Archstone, a leader in apartment investment and operations, announced today that Beatriz Lozano-Ruiz of La Jolla, Calif., has been named the winner of the Live. Love. Archstone. Photo Contest.

The judging committee, including Citysearch Los Angeles Editor Kelly Wardle, selected Lozano-Ruiz’s photo as the winner of the free online photo contest out of hundreds of entries based on its visual interest, content and creativity. The winning photo features four silhouetted figures jumping simultaneously for joy on a La Jolla beach in front of a picturesque sunset. Lozano-Ruiz’s now award-winning photo earned her a Las Vegas Love package valued at more than $2,000, including round-trip airfare for two, two nights in a Tower Suite at Treasure Island Casino and Resort, a relaxing massage at Oleksandra Spa & Salon and tickets to a live show.

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Welsh company Affresol will launch a range of eco-friendly homes and modular portable buildings made from recycled plastic waste. The homes will be constructed out of a new, low-carbon building material developed by Affresol called Thermo Poly Rock (TPR). The material is made from recycled plastics and minerals using a patented process that converts the plastics into a compound that is stronger and lighter than concrete, waterproof, fire retardant, rot-resistant and has excellent insulation properties.

A home built using TPR contains approximately 18 tons of recycled plastic waste, while each modular home contains up to four tons. TPR homes can be up to 12% cheaper than standard build, and can be erected on site within 4 days. The houses have an estimated life cycle of more than 60 years and the TPR elements are 100% recyclable. The first Pilot Affresol “TPR™” frame home has been erected in Swansea, Wales.

In my Native country they have a proverb that say “If you live in a Glass House, Don’t throw stones”. I know the owner of this Amazing Glass house adhere to that proverb. The house above, it is located in a forest in the Japanese Town of Karuizawa. The house is made from solid glass walls which are punctuated with bands of wood that both connect it to and separate it from the surrounding forest.

The building site itself was a dark and uninviting space, but the architects managed to make this incredibly beautiful home look perfectly in sync with its surroundings.

[weburbanist]

The design of the Abu Dhabi’s Helix Hotel has just been released. It was designed by a firm called Leeser Architects and looks like a big stack of toilet seat lids.

The feature that stands out the most in the design is the glass-bottom swimming pool suspended high in the air on the left and the continuous continuous spiral design inside.

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Did you know that there was a 58 story Ritz-Carlton being built in downtown Vancouver? Well if you did a few days ago Vancouver-based developer Holborn Group told buyers who’d bought condominiums in the $500-million project that it was being canceled.

To get financing, you need a certain amount of presales – and because we didn’t have enough units sold, financing didn’t turn out the way we wanted,”

Holborn had sold 62 of 123 condos in the project which was to feature a 20-storey luxury hotel topped by 40 storeys of condos. Your can read the full story after the jump.

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If you are looking for a luxury mansion then you might consider a star-approved estate getaway, Lance Armstrong’s Texas Ranch.

The property has 447.8 acres of land, including 1886 ft of frontage on the Pedernales River and ownership in the Dead Man’s Hole swimming spot, this exclusive ranch also features a 4,241 sq. ft. main house with five bedrooms, five baths, and two living areas, a guest house, seven miles of biking trails, a pool and spa, and all the privacy you could ask for.

The Property is going from $12 million price. See photo of the Dead Man’s Hole swimming spot after the jump.

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