Leonardo DiCaprio Builds an Eco-Resort in Belize

A well-known environmental activist, Mr. DiCaprio bought Blackadore Caye, 104 acres of wild, unpopulated land off the coast of Belize, with a partner soon after he set foot in the country 2005. Blackadore Caye is a 45-minute boat ride from Philip S. W. Goldson International Airport in Belize City and a 15-minute boat ride from San Pedro, the nearest big town. The island has been used for hundreds of years, according to Juan Rovalo, a biologist who leads a team of scientists studying the caye.

Now Mr. DiCaprio has joined with Paul Scialla, the chief executive of Delos, a New York City-based developer, to create an eco-conscious resort there. When it opens to guests in 2018, “Blackadore Caye, a Restorative Island” will feature the trappings of many luxury resorts, with sprawling villas, infinity pools and stunning sunset views.

The 104 acres of unpopulated land will soon feature 68 elevated resort villas, "fish shelters" in man-made reefs, marine grass grown to feed manatees, and private houses that will cost between $5 million and $15 million each. DiCaprio hopes the estate will prove to be beneficial for the area and the planet at large, with a team of scientists, engineers, designers and landscape architects monitoring how the resort affects its location. 

“The main focus is to do something that will change the world,” Mr. DiCaprio said. “I couldn’t have gone to Belize and built on an island and done something like this, if it weren’t for the idea that it could be groundbreaking in the environmental movement.”

Hamilton Grand Residences, St Andrews

Hamilton Grand, a collection of 26 private residences overlooking the 18^th hole on the St Andrew’s Old Course and adjacent to the revered 255-year-old Royal & Ancient Golf Club, offers the most coveted addresses in the world of golf.  

With an unparalleled location set alongside the 18th green of the world’s most famous golf course, the Old Course, Hamilton Grand comprises 26 homes of distinction – two-, three- and four-bedroom residences, providing truly exhilarating and uniquely Scottish experiences. Prices from £1.2 to £7.0 million for fully furnished residences.

• Residences ranging from 97.8 to 158.1 square meters
• Private lounge for owners and an exclusive 6th-floor terrace with stunning views over the West Sands Beach, North Sea, and 1st, 2nd, 17th and 18th fairways of the Old Course
• Paces away from The Royal and Ancient Golf Club
• Directly adjacent to Hams Hame – a pub and grill offering Scottish cuisine that showcases the finest seafood from the harbours of the East Neuk’s fishing villages to a variety of beef, lamb, poultry, seasonal fruits and vegetables chosen for their flavor from farms across Scotland
• Membership to Kohler Waters Spa and Fitness Centre
• Links ticket application providing immediate access to the Old Course and six other courses in the Links Trust for residents staying in St Andrews for six months or more
• Concierge and doorman services

Villa Wickie in St Barts

Villa Wickie is one of the finest properties ever built in St Barth. This glorious six bedroom property is set atop the cliffside of Gustavia with unsurpassed ocean and sunset views. The location, while convenient to the heart of Gustavia, offers complete serenity. The creation from the design studios of Olivier Dain, this immense property fringes Gustavia's animated center, all the while persevering absolute tranquility and a particularly impressive Western sea view. The six-bedroom villa encompasses just about everything you would want in a luxury retreat including large sun decks and an infinity pool. White walls, rich woods and large windows contrast with pops of color from the art, decor and mosaic details. A second pool bisects the compound creating privacy between the kitchen and main living space and a master suite that shares the ocean views.

Bedrooms: 6 ; Bathrooms: 6 ; Interior: 11,710 Sq Ft. / 1,088 m²

Listed price: € 19,000,000

Rockledge Residence in Laguna Beach, California

Horst Architects together with interior design firm Aria Design have completed the Rockledge Residence in Laguna Beach, California.

Perched atop the vertical face of a rocky, coastal promontory, this residence responds directly to the owner’s brief for a relaxed family beach house where they could engage family and friends, while also enjoying the views and natural surroundings of the site. The mild coastal climate also created the opportunity for the seamless integrate of interior and exterior space. The design solution consists of a main residence and a detached guest house organized around a series of connected courtyards. Native, drought tolerant vegetation forms the connective tissue of the various exterior spaces. Sliding, concealed pocket doors and the continuity of materials both inside and out, help to dissolve the boundary between interior and exterior space. Materiality and formal choices were informed by a desire to root the structure into the site. Indoor and outdoor living is orchestrated by balancing views with privacy, communal space with intimacy. Rockledge is a place of meditation where one can contemplate the ocean and sky.

Sygnia Office by Antoni Associates

Architects: ANTONI ASSOCIATES

Project: Sygnia

Location: Green Point, Cape Town

Interior Architecture: ANTONI ASSOCIATES

Project Team: Mark Rielly, Michele Rhoda

Completion Date: 2010

Photographs: Stefan Antoni & Jon Case

Project information

Cape Town-based studio Antoni Associate was appointed in 2010 by Sygnia, a financial services company to re-locate their offices to the top two floor levels of The Foundry in Green Point, a neighborhood of Cape Town, South Africa.The brief to Mark Rielly and Michele Rhoda of ANTONI ASSOCIATES was to create an open plan office environment, inspired by industrial New York loft-style gallery spaces. 

