Airbus A380: A high tech luxury house

The mark of opulence in the air – Airbus A380 super-jumbo operated by Emirates finally landed on the Manchester Airport, UK. Heralding a new paradigm for luxury aviation, A380 super-jumbo is a sheer luxury bonanza with champagne bar on the upper level to rid those boring long haul hours, first class capsules brim with gizmos, and the fine dining and silver service.

With the luxurious business class cabin as well as spacious environment in the economy class, the A380-800 has a 5,146 sq ft of floor space, which is 49% more than the next-largest airliner, the Boeing 747-400. This high tech luxury house on the wings provides seating for 525 people in a typical three-class configuration or up to 853 people in all economy-class configurations. Measuring 240ft long, 79ft high with a wingspan of 260ft, the A380 weighs 421tonnes, can cruise at 900kph for 15,000km, and 85% of the whole plane is recyclable. 

Image courtesy Cavendish Press.

Europe's First Rotating Hotel In Croatia

The sea views from each hotel room, even from the ones that do not directly face the sea (at the given moment in time)? This will be possible in a rotating hotel that is to emerge on Šolta Island, near Split, Croatia. This beautiful Mediterranean island surrounded by turquoise waters of the Adriatic Sea will soon become a splendid resort. The complex will comprise a new modern marina, villas, and guest pavilions.

Rotating hotel's masterplan

The jewel of the new resort will be a rotating hotel designed by Richard Hywel Evans of Studio RHE. The complex will sit on a hillside olive grove, offering dramatic vistas of the bay, the island's cliffs and ancient ruins. The details of the hotel have not yet been revealed, but what we know so far is that the three-storey complex (61 meter diameter) will be very slowly rotating 1.3 times per day. The lower level of the building and the center hub (21 meter diameter), with the Reception, stairs and lifts, will not rotate. The hotel will be surrounded by infinity edge swimming pools forming a unique artificial lake.

RHS Studio is a truly bold specialist in holiday resort design. The studio's projects have already emerged in such exotic locations as, among others, Barbados, the Maldives, Zanzibar or Seychelles.

Domesticated sukkah created from salvaged joists

Designed for the Sukkah City competition, 2010, Domesticated is a temporary structure erected for providing a sitting room for two to six people, where they can convene, reside or share their allotted spaces with others. The sort of hybrid house-animal is both a house and furniture. Inhabitants could enjoy its informal seating arrangement including mats on the ground, the laminated wood frame as a bench and a low dining table.

Airbus unveils Fantasy Plane of the future

Our future, by and large depends on fuel efficiency, and if you think what flying in future would be like; Airbus is to give you a glimpse. The plane maker has unveiled a fantasy plane at the Farnborough Airshow in the UK. The lightweight plane’s ultra-long, slim bent-back wings, a U-shaped tail and light-weight ‘intelligent’ body will add to the ‘eco efficiency factor’ as the concept consumes less fuel, produces little emissions and creates less noise in comparison to its current counterparts.

The futuristic concept which is to fly in 2050, or even in 2030 if the technology continues to develop at the present rate, features morphing seats made from ecological, self-cleaning materials and walls and floor that become transparent with the touch of a button, giving 360 degree view of the world below.

Additionally, there are holographic projections of virtual decor that allow the passengers to convert their private cabin into an office, bedroom or Zen garden.

Five most expensive hotel rooms in the world

When the well heeled are on the move, they look for the best when it comes to travel lodging. A simple hotel room with a bed, a bathroom and a TV is not just enough for them. Spending as much as £23,000 a night on a hotel room is something only the uber-rich can afford, especially in these tough times. With help from Forbes, Times Online has compiled a list of the five most expensive hotel rooms in the world. Let’s take a sneak peek into the lodging lifestyle of the wealthy travelers.

1. The Hotel Martinez, Cannes, France: Penthouse Suite £22,900 ($37,650) a night

The luxurious Penthouse Suite at Hotel Martinez in boulevard de La Croisette in Cannes includes a sitting room, dining room, two bedrooms, two bathrooms with hammam, shower, a spa bath, mini-bar, dressing room, sauna and a big terrace. Other amenities include videoconferencing, plasma screen, computer and ADSL, satellite TV and Fax. 

