The Architecture of 007

Residencia Paranal

Residencia Paranal ( ESO Hotel ) is located in the middle of the driest desert in the world. Located at 2,400 meters above sea level on Cerro Paranal, it is the accommodations for Paranal Observatory. It was built as an artificial oasis where people can relax between shifts. The hotel has 120 rooms and a canteen, lounge, swimming pool, a fitness center and library. The complex, comprising of four levels, fits snugly into an existing depression in the ground. There are spectacular views out across the desert to the Pacific Ocean.

Fontainebleau Hotel

Although the scenes of James Bond's Goldfinger are hardly noticeable to have taken place here now, the glitz and glamour of the Fontainebleau Hotel still creates a buzz. Morris Lapidus drew some inspiration for the hotel's lobby from set designs of old Hollywood films, like the Busby Berkeley musicals. When completed in 1954, it had more than 500 rooms arranged in a quarter-circle curve, the signature design element of the famous hotel. The original Fontainebleau Hotel is a visual dictionary of the International Style : ribbon windows, floating stairs, parabolic pavilions and undulating parapets. Lapidus was all about reinterpreting Italian Baroque in a modernist style, in a big extravagant modernist way.

Elrod House

From the moment you step onto the property you know right away the experience that awaits you is something spectacular. Inside the gate is a courtyard that has a set of steps that gives you an amazing view of the roof. The roof in this building is the star of the structure. It's pinwheel like design gives the interior a spaceship like quality. The open floor plan cleverly hides the kitchen and bedrooms so much that you feel as if there is only one room in the whole house. Another stand-out feature of the home is the rock formation which seemingly melds with glass and concrete surfaces effortlessly.

IceQ Restaurant

From the Gaislachkogl cable car, visitors catch their first glimpse of IceQ - a sleek, modern and strikingly-designed box jutting out of the mountain, its all-glass exterior sparkling under a winter sun. It is the highest restaurant in the region and the view through its never-ending glass facade is spectacular. On the roof of the building, an observation platform is accessible via a hanging bridge.

Dar Bianca

An artificial stream borders this three-bedroom residence to give the impression of a home floating on water. It a vision welcomed in the middle of the desert. This oasis boasts park-like grounds, two swimming pools, views from almost every room and a separate guest house. It's indoor-outdoor living at it's best. The idea behind this fascinating structure was to give its European owners the same experience as living on the seaside : in the open air, in permanent relationship with the water and the wind.

Seebuhne at Festspielhaus Bregenz

The Seebuhne (lake stage) is the huge open-air amphitheater with the stage anchored in the lake. The stage changes every two years as new opera seasons begin. Although, technically not a building the wonder and magic of the space is about how the seating and infrastructure relate to the stage. The stage is the the ever-changing building. The fact that it is in the water, is something that lends interest to the architecture.