Architecture circles are buzzing with news that Graham Phillips has started construction on a sequel to Skywood House, his award-winning modern glass house outside London.
Q&A: Showcasing the best of modern home design
Last Updated: May 27, 2011
What's the big deal about Skywood? It's not that big a deal, but it's a clean, modern design and it is one of the best representations of modern home architecture. Design is all about taste.
Seems pretty basic. Exactly. It stands out for its simplicity. In an age of outrageous designs, when people built useless monstrosities for no practical reason, it's nice to see a house that doesn't try to overwhelm its surroundings. It's bright and functional.
But, come on, who wants to walk around a house with glass walls? The property is completely surrounded by woods, so there are no prying eyes. Some people like the openness and natural light. It's not easy to achieve a sense of space and a connection to the environment in such a small house.
Why should I pay more for a home designed by a fancy architect? If you don't appreciate the design then you shouldn't pay more. You pay because you appreciate its beauty.
Mr Phillips is the former chief operating officer of Foster + Partners, known for its ground-breaking, iconic projects around the world. The firm's Abu Dhabi projects include Masdar City, Central Market and the Zayed National Museum.
Skywood is one of those houses that has taken on a life of its own. A Royal Institute of British Architects award winner in 1999, it is frequently spotlighted in architecture books and TV shows on modern design.
And movies and TV programs often use it for location shoots, when a cool modern setting is required.
The house - meant to resemble a glass box in the woods, according its website - is set on 1.8 hectares in a greenbelt off the M25 highway near Denham. The small white house and its glass walls appear to float above a man-made lake, a mirage amid the woods.
Many architecture writers cite the Mies Van Der Rohe influence in the house, which covers only 250 square metres of floor space.
Although some observers questioned the practicality of living in a house with glass walls, the website declares the design is one of "elegant simplicity and complete harmony and so far has also proved to be entirely practical even with three teenage children".
Mr Phillips' new project, dubbed SkyHigh, is under construction on a cliff in south-west Mallorca, the Spanish island. While Skywood is a fairly simple one-storey design, Skyhigh will be a multi-level home built into the side of the cliff.
The house will be accessed by driving on to the roof, which will feature a "frameless glass balustrade", according to a description in Building magazine.
A glass lift will ferry people to the various levels, including a mezzanine and the main living area, which will feature double-height, glass-walled space.
Top 5: “special rooms” in houses
1 Outside living rooms
1 Home offices
1 Mud rooms (enclosed entrances)
1 Maid quarters
1 Game rooms
Source: American Institute of Architects Home Design Trends Survey.
The lower level will feature the obligatory infinity pool, offering views of the Mediterranean. A red wall with "angled fins" will guard the glass-walled house from nosy neighbours, the magazine reports.
The Quote: "Architecture is the art of how to waste space." Philip Johnson
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UAE squad
Esha Oza (captain), Al Maseera Jahangir, Emily Thomas, Heena Hotchandani, Indhuja Nandakumar, Katie Thompson, Lavanya Keny, Mehak Thakur, Michelle Botha, Rinitha Rajith, Samaira Dharnidharka, Siya Gokhale, Sashikala Silva, Suraksha Kotte, Theertha Satish (wicketkeeper) Udeni Kuruppuarachchige, Vaishnave Mahesh.
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2016: Feud begins after Khan criticised Trump’s proposed Muslim travel ban to US
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2019: Trump calls Khan a “stone cold loser” before first state visit
2019: Trump tweets about “Khan’s Londonistan”, calling him “a national disgrace”
2022: Khan’s office attributes rise in Islamophobic abuse against the major to hostility stoked during Trump’s presidency
July 2025 During a golfing trip to Scotland, Trump calls Khan “a nasty person”
Sept 2025 Trump blames Khan for London’s “stabbings and the dirt and the filth”.
Dec 2025 Trump suggests migrants got Khan elected, calls him a “horrible, vicious, disgusting mayor”
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Rating: 4/5
Mercer, the investment consulting arm of US services company Marsh & McLennan, expects its wealth division to at least double its assets under management (AUM) in the Middle East as wealth in the region continues to grow despite economic headwinds, a company official said.
Mercer Wealth, which globally has $160 billion in AUM, plans to boost its AUM in the region to $2-$3bn in the next 2-3 years from the present $1bn, said Yasir AbuShaban, a Dubai-based principal with Mercer Wealth.
“Within the next two to three years, we are looking at reaching $2 to $3 billion as a conservative estimate and we do see an opportunity to do so,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Mercer does not directly make investments, but allocates clients’ money they have discretion to, to professional asset managers. They also provide advice to clients.
“We have buying power. We can negotiate on their (client’s) behalf with asset managers to provide them lower fees than they otherwise would have to get on their own,” he added.
Mercer Wealth’s clients include sovereign wealth funds, family offices, and insurance companies among others.
From its office in Dubai, Mercer also looks after Africa, India and Turkey, where they also see opportunity for growth.
Wealth creation in Middle East and Africa (MEA) grew 8.5 per cent to $8.1 trillion last year from $7.5tn in 2015, higher than last year’s global average of 6 per cent and the second-highest growth in a region after Asia-Pacific which grew 9.9 per cent, according to consultancy Boston Consulting Group (BCG). In the region, where wealth grew just 1.9 per cent in 2015 compared with 2014, a pickup in oil prices has helped in wealth generation.
BCG is forecasting MEA wealth will rise to $12tn by 2021, growing at an annual average of 8 per cent.
Drivers of wealth generation in the region will be split evenly between new wealth creation and growth of performance of existing assets, according to BCG.
Another general trend in the region is clients’ looking for a comprehensive approach to investing, according to Mr AbuShaban.
“Institutional investors or some of the families are seeing a slowdown in the available capital they have to invest and in that sense they are looking at optimizing the way they manage their portfolios and making sure they are not investing haphazardly and different parts of their investment are working together,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Some clients also have a higher appetite for risk, given the low interest-rate environment that does not provide enough yield for some institutional investors. These clients are keen to invest in illiquid assets, such as private equity and infrastructure.
“What we have seen is a desire for higher returns in what has been a low-return environment specifically in various fixed income or bonds,” he said.
“In this environment, we have seen a de facto increase in the risk that clients are taking in things like illiquid investments, private equity investments, infrastructure and private debt, those kind of investments were higher illiquidity results in incrementally higher returns.”
The Abu Dhabi Investment Authority, one of the largest sovereign wealth funds, said in its 2016 report that has gradually increased its exposure in direct private equity and private credit transactions, mainly in Asian markets and especially in China and India. The authority’s private equity department focused on structured equities owing to “their defensive characteristics.”
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How has net migration to UK changed?
The figure was broadly flat immediately before the Covid-19 pandemic, standing at 216,000 in the year to June 2018 and 224,000 in the year to June 2019.
It then dropped to an estimated 111,000 in the year to June 2020 when restrictions introduced during the pandemic limited travel and movement.
The total rose to 254,000 in the year to June 2021, followed by steep jumps to 634,000 in the year to June 2022 and 906,000 in the year to June 2023.
The latest available figure of 728,000 for the 12 months to June 2024 suggests levels are starting to decrease.
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Dos
- Wear the right fabric for the right season and occasion
- Always ask for the dress code if you don’t know
- Wear a white kandura, white ghutra / shemagh (headwear) and black shoes for work
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Don’ts
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- Buy a kandura only based on how it feels; ask questions about the fabric and understand what you are buying
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Article 15
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Our rating: 4/5
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