An amazing roof or roof garden has been the sign of luxury since antiquity, with the Hanging Gardens of Babylon being the classical example. Roof terraces, restaurants and cafes exploiting an amazing view have become a staple of the best architecture in the world, with the traditional Penthouse growing to become a thing of true beauty, utility and, in many cases, advanced engineering to enable the desires of architects to find a practical place in the world.
These amazing roofs generally fit into one of three categories. Amazing Engineering, Amazingly Eco-orientated and Amazing Luxury
Amazing Engineering
Some of the most amazingly engineered roofs are the result of the genius of some of the most accomplished, respected and famous Architects in the world, with Frank Gehry being one of those who has really taken the science of the roof to a new level. Advances in materials science has allowed Gehry free reign to design and create some incredible buildings. Using titanium as a skin in new ways is also pushing the application into new areas and could well lead to advances in other areas of technology. I can't wait until he gets his hands on carbon-fibre, carbon nanotubes and graphene.
Frank Gehry - Hotel Marqués de Riscal, Spain
In spectacular contrast to the 1858 designed wine cellars of the vineyard where it's located, the Hotel Marqués de Riscal is an incredible hotel which sits under an amazing, avant-garde titanium roof made from a series of interconnected unique curved panels. The two wings of the hotel and the 43 luxury rooms and suites it has are connected by a suspended footbridge that's just as spectacular as the main buildings and the interior decor matches the style of the outside, with Bang & Olufsen TVs and custom furniture.
The connection between old and new worlds is also highlighted by the library in the hotel where over 1000 books sit on topics related to a luxury, appropriate as they can also sample some of the most amazing wines in the world from the Vineyard's own, historic, cellars.
Frank Gehry - The Lou Ruvo Centre for Brain Health, Las Vegas, USA
For 35 years, Frank Gehry has sat on the Board of the Wexler's Hereditary Disease Foundation after the wife and three brothers-in-law of his close friend Dr Milton Wexler were struck down by Huntington's disease and so the connection to the work of the Cleveland Clinic Lou Ruvo Center for Brain Health in Las Vegas was there even before he was asked to design it.
Gehry specifically intended the building to be memorable, in contrast to the diseases which the center fights against, which robs people of their minds and memories, "I'm trying to make a building that people will want to visit, remember, talk about, and enjoy, and ultimately will want to partner with us at the center to help cure brain diseases."
It has also seemed to me to be representative of an affected mind, where you can see the structure and shape that it should be, but it is twisted and changed into a tortured version of itself. That the center is there to solve these problems and also shows that great work can still go despite a twisted appearance adds additional meaning to the incredible structure.
Rather than simply a clever facade on an ordinary building, the Lou Ruvo Center carries the design all the way through, with all of the 199 windows being unique and all of the 18,000 steel roofing shingles being cut to precise and unique measurements.
Amazingly Eco-orientated
Nanyang Technological University, Singapore
This incredible building, with it's green roofs and elegant sweeping curves is, appropriately the home of the School of Art, Design and Media of the Nanyang Technological University and as well as lowering the temperature of the roof and the surrounding area, the grass areas also operate as fully functional outdoor recreational areas, perfect for when you need some design inspiration by sitting outside.
The school contains a library, classrooms, auditorium, media studios and all the technology labs that you need to excel.
Green Volcano Building - Vulcano Buono, Nola, Italy
Imitating the look of nearby Mount Vesuvius, Il Vulcano Buono (The Good Volcano) is a shopping mall, cinema and leisure center complex in Italy which was part funded by regional aid for reconstruction and development and has put a hotel, a Hypermarket, cinema, gallery, 155 shops and a number of restaurants and bars into an enormous complex around a central courtyard which is used for events and concerts.
The circles which make up the area are formed into an artificial hill almost a quarter of a mile in diameter and up to 41 metres (134.5ft) tall which almost completely hides the building under grass and vegetation, making the visual environmental impact extremely low despite it's size.
Amazing Luxury
Phil Maloof's former Penthouse Apartment at the top of his Palms Casino, Las Vegas
When he owned the Palms Casino, Phil Maloof decided that 6000+ square feet at the top of the tower would make a perfect place for the ultimate luxury apartment, situated as it is with the Playboy club situated just a few floors below.
With it's position at the top of a tower right by the Strip, the apartment is predictably listed as having a view of the Strip, the City and the Mountains that surround Las Vegas (ie all the views that it's possible to have in Las Vegas)
The position of the casino, right next to I-15 also gives the new owner easy travel options if they need to travel back to LA and don't want to get a helicopter or private jet from nearby McCarran Airport.
Tour Odeon, Monaco
The new Tour Odeon Tower in Monaco is the tallest building in that tiny country and with the most expensive apartment expected to sell for at least ‚¬240m, it's also the absolute last word in luxury, with the price taking into account the fully serviced living that the tower provides, with absolutely everything taken care of for the (presumably) billionaires that'll be in residence there.
So, if you have a spare quarter of a billion and fancy having an infinity pool at the top of the most exclusive apartment tower in one of the richest cities on earth, this one might be for you.