Top 10 most luxurious aircraft interiors

In this day and age, owning a jet is just the beginning for the world’s most elite travelers. Filthy rich dudes with millions stuffed in various banks can even afford a big airbus with ease. But then the dilemma is for those yearning for exclusivity. And so pimping the aircrafts to transform them into luxurious flying palaces is the mantra. And finally as it’s always said, “it’s what’s on the inside that counts” holds true, isn’t it? A custom designed interior is what separates a lacklustered mode of aircraft interiors for a stylish reflection of personal panache. There are no limits to just how much luxury you can experience with swanky décors with high tech features. Whether you want to deck out your airbus or jet for an important board meeting in London or a romantic dinner in Paris or a weekend getaway at the golf course for the executives, get tips from this list of Top 10 luxurious aircraft interiors...

 

10) Strato Cruiser Airship

Though the luxurious Strato Cruiser Airship by Tino Schaedler and Michael J Brown is a concept yet this luxury helium-filled airship will feature a gourmet restaurant, a spa, a swimming pool, a resident DJ, library, and private mini-offices, to name a few.The Strato Cruiser airship combines the luxury cruise experience with Richard Branson’s futuristic visions of space travel. The travelers will be pampered with spa treatments - massage, personal trainers, yoga classes and beauty care so the travelers will come out energized instead of looking weary. Further, its doughnut hole atrium reinvents the zeppelin concept with a sky lounge on top, the earthward viewing restaurant and bar on the underside and a recreational climbing wall in between. Private suites are sheltered away from public spaces on the ship’s belly.

9) Aeroscraft ML866 aircraft

Shaped like a whale, the Aeroscraft ML866 aircraft is as big as a superyacht and touts a range of over 3000 miles. Boasting a top speed of 138 mph (222 km/h), the ML866 comes with its own airport and features over 5,000 sq ft of cabin space to put you into extreme lavishness. The aircraft is able to take off vertically like a helicopter to reduce the runaway time. The most prominent aspect of the ML866 design is its spacious and comfy space, which is almost half the size of a football field. One of the Aeroscraft ML866 configurations to be offered is an airborne business center that will be equipped with an automated office, video conferencing facility, a sophisticated communications package, transformable interior, personal state room and a physical conference space.

8) Etihad Airline’s Diamond Seat

The world’s leading new airline, Etihad Airways are back onto the top-luxury slot with their in-flight innovation with the arrival of its new purpose-built Airbus 340-500 and the revolutionary Diamond Seat. The luxury seat can rotate 180 degrees, enabling guests to hold meetings and dine with one another, all in the Diamond zone’s luxurious surroundings. The seat also features a 23′ personal LCD video screen and mood lighting to add to the luxury travel experience. Besides the 180 degrees swivel feature, the seat also features a six-way movement headrest with built-in massage facility and the seat even converts into luxurious 6 feet 1 inch flat bed at the touch of a button to provide home like comforts when traveling. The Diamond zone is also equipped with fold-and-swivel meal tables, an integrated personal mirror, pneumatic lumbar support, reading light and desk lamp apart from the surrounding luxuries that includes a coatroom and mini-bar. So, if you think traveling is a weary-experience then you need to discover the new levels of comfort when traveling with Etihad Airways revolutionary Diamond Seat.

7) 2005 GULFSTREAM G550

This luxury Gulfstream G550 sits 14 passengers in beautiful leather seating configuration and is equipped with a conference table, two lavatories, two coffee makers, a high temperature oven and microwave, a dish washer, china and crystal storage, a stainless steel sink, two ice compartments, a thermoelectric cooled food storage compartment, a thirty gallon pressurized water system, a hot water heater and air conditioning. This airplane also comes with Internet access, printer and fax machine. The cabin video equipment includes two DVD players, one 20 Inch LCD monitor, one 17 Inch LCD monitor, seven 7 Inch LCD monitors and three more smaller LCD monitors. Additionally there are two digital multi-system converters, two color touch screen remote controls, two RF remote controls and ten 115 volt AC electrical outlets. Also included in this configuration is a fuselage mount forward view camera, fuselage mount aft view camera and a tail mounted camera. While the passenger audio systems includes ten mid range speakers, four subwoofer speakers, seven pages system speakers, 16 stereo headphone jacks and headphones and one CD player.

