A stunning home on the French Riviera that was once owned by Edith Piaf is on the market for almost US$ 5.25 million. She bought the four-bedroom property in Grasse on the French Riviera in the 1950s and lived there until her death from liver cancer in 1963, at the age of 47. The refurbished property on the south east coast of France is surrounded by countryside, being between the two pretty villages of Mougins and Valbonne. The grounds are extensive and include a tennis court, an outdoor swimming pool and a pool house. In addition, there are three separate guest suites and a two-bedroom guardian's cottage. The landscaped gardens include a lawn area with Mediterranean shrubs, mature trees and enough space for a helicopter to land. Inside of the property, there is a stone archway separating the kitchen and dining room, as well as exposed stone walls in the living area. There is pretty floor tiling throughout much of the house, with wooden ceiling beams and large doors opening out to the garden. Carlton International, the estate agents handling the sale, said: 'The property makes the perfect family home, ideal for entertaining.' It added: 'This was the former home of one of the most famous, internationally renowned french singers of the twentieth century. 'It is a stunning property in the heart of the countryside, enjoying complete quiet.' And buying agent Henry Pryor said: 'Properties with this history are always going to create a stir, especially on the French Riviera. 'The agent's problem won't be getting someone to view it, but holding back the tour buses who would like to see it.

Paris city councilors have voted in favor of hotly-contested plans for a giant triangular tower that would be the capital's first modern skyscraper in more than 40 years. After construction 42-storey skyscraper "Tour Triangle" will be third tallest skyscraper in Paris conceding only 324 meter high Eiffel Tower and the 210 meters high Montparnasse Tower. The newest project was designed by Basel-based architects "Herzog & de Meuron", who were the creative brains behind the conversion of London's Bankside Power Station into the Tate Modern art museum and Beijing's 'Bird's Nest' stadium for the 2008 Olympics. Europe's biggest listed property group "Unibail Rodamco" is investing US$ 555 million into the project, which is set to be completed in 2018. Inside, the tower will house a 120-room, four star hotel, a restaurant, a cultural center, and 70,000 square meters of office space. The project was first shown to the public in 2008. At that time the skyscraper construction was impossible, as the laws were restricting tall buildings in Paris. Over the years, laws have changed and the project "Tour Triangle" also a little changed. For example at first the office place was 80 thousand square meters, now it is 70 thousand square meters. According to France 24, Paris city council has approved the construction of a controversial tower block "Tour Triangle". On June 30 the project was given go-ahead after getting 87 votes for and 74 against. The project was rejected by the same body in November 2014 amid accusations that conservative councilors had voted against it merely to block the success of a project supported by Socialist Mayor Anne Hidalgo. The second vote was carried out in private after Paris' mayor Anne Hidalgo dismissed November's ballot as invalid, claiming inter-party fighting influenced the outcome. Tour Triangle is set to be located in Porte de Versailles on the city's south-western fringe in the Porte de Versailles neighborhood, alongside vast convention halls. Many residents are unhappy, however, at the prospect of having to live next to the tower. Politicians have also criticized the project for not being in line with Paris' housing requirements, or being energy efficient enough. Despite skyscrapers being a common sight in many cities, residents in Paris have strongly opposed them, ever since the 324 meters high Eiffel Tower was built for the 1889 Universal Exposition. The first and last skyscraper to be built in inner Paris was the 210 meters tall Tour Montparnasse building in 1973.

