Reading Time: 2 minutes Imagine living in a house that was only half finished, with no walls or closed doors to come between you and the rest of your family. A thought-provoking new project from Japanese studio Yamazaki Kentaro Design Workshop asked one young family to do just that. Located in Kashiwa, in Chiba Prefecture, the unfinished house was designed to break down the walls within family life. The house’s layout is formed using four open timber boxes, with each box divided into two layers. The boxes face inwards to a central space which serves as the hub of the family home. Kentaro’s intention was to provide flexible living areas for a growing family, with multi-function spaces that can be adapted to their needs. The first layer of each box has set functions: there is a kitchen, bedroom, plumbing area, and workspace. The second layer has intentionally been left blank so that the family…

Reading Time: 2 minutes Emerging markets including Jakarta, Lagos and Beirut could soon give global cities like New York and London a run for their money, according to a new report into the global property sector. The Candy Global Prime Sector (GPS) report, released on Friday, identified 12 rising stars in the luxury property market who are set to out-perform the top world cities. These emerging cities have shown strong residential price growth as they have become more fully invested, the report says. Based on analysis from Savills World Research, the report reveals that these cities could out-perform the real estate sectors in prime world cities in the next few years as global investors look to the emerging markets. The report notes that prices in these emerging cities are generally much lower than in world cities like London, Hong Kong, and New York, making them more attractive to real estate investors. Savills World Research…

Reading Time: 2 minutes Global property prices are increasing, pushing up the amount of wealth generated through real estate. At the same time, the number of ultra-rich who have made their fortune in property is also increasing, particularly in the emerging markets. It comes as no surprise, then, that real estate moguls – particularly those in China and Hong Kong – dominate the list of the richest people in Asia. These are the region’s top five richest real estate tycoons, based on data from the Forbes Billionaires List. Don’t forget to check out our infographic on the world’s super-rich property tycoons from earlier this year. Lee Shau Kee Location: Hong Kong Net worth: $19.6 billion USD Lee Shau Kee is the majority owner of Henderson Land Development, the developer behind one of Hong Kong’s landmark skyscrapers, the International Financial Centre. He is the second wealthiest man in Hong Kong, with interests in property, hotels,…

Reading Time: 2 minutes Luxury estates, supercars, mega yachts. If you were a wealthy tech mogul, how would you spend your billions? Tomorrow, tech lovers the world over will celebrate Geek Pride Day. In honor of this annual celebration of geek culture, we’ve put together a list of the luxury homes belonging to the world’s tech billionaires. Turns out being a geek has its perks… Mark Zuckerberg Despite being worth a reported $30 billion USD, the Facebook founder has (mostly) avoided the usual trappings of the rich and famous. Property-wise, Zuckerberg owns a 5000 square foot house in Palo Alto, California – in the same neighborhood where Steve Jobs once lived. He and wife Priscilla Chan paid $7 million for the property in 2011. The couple also owns a $10 million house in San Francisco. Their big spend? They forked out $90 million for the penthouse of One57, a skyscraper in New York. Bill…

Reading Time: 2 minutes From next week, the world’s attention will turn to Brazil as the country plays host to the 2014 FIFA World Cup. But after the final whistle sounds on the month-long tournament, you could be forgiven for thinking it’s business as usual for the Latin American nation. In fact, the reverse is true. The country will be feeling the effects of hosting the world’s biggest single sporting event for a long time to come. And industries – including the local property sector – are hoping to capitalize on Brazil’s status as the host country. An investment gold mine A recent report from Colordarcy Investment singled out Brazil as the top emerging property market for buy-to-let investors. The country is offering high returns, with an average rental return of 6.33% in January this year and property prices rising 11.9% from 2013-14. Returns as high as 24% in two years are available for…

Reading Time: < 1 minute Latin Americans have perfected the art of staying positive, according to new research. The region is the happiest in the world, according to a recent survey of the world’s most positive countries from research firm Gallup. The annual happiness survey measured positive emotions – ranging from how often a person laughs to how much sleep they get – in 138 countries in 2013. The report revealed that nine of the world’s top 10 most positive countries are in Latin America. For the third year in a row, Paraguay topped the list, followed by Panama, Guatemala, Nicaragua, Ecuador, Costa Rica, and Colombia. Only one country in the top 10, Denmark, is outside of Latin America. According to Gallup, the fact that so many Latin Americans experience positive emotions reflects a broader cultural tendency to focus on the good things in life. However, happiness seems to be the prevailing trend worldwide. The…

Reading Time: 2 minutes Bproperty takes a look at bizarre, one-of-a-kind homes that will probably inspire you to freshen up your house! 1. Container City, London, Great Britain When it comes to environment-friendly buildings, the Container City, situated in London, is all green thinkers’ best bet. Urban Space Management Ltd. have re-used and linked together shipping containers in order to create live/work space, classrooms, sports halls, office space, sound recording studios, community centers. The project ensures an environmentally conscious approach to constructing such low-cost buildings. 2. Boeing 727 jet, Portland, Oregon, USA Living in a jet might sound like a flight of fancy but you still might want to consider it. A Boeing 727 jet has been used as a living place by a former electrical engineer Bruce Campbell ever since 1999. Situated in Portland, Oregon, this extraordinary home has everything that a man needs, including a fully equipped kitchen and a bedroom. 3.…