AED 8.3m for a car parking space - new heights for insanity!

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AED 8.3m for a car parking space - new heights for insanity!

Postby root on Sat Aug 23, 2008 10:30 pm

If you have a few extra million to throw about, and you really don't want to live in a villa, but want to make sure your car is close to you, then some crazy Germans have a solution. Its a CarLoft where you can park your car besides your apartment. Where's the world coming to, one wonders!

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Some lofty idea this!
First came the automatic car park in Deira, then extra parking spaces for as much as Dh100,000 in Dubai Marina and now the Dh8.3 million car loft: with a penthouse and a garage to boot.

Abu Dhabi and Dubai are both the destinations of choice for a new concept called CarLofts, a creation by German company Topos, which is building luxurious apartment blocks with loft-style parking attached to residents' homes.

The company has already built an apartment block in Berlin where a heavy-duty lift carries residents' cars up to their apartments and parks them in a glass conservatory connected to the living quarters.

Car lovers can now keep an eye on their Mercedeses and Porsches without fear of theft, accidents or the occasional sandstorm ruining some of their most-prized processions. Starting at Dh2.5m for the smallest – 224 square metres – and rising to Dh8.3m for a sixth-floor penthouse, the firm says the concept is the height of luxury parking.

"In Germany, many people would like to be closer to their cars and with luxury and antique car owners, this is understandable," says Johannes Kauka, Chief Executive Officer of Topos. "We assume that this is no different in the UAE."

Kauka, who has worked on the concept with architect Manfred xxxx, says the idea grew out of the question of how an alternative to underground parking lots could be developed. The next countries in which CarLofts are planned include Belgium, Austria, Russia, South Africa, the United States and, of course, the UAE.

But where the idea of the loft for some of these countries was primarily one of security, Kauka says in the UAE it could combat other perils common in a sandland.

"Security for cars and residents is just one of the many advantages, sand on cars would be a thing of the past since the car storage units are closed," he says.

"The main advantages of the CarLoft concept include the following comforts: getting in and out of the car directly in the apartment, being able to be picked up by chauffeurs directly in the apartment and the ultimate privacy for car passengers."

A person, for example, could drive in and out of the apartment without being seen, says Kauka. And then there's the element of luxury. "A Ferrari, Lamborghini, Maserati, Aston Martin or Bugatti looks like it's in a showcase from the floor window. It's pure luxury."

This is a far cry from the offer presented to residents at La Riviera Tower in Dubai Marina in 2006.

The 37-floor apartment building, which was completed in 2005, has 230 parking spaces on three levels below ground with one space to each resident. In 2006, extra spaces were put on sale with some going for as much as Dh100,000.

In Deira, a similar concept to CarLoft is the 16-space automatic car park used by Dubai Municipality and the brainchild of East and West Robotics of Sharjah.

This need for parking and the high concentration of luxury cars in the UAE has led Kauka to believe his firm's concept could be a winner in the Emirates.

"At the moment, we are engaged in the early stages of talks with builders but have not yet worked out the details. We are looking for potential interested partners to whom we could grant licensing rights or with whom we could develop CarLoft projects in the UAE in the form of a joint venture," he says.

All the apartments in the concept have open-plan interiors and feature a garden and a garage.

So far, six of the 11 car-loft apartments in Berlin have been sold, including one to the chief designer of an international motor company.

"At present we are establishing the first CarLoft building in Germany with 11 units. This is a very small project," says Kauka.

"Further buildings will follow in other German cities and internationally."

The concept for the UAE could see car lofts on a rotating basis so that the owners' Bentleys or Lamborghinis can be gently spun.

The whole process of approaching the building, entering the apartment and parking the car apparently takes two minutes and could save time trying to find street parking and also save a few litres of petrol along the way.

And it could be yours soon. "Abu Dhabi and Dubai are very attractive locations," says Kauka.

http://www.business24-7.ae/articles/200 ... 30fb0.aspx
Come and discuss at the most lively forums about Cars, Bikes, 4x4s...at http://www.autodealer.ae at the Autodealer UAE Forums.
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Re: AED 8.3m for a car parking space - new heights for insanity!

Postby T.N.T on Sat Aug 23, 2008 10:41 pm

Stupid shit!
Give respect, get respect.
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