At first glance, the warm, luminous development proposed for a Paris site doesn't look much different than any other mixed-use project rising in other cities. But this village of high-rises is unique in that it would be made completely from wood-even the 35-story tower at the center. If completed, the skyscraper named Baobab would be largest and tallest wooden structure on the planet, rising above two other wooden buildings currently proposed for Stockholm and Vienna. The architect behind the wooden village is Michael Green, a designer who's been an evangelical voice for wood's revival. And he's not alone. The new development Created in collaboration with DVVD and real estate developer REI France. Thanks to incredible technological advances over the last decade, wood has become championed as stronger, safer, and more economical than steel. That's because traditional wood beams are being replaced with prefabricated "mass timber," where sheets of wood with alternating grain are laminated atop one another to make a super-strong building material. This makes wood a far better choice for building a structure It not only requires much less energy to manufacture, it comes from a renewable source and can sequester carbon. And in many ways it's more fire-resistant than steel because burning wood creates a layer of insulation in the form of char (much like how trees protect themselves in a forest fire) which is less likely to structurally fail under the same conditions. The Baobab plan is part of Reinventer Paris, a comprehensive redevelopment program for the city that is turning over 23 sites in the city to innovative urban projects. Pershing, the area which the wooden skyscrapers are proposed for, would be part of a larger eco-minded community with affordable housing, urban farming, and transportation connections. The development claims that the environmental benefit of using wood is the climate equivalent of taking 2,207 cars off the road. The 35-story tower, "Baobab," places a heightened focus on community. With a strategic mix of market and social housing, a student hotel, urban agriculture, a bus station, e-car hub, and other amenities, the proposal hopes to "foster the city's vision for a connected, vibrant metropolis" and "define the next era of city building." A gorgeous, game-changing wood building would be well-suited in Paris, where the Eiffel Tower changed people's minds about the possibilities-and beauty-of iron as a building material over a century ago. In previous years Norway, Canada and Austria also announced about plans to build wooden skyscrapers. In 2012 Architect Michael Green, one of three principals at "McFarlane Green Biggar Architecture + Design", announced about plans for a 30-story wooden skyscraper in Vancouver. Two years later "Bergen Omegn Building Society" started works on the 14 story wooden structure "Treet" or "The tree", which would rise to 49 meters. This year architecture firm "Rudiger Lainer and Partner" has unveiled plans to build the 84 meters, 24 stories "HoHo" wooden tower in the Seestadt Aspern area of Vienna .

Pablo Picasso's granddaughter is selling his villa in Cannes and 126 of his ceramics as she tries to shake off unhappy childhood memories of the artist. Marina Picasso, 64, remembers being taken to the gates of the grand three-storey house, La Californie, by her impoverished father, Paulo, to beg for handouts from an indifferent Picasso. The sale "will be a way for me to turn the page on a rather painful story," told Marina Picasso. She has reportedly received an offer of nearly US$ 172 million for the 1920 villa that she inherited at the age of 22, along with an extensive collection of his works. Sotheby's expects the ceramics to fetch up to US$ 9.2 million. "It's not a house where I have a lot of good memories," she said. "I saw very little of my grandfather there. With hindsight, I understand that he may have been captivated by painting and nothing else was more important to him. Except when you're a child, you don't experience it like that." Picasso bought the villa in 1955 and painted one of his most famous works there, The Bay of Cannes. He moved out in 1961 after his view of the sea was blocked by a new building. Marina Picasso renovated the villa in 1987 and renamed it the "Pavillon de Flore", although it is better known as "La Californie". Marina Picasso says the sale will help her broaden her philanthropic projects. She funds a children's hospital in Vietnam and programs to help troubled teenagers and the elderly in Switzerland, where she spends much of her time. Picasso lived at La Californie with his second wife, Jacqueline Roque, who barred Marina Picasso and her brother Pablito from the artist's funeral. Pablito Picasso committed suicide a few days later. Marina Picasso's father was Picasso's son by his first wife, Olga Khokhlova, a Russian-Ukrainian ballerina. He was humiliated by being forced to work as the artist's chauffeur.

The mayor of a small village in Normandy is offering plots of land for just 1 euro a square meter - but only to those who promise to build a house and live there full time. In total the village has put 4 civil owned plots of between 900 to 1,000 square meters up for sale. The mayor, Patrick Madeleine, is struggling to raise money to renovate the community hall and hopes the arrival of new families will raise municipal revenue. "We're in a period where money is short, with state grants being cut back," Mr Madeleine said. "The only way to bring a bit more wealth into the community is to bring in new residents." Faced with a declining population, the village of Champ-du-Boult, in the Calvados region, has been offering cut-price plots at 12 euro a square meter since 2007, but has been unable to attract any takers. According to publications, the cost of building a modest house would be about 1,300 euros per square meter of living space. Since the lower price was announced last week, hundreds of prospective buyers, including four or five Britons, have contacted the council. It will choose successful applicants in the next three to four weeks. Champ-du-Boult, a community of only 388 people, a quarter of who is British, s conveniently situated for the Normandy coast. The nearest railway station is in Vire, about 11 kilometers away. The closest airport is at Dinard about 100 kilometers away. It is also 45 minutes' drive from Mont-Saint-Michel.