Multi-residential living is popular all around the world – and, while the premise is the same, the premises themselves can range from the sublime to the, well, unusual.
We’ve searched the world to bring you five of our favourite apartment buildings – all of which have something rather unique to share.
Best apartments in the world: Cayan Tower, Dubai, UAE
Built in 2013, this iconic 75-storey building towers across Dubai, its spiral appearance attracting residents and tourists alike. The structure of Cayan Tower, previously called Infinity Tower, was achieved by rotating each floor 1.2 degrees around an elevator and service core, and this spectacular 306m building is home to 570 apartments, ranging from studio flats to penthouses and duplexes. Four-bedroom apartments cost around AUD$150,000 per year to rent, while a penthouse will set you back seven figures just to rent for the year. Ouch.
Best apartments in the world: The Wave, Vejle, Denmark
If The Wave looks a little familiar, that’s because it was inspired by the Sydney Opera House – although that’s not a connection many would necessarily make just by looking at it. Anyway, The Wave, which was designed by Henning Larsen Architects, is pretty damn impressive in its own right. Located in Vejle, in south east Denmark, it’s home to 115 units across 14,000 square metres, and has unsurprisingly won a number of accolades in its time, too.
Best apartments in the world: La Muralla Roja, Alicante, Spain
Literally translated as ‘The Red Wall’, La Muralla Roja is a postmodern apartment complex overlooking the Mediterranean, with courtyards, staircases and bridges connecting all of the residences. It was built in the late 60s and early 70s, and contains 50 apartments, ranging from studios to three-bedders. What makes it interesting, of course, is the design – it’s based on the geometry of the Greek cross, and consists of five connected plants; three of which contain four levels, and two containing three. Interestingly, the set design of Squid Game was inspired by La Muralla Roja! Fortunately, the storyline wasn’t.
Best apartments in the world: One57, New York City, US
If you’re living in New York then you’d want to be living in a place overlooking the place, wouldn’t you? Well, One57 is where it is most definitely at. Overlooking NYC and Central Park, the 32nd to 90th floors are incredibly luxurious residences, while the rest are resident amenities – think library, fitness centre, and dining rooms – and restaurants, hotel rooms and conference facilities. The 306m complex was completed in 2014, and residents can also use the hotel’s concierge and dining services. That’s the life!
Best apartments in the world: VM House, Copenhagen, Denmark
VM House is the Danish entry into the ‘interesting multi-residential living’ debate, and this one actually consists of two adjacent buildings – the 95-apartment M House, built in 2004, and the 114-apartment V House, which opened a year later.
The buildings’ footprints are in the shape of an ‘M’ and a ‘V’, and all apartments have diagonal views, so they don’t look into neighbouring homes. Incredibly, there are 80 different types of apartments in the complex – a pleasing antidote to the ‘stamp ‘em out’ approach to many apartment buildings in other parts of the world.