6) Airbus A350 With BMW Interiors

Want to experience BMW’s luxury in an absolutely new avatar! Airbus A350 unveiled its A350 twinjet at the Aircraft Interiors Expo 2006 exhibition in Hamburg next month that featured opulent interiors by BMW. Airbus has linked with BMW Group Designworks to design a new interior on the A350. The ultra-luxury cabin will boast of high-end luxury features like the A350 chief engineer Dougie Hunter says, “We can project onto the ceiling whatever is appropriate for the mood required, for example the night sky or clouds etc. Hunter says that, a concept around the door two area has a bar area and seating for economy while the entrance area will feature a dome to give the feeling of spaciousness or openness in the cabin.” The new luxurious airbus will also have improved overhead bin design to increase their volume. 

5) Luxo-Jets

Brazilian company Embraer had teamed up with BMW’s Los Angeles studio, DesignworksUSA, for some super-swank interiors for the company’s medium-range jets. The Phenom 300 pictured here should be one of the first to get the BMW interior, expected to take to the skies in 2009. The $6.65 million (probably more with this snazzy interior) jet flies at 41,000 feet and has a range of 2,078 miles. This interior is intended for the company’s line of medium-range jets. It features a full galley and lavatory and a very Teutonic, tech-heavy lounge-style cabin with lay-flat seats, deployable tables, and muted lighting.

4) Versace & Tag Aircraft Interiors

The Versace clientele can now deck-up their private jets too in Versace with the company’s extended interior styling line for aircrafts in association with TAG Aircraft Interiors. Versace geared up to produce unique cabin designs for the ultra rich. Each design will be a complete one off, and your custom interior will be signed and numbered by Versace. The leather seating is inspired by the Versace home couture collection, and is designed to offer the utmost in luxury and comfort. Apparently, clients can also participate creatively with the Versace’s designer’s team to conceive the personalised interior spaces built to their own specifications.

3) Airbus A380 VIP ‘Flying Palace’

Opulence has no boundaries! And, one of the newest trends with the ultra-rich is owning more expensive jets that are normally associated with commercial airlines like the Airbus A319, A320 and the Boeing 737. A U.S.-based design company is working on the interior design for the VIP version of the Airbus A380 “Flying Palace” for a prospective customer. The luxuriously designed Airbus A380 includes a fully-equipped interior office or board room, a curvy cocktail bar which boasts a super-size TV screen, cozy seating and private dining or relaxing zone.

2) Singapore Airlines private bedroom

Singapore Airlines upgraded their luxury seating by announcing the new ’super-first’ class on the Airbus A380 double decker. The fully enclosed private suites, which signify to the ‘golden age’ of flying boats in the thirties and forties, have been designed by famous yacht designer Jean-Jacques Coste. Each suite will be equipped with a leather seat and a full-sized bed with mattress. The two middle suites can be further transformed into doubles for couples. The cabins will be getting a gadget galore, including a 23-inch flat-screen TV, with a choice of 100 films and 180 TV programmes, and 700 CDs. A ritzy aircraft without a bedroom is like an action movie without a high-speed car chase! 

1) BMW 787 cabin concept for Russian tycoon

Boeing Business Jets approached DesignworksUSA and challenged the firm to create a conceptual 787 aircraft interior for a fictitious, affluent, Russian client in his mid-thirties. So in a pursuit to render a second luxurious home, the design team at DesignworksUSA came up with an interior with semi-translucent walls, residential-style furniture that lets space visually continue around it and vistas that let the eye travel beyond the immediate environment. The interiors of the luxury jet features a bar, scores of couches, beds, meeting rooms, stairs, and even enough space to fit in your BMW. Did I miss something?

