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Michael Marquette & Simon Turner

An exceptional number of quality of designs were entered from designers on all corners of the Earth, from Madagascar to New York.

The winning design, as shown below, was designed by Janet Boschen in Melbourne, Australia.

Thanks to everyone whom entered – we certainly look forward to holding more future competitions.

Simon Turner

Even though construction of the hotel began in 1987, the government’s financial difficulties meant that building ceased in 1992, leaving the building with no windows, fixtures or fittings.

This state remained for the next 16 years, until Orascom Group resumed construction in April 2008.

Currently the world’s 24^th tallest building – and at one time would have been the world’s tallest hotel – there are 105 stories reaching 330m (1083ft).

The refurbishment of the hotel is estimated to be completed by 2012, marking the 100^th anniversary of the birth of Kim Il Sung (the Great Leader).

Then there is just one more hurdle to overcome – finding guests that will actually pay for the “luxury” of staying in the hermit kingdom’s monolithic masterpiece.

Simon Turner

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Here are some of the photos of Sydney as it welcomed 2009.

So from The Marquette Turner team in Sydney to wherever you are, we wish you peace, happiness and health in 2009.

“Be always at war with your vices, at peace with your neighbors, and let each new year find you a better man.” Benjamin Franklin

Michael Marquette and Simon Turner

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The building is expected to include offices, a luxury hotel, luxury boutiques, a panoramic restaurant, a swimming pool, hanging gardens and a Babel-like “museum of languages of the world”.  Completion date is scheduled for 2012.

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GE Money has offloaded its Australia and New Zealand mortgage offshoot for an undisclosed amount, but it is likely to be considerably less than the $400 million AUD it paid for it, given the drastic changes in the economic climate.

As part of the deal, the Commonwealth Bank of Australia (CBA) will sell its 33% ownership of Wizard to Aussie Home Loans, whilst at the same time acquiring up to $4 billion AUD of mortgages originated by Wizard, dealing another blow to NAB’s expansion efforts.

The deal suggests that the non-bank sector still has some life in it yet.

The sale of Wizard to Aussie Home Loans is expected to be completed by the end of February 2009, around the same time that CBA will take hold of the first $2 billion AUD of loans by the end of February 2009. CBA remains in discussions with GE Money over acquiring the additional $2 billion of loans.

Simon Turner

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Obama is secluded at a compound of oceanfront estates, guarded by seven-foot walls made of stone and lava rock and situated along a quiet sliver of snow-white-sandy beach.

The Kailua Estate seems is ideal for a Presidential retreat, sitting neatly on a peninsula, with only a single narrow road leading to it, thus offering plenty of privacy.

Behind the walls, the Obamas can enjoy picturesque beach and ocean views from the master bedroom, heavy granite in the kitchen and detailed woodwork throughout. There are Tiki torches dotting the manicured gardens, and the interior features stone imported from Peru, Jerusalem and Italy.

The entire Kailua neighborhood once was the private estate of Samuel Castle, a sugar magnate whose Castle & Cooke company was one of the Big Five firms that dominated Hawaiian politics for decades. The Obamas’ current retreat is situated close to land that was once Castle’s horse pasture and skeet ranch.

Simon Turner

FYI: Read related articles on Barack Obama; and Luxury Homes

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Any one from anywhere can enter this competition via the award winning 99designs website.

Read the DESIGN BRIEF to find out more details of the competition and enter.

Good luck, and stay tuned for more future competitions, or email us (info@marquetteturner.com.au) if you’d like to be informed of new competitions.

Simon Turner

Vancouver

The EIU ranked 127 cities, based on their personal risk, infrastructure and the availability of goods and services.

All the cities that fell into the “most livable” bracket were based in Canada, Australia and Western Europe.

THE TOP 10

1. Vancouver, Canada
2. Melbourne, Australia
3. Vienna, Austria
4. Geneva, Switzerland
5. Perth, Australia
6. Adelaide, Australia
7. Sydney, Australia
8. Zurich, Switzerland
9. Toronto, Canada
10. Calgary, Canada

Sydney

THE BOTTOM 10

1. Tehran, Iran
2. Douala, Cameroon
3. Harare, Zimbabwe
4. Abidjan, Ivory Coast
5. Phnom Penh, Cambodia
6. Lagos, Nigeria
7. Karachi, Pakistan
8. Dhaka, Bangladesh
9. Algiers, Algeria
10. Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea

Karachi

Simon Turner

No, this story isn’t related to Governor Blagojevich, as timely as this might be.

The modest, red-brick home once owned by prohibition gangster, Al Capone, will go on the market in early 2009  for approximately $450,000 USD.

The South Side, two-flat property, which has had just  two owners since the death of Capone’s mother in 1952, is now over a century old.  It stands near the corner of 72nd Street and South Prairie Avenue in the working-class Park Manor neighborhood.

Cook County records show the Capones bought the home for $5,500 USD in August 1923,  the Prohibition era, with his mother, Teresa, and wife, Mae, signing their names to the original deed.

Al Capone was in his early 20s when his family moved from Brooklyn to Chicago, but he was already building his legend. His bootlegging, gambling and prostitution enterprises were famously headquartered in Cicero and later moved to a suite in the old Lexington Hotel at Cermak Road and Michigan Avenue in Chicago.

Capone died in 1947, but his mother remained in the home until her death five years later, at which point the property was taken over by a local bank.

The current owner purchased the home for $29,500 USD in 1963, with little interest in the property’s notoriety.

The exterior of the six-bedroom, split-level property remains pretty much unchanged to Capone’s time, and indeed much of the interior is also original, with detailed green and white tiles in the front entrance, dark hardwood floors and narrow hallways. The home also features a large basement with a crumbling wine cellar

At an estimated $450,000, the Capone home would be on the upper end of homes for sale in the neighborhood. Typical listings for large, split-levels of that vintage are $250,000 to $400,000.

Considering its history, the home is a marvel of inconspicuous understatement.

Simon Turner

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