If you’ve been dreaming about living a new life under the Tuscan sun, now you can in Michelangelo’s former villa — currently on the market for US$ 9.3 million. The famed artist bought the sprawling 1200 square meters home located in Chianti, Italy in 1549, and it remained in the family until 1867. Today, the ten-bedroom manor — which is surrounded by the region’s iconic rolling green hills — was recently renovated to retain the historical character of the property. It even includes a copy of the original deed. The massive villa has been renovated to pay homage to its historic past, and the result is an idyllic property straight out of a fairy tale. A sturdy brick cladding covers the home, which sits on nearly 24 thousand square meters area covered with cypress and olive trees. Inside, the home includes 10 bedrooms and seven bathrooms, and a guest cottage is located on site. A brick vaulted ceiling opens up the main living room space, which also comes with a central stone fireplace and several seating nooks. An adjacent sitting room features beamed ceilings and another grand fireplace. Beautiful arched doorways and terracotta floors run throughout the interior and blend in nicely with the additional rooms’ white walls and ceilings. The home’s large kitchen comes with the original stone hearth and basin, as well as a backsplash made out of Tuscan ceramic tiles.

The Netherlands is famously flat—but a massive green mountain is rising up in the Dutch city of Veldhoven. The Dutch Mountains project will be the world’s largest wooden building, combining natural materials with high-tech design to create a state-of-the-art, self-sustaining development. The ambitious project will include several offices and work spaces, as well as various conference centers. It will also feature a hotel located on site and short-stay facilities for out-of-town visitors. The main building will be constructed of solid wood and, once completed, will be the largest wooden building in the world. The Dutch Mountains master plan envisions an entirely self-sufficient complex, with closed cycles for energy, water, waste and materials. The architects chose timber as the principal building material in order to create system that reduces CO2 emissions. Additionally, they plan to integrate the building’s facade with a smart technology that reduces energy usage. The project envisions a future where the building can be updated with greener materials that help improve the building’s sustainability. For example, the building’s temperature-regulating facade will be one of the most innovative on the market, but if a smarter facade is created in the future that produces more energy, it can easily replace the old version, which will be recycled or repurposed. The complex will not only use sustainable building materials, but also provide an abundance of green space to create a vibrant, healthy atmosphere. From green roofs and a large park to an artificial marshland, the complex will be virtually covered in vegetation.

MAD Architects has revealed new renderings of the Lucas Museum of Narrative Art that’s just broke ground in Los Angeles’ Exposition Park this week. Founded by “Star Wars” creator George Lucas, the museum will take on a fittingly futuristic spaceship-like appearance crafted in MAD Architects’ iconic curvaceous style. The US$ 1.5 billion museum is expected to be complete and open to the public by the second half of 2021. Since winning the International Competition of the Lucas Museum of Narrative Art in 2014, MAD Architects has developed three unique designs for the Lucas Museum of Narrative Art, each of which respond to the three proposed project locations in Chicago, San Francisco, and Los Angeles. The non-profit museum’s confirmed home in Los Angeles sits on approximately 44.5 thousand square meters of land in Exposition Park. The building’s interior has been designed as an expansive, open cave, flooded with natural light from skylights above. At least US$ 400 million worth of art will be housed in the museum, including over 10,000 paintings, illustrations and movie memorabilia. Skylights allow sunlight to flood the interior space, and guide visitors through the museum’s various programs. The first floor and roof of the building are expansive public areas that can be enjoyed by everyone. People can exercise here, relax, talk to the surrounding natural environment, and directly experience nature in the urban environment.”

One of the preferred sectors for developing Lori region’s economy is the tourism. According to the regional administration the number of guests who visited the region in 2017 compared with 2016 doubled, reaching 200,000 people. This year it is planned to start several new projects that will have a serious impact on tourism development of Lori. In particular, new ropeways will be built in the regional community of Shahumyan, at the foot of Mount Maymekh. According to this project, the ropeways will have 4 directions with capacity up to 2,000 passengers. The average speed of the cable cars will be about twice as fast as the speed of Tatever ropeway. The longest in the region - 8 km ski track also planned to be build. This track designed for skiers, snowboarders, and for sledding, too. The Shahumyan community was chosen for this project because Vanadzor itself is unfavorable for winter recreation activities and winter here is about 45 days shorter than in Shahumyan. Currently, design and estimation works are being carried out by Canadian specialists of Armenian origin. For the project implementation 50 million US dollars of private investment should be attracted. The project to be more holistic it is planned also to further develop tourism infrastructure of the city including new hotels, cafes and other needed facilities. Additionally, for more attractiveness, the City Council plan to offer guests with free transportation to Mount Maymekh ropeways and back to Vanadzor. As soon as design papers are ready, construction works will start immediately. The first stage of the construction will last 9-12 months.

Indian architect Balkrishna Vithaldas Doshi has been named the 2018 laureate of the Pritzker Prize, architecture's most illustrious award, reported The CNN. Doshi, one of India's most influential 20th century architects, is the 45th recipient of the Pritzker Prize. He is the first Indian architect to be awarded the prize. Doshi and his practice Vastu-Shilpa has a portfolio spanning over 70 years, including collaborations with both Le Corbusier and Louis Kahn. "My works are an extension of my life, philosophy and dreams trying to create treasury of the architectural spirit. I owe this prestigious prize to my guru, Le Corbusier," said Doshi. "His teachings led me to question identity and compelled me to discover new regionally adopted contemporary expression for a sustainable holistic habitat." After graduating in Mumbai, Doshi began his architectural career in Europe. He apprenticed at Le Corbusier's Paris office and later went on to oversee the construction of some of his mentor's pivotal projects in Chandigarh and Ahmedabad. Doshi deftly integrates the principles of modernism within the realities of the Indian climate and context. His work addresses serious social issues, developing low-cost housing and urban planning throughout India’s cities, particularly in Ahmedabad, India, where he is based. Some of his own key projects include the Ahmedabad School of Architecture (1966), which he both designed and founded; the barrel-vaulted studio he created for his studio Vastu-Shilpa in 1981; and his experimental, cave-like Amdavad ni Gufa (1995) gallery. In 1989 he designed Aranya Low Cost Housing, a labyrinthine complex of russet homes providing affordable residences for 80,000 people in Indore. Doshi was awarded the prize by a jury including Richard Rogers, Sejima Kazuyo, Glenn Murcutt and Martha Thorne. "Balkrishna Doshi has always created an architecture that is serious, never flashy or a follower of trends," reads their citation. "With a deep sense of responsibility and a desire to contribute to his country and its people through high quality, authentic architecture, he has created projects for public administrations and utilities, educational and cultural institutions, and residences for private clients, among others." Doshi will receive a grant and bronze medallion at the Aga Khan Museum in Toronto, Canada on 16 May 2018.