Bugatti Veyron 16.4 SS unveiled

Rumor mill kept churning on ever since we heard of Bugatti Veyron SS model, the most powerful and the fastest car ever built by Bugatti. Earlier, there were assumptions but the whole thing is in the clear light of the day now. Bugatti has unveiled its promised Veyron 16.4 Super Sport with 1,200hp that has set a new land speed record of over 430 km/h.

The car was driven by the Bugatti’s test driver, Pierre Henri Raphanel, while the performance was inspected by German inspection officials (TÜV) and a Guinness Book of Records representative was on hand to witness the new world record. Bugatti Veyron SS reached 428 km/h in the first attempt and 434 km/h in the second. However, the street prowling version of the Super Sport will be electronically controlled to 415 km/h.

Bugatti Veyron 16.4 Super Sport churns out mammoth 1,200-hp and 1,500 Nm of torque, which is 200 hp and 250 Nm more than its standard version, achieved by using four enlarged turbochargers on the 8.0 liter, 16-cylinder engine along with larger intercoolers.

The vehicle also gets a chassis tuning with a higher main-spring travel, strengthened stabilizers and racing-grade shock absorbers. Apart from this, the latest Bugatti is trimmed 300 kilograms in comparison to standard Veyron. This amazing Buggati will appear for the public view for the time at the Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance in California in August.

SAI Quiet Supersonic Transport

Aviation consortium Supersonic Aerospace International (SAI), based in Nevada, USA, is developing a supersonic aircraft called Quiet Supersonic Transport (QSST). This 12-seat business jet aircraft with two engines will move at speeds of Mach 1.6 to 1.8. SAI has invited engine proposals from General Electric, Pratt & Whitney and Rolls-Royce. As expected engines will be selected in 2010, first flight will be held in 2014, and aircraft can be bought in 2016. Price for such luxury will be about $80 million.

Check out more luxurious private jets here

Lush Private Islands For Sale

Vatu Vara Island, Fiji

$75 million

Called “Hat Island” because of its central plateau, Vatu Vara is an extinct volcano island with twin peaks that descend into a clear blue lagoon. A coral reef surrounds the lagoon and beaches, making for excellent diving and snorkeling. Only accessible by boat, the island has a flat section approximately 7,000-feet long, which could be turned into an airstrip. For more information, contact Cheyenne Morrison at Coldwell Banker Morrison’s Private Islands.

Ronde Island, Grenada $70 million

 

Undeveloped and uninhabited, this 2,000-acre island is one of the largest for sale in the Caribbean. It has a rolling landscape of hills and valleys, several large harbors suitable for a dock and a surrounding reef with 100 feet of water visibility, including a swim-through cave, which opens into an underground quartz-filled cavern.
For more information, contact Private Islands, Inc.

Great Hans Lollik Island, U.S. Virgin Islands  $45 million

Just off the coast of St. Thomas, Great Hans Lollik Island is the most expensive island under the U.S. flag. Its main feature is a crescent-shaped beach with water visibile to the sea floor. Over 500 acres, the isle is only 8,000 feet offshore from St. Thomas, making it one of the most accessible on our list.

For more information, contact Vladi Private Islands, Cheyenne Morrison at Coldwell Banker Morrison’s Private Islands or Private Islands, Inc.

Cerralvo Island, Mexico $45 million

High bluffs and headlands fill the ridgeline of arid Baja Island. An angler's dream, the Sea of Cortez is renowned for its big-game fishing. More protected than the nearby Pacific Ocean, fishermen here find a good supply of trophy swordfish, marlin, sailfish and dorado. It is only 16 miles from an airport, and then two hours from Los Angeles. For more information, contact Vladi Private Islands or Cheyenne Morrison at Coldwell Banker Morrison’s Private Islands.

