to have been crafted around 1340BC. Queen Nefertiti – her name means the beautiful one has come – was the wife of the Egyptian Pharaoh Akhenaton and this sublime bust is admired the world over.
The piece was found in the workshop of sculptor Thutmose, and is made from limestone painted with layers of stucco. The bust has one remaining eye, made from black quartz, and the face is almost completely symmetrical.
The bust was discovered by German archaeologist Ludwig Bordchardt in 1912 along with a number of unfinished artworks of the beautiful queen. Today, it is on public display in the Berlin Museum.

Tutankhamen’s Death Mask, Egypt

We stay in Ancient Egypt for possibly the best-known artefact to be discovered from this amazing civilisation – the gold death mask of the boy Pharaoh, Tutankhamen.
The solid gold death mask, decorated with inlaid lapis lazuli, gems and glass is now synonymous with the Ancient Egyptians. It was found inside his undisturbed tomb by British Egyptologist Howard Carter in 1922.

The find caused a worldwide sensation and a renewed interest in Ancient Egypt. Even today, people are awed when the artefacts are taken on tour for a global audience to see them. When not being displayed internationally, the death mask can be seen at the Egyptian Museum in Cairo.

Michaelangelo’s David, Italy

This amazing marble statue of a male nude, standing 17-foot tall, took the artist Michaelangelo three years to complete and was unveiled in Florence in 1504. It depicts the Biblical hero David, who as a boy defeated the giant Goliath, and is considered by many to be the perfect male form.
The statue stood in a public square as the embodiment of the city-state’s independence and was only moved to the Galleria dell’Accademia in Florence in 1873. Today, a replica statue takes the place of the original outside the Palazzo della Signoria.
A dispute over the ownership of this priceless treasure began in 2010; the Italian government said it owns the statue but the city of Florence continues to maintain it belongs to it.

The Mona Lisa, France

Painted by Leonardo da Vinci in Italy at the same time that Michaelangelo was creating the epic David, the Mona Lisa has to be one of, if not the, most famous paintings in the world.
Believed to show Lisa Gherardini, who was herself from an ancient Florentine family, the portrait is so celebrated because of the subject’s enigmatic smile. It was thought to have been commissioned by her husband and was later acquired by the French King Louis I. After the French Revolution, the French Republic laid claim to the portrait and it has been on display in the Louvre in Paris since 1797.

In 1911 it was stolen by a Louvre employee from Italy, who believed it should be returned there. It was two years before the picture was recovered. It has been attacked with paint and acid over the years and is now protected by bulletproof glass.

The Sutton Hoo Helmet, UK

Discovered in a ship burial site in Suffolk and dating to the Anglo Saxon period of the late 6th or early 7th Century, the Sutton Hoo Helmet was one of the amazing artefacts hidden in the burial mound.

The helmet is believed to have belonged to East Anglian ruler Raedwald and was discovered during an archaeological dig in 1939. The helmet is made from bronze and was made by expert craftsmen. When it was found, it had rusted and broken apart and was painstakingly reconstructed.

The helmet, along with other pieces found at the ritual burial site, is on display at the British Museum in London.

The Elgin Marbles, UK

The ownership of these marble sculptures, which were created during the Greek classical period, is hotly contested. They were originally part of the Parthenon temple and Acropolis of Athens, and were removed at the start of the 19th century by the Earl of Elgin and shipped to England.
Even at the time, the removal of the marbles was controversial; it was debated by the British Parliament and in 1816, the government paid for the statues for the nation. They have been on display in the British Museum ever since.
However, Greece has long claimed ownership and at the time of writing, negotiations over their future are continuing.

Sistine Chapel Ceiling, Italy

The second Michaelangelo entry into this Billionaires countdown of the world’s priceless treasures is the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel, within the Vatican.
This artistic endeavour took Michaelangelo four years to complete between 1508 and 1512. He constructed his own scaffolding and lay on his back to undertake the huge task. The frescos show scenes from the Old Testament, based mainly on the Book of Genesis.
The work was restored over an almost 20-year period from 1980, removing layers of candle smoke, which has discoloured the frescos over many centuries.
So, whether your passion is art, jewellery or knowledge, there are plenty of priceless treasures located around the world that you can visit – but sadly, even the wealthiest billionaire’s budget couldn’t buy them, because they’re simply not for sale at any price.