You might have blinked and missed it, but currently under construction in the Indian city of Mumbai is a new 320 metre tall residential tower with the Bondesque name, Palais Royale.

With an octagonal floorplate that dictates the overall appearance of the tower and follows through Vastu philosophy, the scheme has a white Corian clad frame with balconies and recessed floor to ceiling glazing behind it.

Designed by Talathy and Panthaki, the Corian cladding was specifically chosen because it resembles marble, but without the weight and needless to say, the cost.

Thanks to the girth on show, the development looks surprisingly short for a 320 metre tall tower, something that is further magnified by the fact that not every floor is marked. Rather it’s a case that the external frame shows off double height glazing as well as individual levels making it appear rather shorter from some angles than the 66 storeys it reaches.

Despite the copious amounts of glazing, due to the wind-flow in and around the building that gets particularly strong during the monsoon season, not all apartments will have windows that open meaning they will have a number of other facilities fitted to compensate include ionisers.

The building is already under construction and is being built by Shree Ram Urban Infrastructure Ltd who aim for a 2010 finished, something that is quite ambitious as its concrete frame has reached less than a third of its height.

Dubai International Financial Centre launches DIFC Lighthouse Tower

The Dubai International Financial Centre (DIFC) announced the launch of DIFC Lighthouse Tower, a landmark 400-metre luxury office tower that will be constructed in the heart of the DIFC District, adjacent to the famous ‘Gate’ building.

Environmentally sensitive design to set benchmark for energy conservation.  More…

Those with property investment interests in the UAE may welcome research from HSBC which shows that property prices are rising in the emirates.
The new Property Ladder study shows that there has been a marked growth in the UAE property sector, in part spurred by a relaxation of maximum loan-to-value (LTV) rates that have allowed more people to get on the housing ladder. More…

Egypt is fast becoming the latest investment property hotspot for buyers who are looking for an exciting investment which gives impressive rental yields, high capital growth and low property prices.

Following recent reforms, purchasing Egyptian properties is now far more straightforward and transparent than it once was and the economy has performed strongly over the last few years.

Cultural reasons to consider Egypt include miles of sandy white beaches, reliable climate, excellent diving and water sports and a real sense of history.

Access to the country from Europe is also very easy and cheap, enticing millions of tourists each year and holiday home buyers and investors will love the low cost of living that Egypt still offers in comparison to other equivalent countries.

The US’s recent announcement of the lifting of restrictions on visits and transfers to Cuba is predicted to bring a huge boost to the island’s economy, tourism and by extension, property investment. After over five decades of being subjected to severe limitations from its giant neighbour, the recent changes mean Cuba is set to receive thousands more visitors a year. More…

If you like the high life, you may be interested to hear that construction has started on what will be China’s tallest building, Shanghai Tower and one of the ten tallest buildings in the world. More…

While just a couple of years ago the big news was an influx of tourists and businesses visiting India, market observers may have overlooked the fact that akin to the rising numbers of Chinese tourist travelling overseas, greater numbers of Indian travellers also heading abroad to holiday. Such is the size of India’s population that as tourists overseas they have the potential to positively impact the fortunes of a host of global tourist destinations.

The fairly sudden emergence of an Indian travel market has been prompted by a very buoyant economy which is now emerging as one of the economic powerhouses of the future and a property investment hotspot.  Western firms are literally fighting amongst themselves to gain direct exposure to the Indian economy and we have also seen a number of takeovers and joint venture agreements involving Indian and Western groups.  This increased activity in the economy has resulted in a substantially higher standard of living for many Indian (but not all) and given them more disposable income to use for alternative activities.

While there are a number of travel destinations around the world proving popular with Indian travellers, it is Singapore which has risen to the top of the list.  We then have the likes of Dubai, Australia and Malaysia further down the list in contention.  A direct result of this increased interest in travelling overseas will eventually translate to a percentage of Indians looking to invest in overseas property markets with countries such as Australia already gearing themselves up for an expected increase in interest.

Manchester United star and World football player of the year Cristiano Ronaldo has added another string to his bow – property investor……Ronaldo’s latest purchase is a £8 million luxury hotel on the Portuguese island of Porto Santo near his native Madeira. More…

With domestic sales suffering as the rupee loses value against the dollar, property developers in India are looking outside the country for an alternative market. They are hoping to tap into a growing niche within overseas property investment Non-Resident Indian investors.

NRI or Non-Resident Indian refers to a person of Indian origin either born outside India or living in another country, or an Indian citizen who has emigrated. NRIs are an obvious target for investment, as they may well wish to retain links with their homeland, or return there in the future as permanent residents. Many are taking advantage of current incentives by employers to return to India; Motorola is one such company offering a special programme. More…

What if -ever built, will be the second tallest building in the world, is finally being fleshed out to stand in a new emerging commercial zone in the Korean capital of Seoul, Digital Media City. More…

The recently published Knight Frank/Citi Private Bank Wealth Report 2009 reveals some surprising facts about the attitudes of the world’s wealthy to property investment in the face of the global economic crisis.
The report shows that despite the fact that luxury house prices have fallen around the world, there is still a healthy appetite for property investment among the ranks of the world’s super-rich. More…

Oman’s profile in recent years can only be described as low, particularly as far as investment property is concerned. Eclipsed by its brighter and more daring Emirate neighbours, particularly Dubai whose higher-than-high skyrises have occupied most of the Middle East property investment limelight in recent years, the Sultanate of Oman has all but escaped investor attention. More…

Foster and Partners has designed what will be the tallest skyscrapers in France to sit on the plot at La Defense in Paris owned by property company Hermitage.  More…

Last week on the Forbes Rich List, Desis were represented in the top 10. Mukesh Ambani landed in the #7 spot while Lakshmi Mittal took the #8 spot. Ambani, the chairman of Reliance Industries is currently worth $19.5 billion which gives him sole possession as the richest man in India. Unfortunately, they still have a long way to go to reach the richest man in the world worth $40 billion, Bill Gates. More…