Kanacea Island, Fiji $44 million 

Eight miles in circumference, Kanacea is a volcanic formation of seven peaks. Rich tropical soil and steady rainfall made the island an ideal location for agriculture, and was once used as a plantation dating back to 1863. The interior valleys are filled with streams, pools and springs, which weave between the summits.

For more information, contact Cheyenne Morrison at Coldwell Banker Morrison’s Private Islands.

Kaimbu Island Resort, Fiji $38 million

A 14-mile long lagoon separates Kaimbu from its sister island, Yacata. Kaimbu boasts a five-star resort hotel constructed from local lumber and coconut fiber rope. Each room has ceiling-to-floor sliding glass doors, which give occupants a 180-degree view of the beach, lagoon and surrounding islands.
For more information, contact Cheyenne Morrison at Coldwell Banker Morrison’s Private Islands.

Pakatoa Island, New Zealand $35 million

A 30-mile boat ride from Auckland, the developed Pakatoa Island is for those who want to read Robinson Crusoe instead of reenact it. It has 33 self-contained chalets, 10 cabana units, a restaurant, coffee bar and a chain of heated swimming pools. Previously owned by theater magnate Sir Robert Kerridge, the island was a resort where 17-year-old Russell Crowe worked organizing bingo tournaments.
For more information, contact Vladi Private Islands or Cheyenne Morrison at Coldwell Banker Morrison’s Private Islands.

Scott Island could be yours for $4.7 million

Escaping to an island is a common fantasy, and only the privileged few can actually afford to buy one of their own. Situated in Stuart Channel, about three miles from the Vancouver Island town of Chemainus, the beautifully treed Scott Island is without a doubt worth its whopping price tag of CAD $4,900,000 (approx. US $4,732,000). Spread over 5.26 acres, the Scott Island is accessible by boat or helicopter. The island’s main residence is a contemporary and spacious 4,541 sq. ft. bi-level home with five bedrooms and six bathrooms, an room/entertainment area, an open and airy kitchen/dining/family room and a separate living room with a brick fireplace. Next to the house is the 1,644 sq. ft. caretaker’s wing, which includes two bedrooms and two bathrooms. Both these sections come with large wrap-around decks and upstairs bedrooms with balconies. Most of the rooms in the house offer magnificent southwest views.

Luxury Airbus A380 Super Jumbo Jets from Emirates Airline

Airbus Industries recently announced that Dubai-based Emirates Airline had placed a new order for 32 additional A380 super jumbos. Price tag is reported to be $11.5 billion.

Emirates chief executive Sheikh Ahmed Bin Saeed Al-Maktoum told reporters, “This latest order, adding to 58 A380s we have booked, affirms our strategy to become a world leading carrier and establish Dubai as a central gateway to global air travel.”

Back in 2004, 58 aircraft were first ordered. Of those, Airbus has delivered 10 jumbos since July of 2008.

Emirates Airline states that an additional five A380s will join its fleet by the end of 2010 and the balance of the order including the new order of 32 planes, are scheduled to fly by 2015.

Since 2008, Airbus has confirmed delivery of 30 A380s to multiple global airlines such as Emirates, Qantas, Air France, Singapore and Lufthansa.

The below picture shows shows the first class section bar on board an Emirates Airline Airbus A380 passenger plane.

 “The A380 is our flagship in terms of passenger comfort, innovation, environmental efficiency and revenue generation. Our latest commitment signals confidence in the growth to come in a thriving aviation sector as we build our fleet for tomorrow,” the Dubai Sheikh said.

The A380 family has a base capacity of 525 passengers, that can be seated in a three-class configuration in two spacious decks. This super jumbo has a non-stop range of 8,300 nautical miles/15,400km.

Emirates Airline is the leading Middle East airline and will begin its A380 service to Beijing China on August 1. Service to Manchester England starts on September 1 and a return service to New York on October 1.

On Oct 15, 2007, Singapore Airlines was the first airline to accept delivery of the A380. Singapore Airlines now has a fleet of 10 aircraft in operation, flying routes to Hong Kong, Tokyo, Paris, London, Sydney, Zurich and Melbourne.