The client is an art aficionado and has curated a collection of prominent international and local artworks which she wanted installed throughout the new office. The design team conceptualised the stark white interior to capture a gallery ‘feel’. All walls, ceilings and exposed steelwork were painted white. The floors were treated with a light grey epoxy high gloss finish. This clean palette created the perfect backdrop for exhibiting the various artworks and installations. Meeting boxes were created as an alternative to traditional meeting rooms. These are raised off the floor and are accentuated by concealed strip lighting in the skirting detail. V-shaped suspended, fragmented bulkheads running along the gallery corridor cleverly contains concealed lighting and allows light to reflect off the ceiling. David Reade was commissioned to design an installation of over 700 pieces of hand-blown coloured glass which was suspended from the roof ceiling, through the central floor perforation into the level below. The refraction and reflection of this infusion of colour in this white palette creates a focal point on this level. For the staff cafeteria and relaxation lounge a feature bar and serving counter was created from in situ concrete into which the Sygnia logo was cast.  A metal chain industrial screen divides the entertainment space where groupings of smaller dining tables have been provided. This entertainment level spills out onto a large roof terrace with panoramic views of the City.

Sow Paris by Antoni Associates

Project Name: Sow Paris
Location: ParisInterior Architecture: ANTONI ASSOCIATESProject Team: Mark Rielly & Jon CaseInterior Decor: ANTONI ASSOCIATESProject Team: Mark Rielly & Jon CaseCompletion Date: 2008Photographs: Stefan AntoniWeb Contacts: www.aainteriors.co.za

Project information

Our Senegalese based client acquired this magnificent penthouse apartment which occupies the entire floor, and a lower entrance level in an historical building located in the prestigious sixteenth district of Paris. Having completed two interior projects for this client in Cape Town, and currently working on his private homes in Dakar and Geneva and his hotel in Dakar, ANTONI ASSOCIATES have come to understand the high level of design and sophistication expected by the Client. The clients brief was to create a sumptuous, cutting edge 21^sCentury luxury apartment that combines the romance of Paris with the exotic undertones of Africa.

ANTONI ASSOCIATES were able to work in Europe by doing the planning and approvals in conjunction with a local architectural practice “DP AGENCE”.

The lower entrance level is comprised of an entrance foyer, a guest bedroom suite and double volume library and study. A new feature steel and timber cantilever staircase was designed to fill the entrance foyer and create opportunities to display various artworks from around the globe. The staircase wraps around an Ether Chandelier from Murano. The study /  library is  a double  volume space, paneled in a dark stained ash timber on three sides with a full height window on the fourth wall giving one a view of the historical buildings of the 16^tharrondissement. The main level of the apartment has three living rooms, master suite, 2 guest bedrooms and two large terrace roof gardens. The master bedroom which is actually located in the roof loft space (as the apartment is the penthouse) forms a mezzanine overlooking the study which shares and two-storey glass window framing a view of the Paris skyline. The main feature of the master en-suite is the bath which floats on an onyx backlit floor which continues into a frameless onyx slab sliding door that separates it from the informal lounge and open plan kitchen. When the client is in residence by himself, this onyx sliding door allows the master bedroom to link directly with open plan living spaces allowing for easy flow between the two. # Jon Case points out that “The joinery and interior finishes were extremely detailed and precise. We adapted some new materials and worked closely with European craftsmen to create this cutting edge interior.”

The main entertainment area comprises of the two partially divided sitting rooms, the open plan kitchen and the two large terrace roof gardens. The sitting rooms are divided by a central feature fireplace which has been clad with a burnished metal panel. French doors open onto the terrace which has been landscaped with sculptured water features and built in seating. The terraces overlook the central courtyard of the apartment building which is dominated by an enormous horse chestnut tree and the apex of the Eiffel Tower can be seen towering above the roofs cape. The sleek interior of the apartment contrasts with the rough stone and limestone façade of the courtyard. The feature kitchen is Boffi, a Zebrano timber and stainless steel counter top finishes were selected. Paris being one of the gourmet capitals of the world, the Client elected to omit having a dining room as almost all of his meals would be eaten out at any one of the 3 toque restaurants in the vicinity. The kitchen therefore was designed with a large central island with bar seating for informal dining. The use of red silk faced glass which has been backlit adds drama to this area. The interior furniture is all modern and sleek lines with reference to the client’s African heritage which is evident in the Nguni rugs and antique artifacts. A number of signature furniture pieces were designed and supplied by OKHA. The client’s taxidermy collection, a monkey in the study and a lioness add a sense of playfulness and fun. Accent tonal fabrics were used to create flair. The two guest bedrooms open onto a small family lounge which also has egress to the main entertainment terrace roof garden. Here timber decking was used underfoot. Built-in marble clad custom seating and planter boxes were added. A feature outdoor grille was built against the rustic stone wall. The pitch of the roof spaces  and angled walls which were perforated with typical Parisian dormer windows with wrought iron Juliet balconies in this classical build were features which complicated the design process. This was successfully dealt with by cladding these with horizontal timber paneling. Feature bulkheads were added to define and articulate the space and to provide recesses for concealed lighting. Mirror was used in specific areas of the entertainment space to add depth and reflection. Textured contrasts such as rich exotic woods, burnished metals and clay stucco feature walls were used to highlight elements of the interior architecture. Large polished sandstone tiles overlap solid timber floorboards to define areas within the interior. Vibrant Bizzaza mosaics were used to add colour and texture to the bathrooms accompanied by state of the art sanitary and chromeware. #“Throughout the apartment, modern works of art, many of which were from the client’s private collection, sit comfortably within this luxury apartment creating an interior that is decidedly sleek and contemporary,” says Mark Rielly.