Movin’ on up, now more than ever encapsulates stunning design, impeccable service, effortless living from the time the sun rises to well after the sun sets. We’ve been noticing a rising trend in the sheer number of luxury residences – we recently told you about an exclusive collection of seaside properties in Abu Dhabi. And now from New York to Buenos Aires, and from Moscow to Beijing, we’ll reveal a few more of the coolest luxury abodes.

Many of us have been accustomed to the stylistic cues offered by W Hotels across the world – but how many of us will actually have a chance to pick up the phone from our own kitchens and receive assistance from the ‘Whatever, Whenever’ hotline? Soon, for those who jumped at the chance to purchase a W-styled apartment in one of their newest locations south of the World Trade Center in New York City, the possibilities will be limitless.

W Residents may share the building with distinguished hotel guests in the lower portion of Manhattan, but luxury amenities such as a rooftop terrace, a fitness center and spa in the sky, a media screening room and digital lounge, as well as a entrance, will be solely for those permanently living in the upper floors of the luxury tower.

While the W Hotel New York Downtown will take up the first twenty-two floors, the upper levels have been split into furnished residences (Floors 23-30) and customized residences (Floors 33-56). Interior design exceeds expectations, even by W standards, with sleek and functional kitchen built-ins to a translucent wall from the bedroom to a ‘peek-a-boo loo.’

A bit further uptown in the heart of Tribeca, Five Franklin Place is destined be the epitome of luxury residences. The 20-storey building will contain 55 one-, two-, three- and four-bedroom units that will be set up as duplex lofts on the lower floors; single-level city residents above; plus three triplex penthouses each with a rooftop terrace and serviced by private internal elevators.

The building itself, designed by Dutch architect Ben van Berkell of UNStudio, will be wrapped in a series of horizontal black metallic bands – each of which ungulates as it curves around and hugs the frame of the structure. The façade is apparently a direct tribute to the original 19th century built form of cast iron that shaped lower Manhattan – and the metallic surface will reflect light while highlighting the magnificence of the neighboring buildings.

The building’s façade is not merely about aesthetics, as the bands will also create shading from the daylight, deflect heat, guarantee every residence will have the highest degree of privacy, and simultaneously frame unparalleled views out across Manhattan.

The Loft Residences on the lower levels have a double-height living area that maximizes the light entering the space. The height of the great room continues on through a gallery where a white lacquered library wall ascends up into the second level.

The upper-tier City Residences feature integrated terraces off the main living areas, and all units are custom-fitted with B&B Italia kitchens and built-ins throughout. The master bathrooms feature a circular sliding wall that allows the bathroom to become part of the bedroom and share its spectacular city views.

And for those at the top, the five ultra-luxurious Sky Penthouses are unmatched in practically every aspect. Again, B&B Italia has masterfully crafted the space, including the kitchen. Sweeping views from every room, even the master bathroom, automatically heighten the occupants’ awareness of their place in the cityscape and the surrounding environment.

The skylines of our cities are rapidly changing – ingeniously designed buildings are competing for our attention. But architectural beauty alone is not going to provide the type of service we’re growing accustomed to expecting after spending millions on luxury lifestyle. We feel that the rise of luxury residences has only just begun – and we want to know all about it. If you are aware of luxury residences we should investigate, please let us know.

” US green architect to unveil new speculative 40-storey skyscraper at World Future Energy Summit in Abu Dhabi later this month Green architect and writer, William McDonough, has come good on his promise to Fortune Magazine to design a speculative tower for the future. The skyscraper will have a “100% positive impact on people and places”.

Shaped like a cross between the Gherkin and a cone shell, the 40-plus story tower by William McDonough + Partners, encompasses trees and other greenery and, so the architect claims, will behave like a tree. “It’s a building that receives its energy from the sun, that grows food, that builds soil, that provides a habitat for hundreds of species, that changes colours with the seasons, that creates micro-climates, that would purify water,” He said. “A building that would do just about everything a tree can do except self-replicate.”

The building encloses a series of “atrium gardens” on the western side with plants intended to clean the air inside the building. The northern side is covered with clear glass in front of mosses which should absorb particulates in the air. The building recycles waste water for use in the building’s gardens which, when cleansed by the plants, will be fed back into the grey water system once more.

The south side of the building is made up of 34,000 sq m of solar panels, meeting 40% of the building’s energy needs. A combined natural gas-fuelled heat-and-power plant, operating at 90% efficiency supplies the missing 60%.To cut down further on energy, workstations are fitted with presence sensors shutting down when people aren’t there and adjusting heat, light and sound when they are. “We don’t heat or cool ghosts,” says McDonough, mysteriously.He and Cradle to Cradle co-author, Michael Braungart, will talk about the tower among other ideas at the World Future Energy Summit which takes place in Abu Dhabi on the 21-23 of January. Lord Foster is due to give the closing speech at the event. McDonough is credited with creating the first solar powered house in Ireland and received the first and only Presidential Award for Sustainable Development for an individual in 1996.

A spokesperson for the practice confirmed there had been no concrete commissions for the building so far.