Source: CCTV.com

10-08-2008 17:00

Dear All,

I love the Bird's Nest.

Right up there with Michael Phelps and Usain Bolt, China's National Stadium will be the strongest of my many memories of Beijing 2008. And even though it's become an overused cliche, the word 'iconic' springs to mind time and again whe I think about its lines, its strength and its fluidity.

I doubt we'll see the likes of another Birds Nest anytime soon. But that doesn't mean there isn't much to look forward to. Jacques Herzog and Pierre de Meuron, the Swiss architects behind the Bird's Nest, are putting the finishing touches to plans for an incredible new apartment building in New York City.

The 57-floor glass tower has already been described as resembling "houses stacked in the sky" with 145 individual apartments jutting out at different angles. Each will be unique and is being essentially designed and arranged like individual boxes. It's beautiful and, like the Bird's Nest, probably has to be seen to be believed.

We'll have that opportunity when it's finally opened in 2010. In case you're wondering, flats will go on sale starting at US$3.5 million with the top priced unit expected to fetch up to US$33 million. Sounds like an awful lot. It is. And one wonders how many people will still be able to afford such high prices given the current global financial markets.

Enjoy the pictures above. What do you think?

James

Editor:Xiong Qu