When it comes to unique celebrity homes, Naomi Campbell’s vacation house is unlike any other. Spanish Architect, Luis de Garrido, built this getaway home on the island of Adasi Sedir in Turkey’s Gulf of Gökov, also known as Cleopatra’s Island. It was a monumental gift from Naomi’s Russian billionaire ex partner, Vladislav Doronin. Luis de Garrido, specializing in sustainable building, designed the home to resemble the Egyptian Eye of Horus. Truly a one-of-a-kind spectacle perfectly placed on one of the most beautiful islands with rich history, this masterpiece is more than just a site to see.
Every Part Has a Purpose
Contrary to some unique celebrity homes, the dome shaped dwelling is completely self sufficient, generating it’s own energy, water, and even food. When developing his design, Garrido focused on bioclimatic architecture, which is a way of designing buildings based on the local climate to ensure thermal comfort. The outer structure of the dome features glass panels that permit sunlight year round. Sunlight also penetrates through glass flooring in the main living area, heating the basement below the surface. Internal landscaping and tilted louvres keep temperatures cool and comfortable during hotter seasons.
More Than Meets the Eye
Making up the outer black area of the eye shape are Photovoltaic panels which keep the entire home/property completely running on its own energy through use of solar power. The curved installation above the main dome resembles the eyebrow and functions as an irrigation system for collecting rainwater. An on-site biological system then treats the rainwater for many uses including drinking, plumbing, and nourishing plants.
The Island of Romance
Sedir Island, or Cleopatra’s Island, is located 18km north of Marmaris in Turkey, famous for its beach made from seashells. Legend has it that large ships imported organic sand from the Red Sea specially for Cleopatra. Each grain of sand is a perfect sphere which, as a result, requires the beach to be heavily protected by the government, ensuring no one is able to remove sand from the land. For an island with such rich history, it only seems fitting that a marveling architectural masterpiece reside here as an homage to Cleopatra and Ancient Egyptian culture.
A Timeless Beauty
Some may view this home as a lavish boast of wealth, but such a structure that runs completely on it’s own energy may cause us to reconsider what the future of homes may one day look like. You may compare this engineering masterpiece to that of Ancient Egypt – created with precision and purpose, meant for royalty. But will this futuristic representation of the past withstand the test of time? What might Cleopatra say if she were among us today? That, we’ll never know, but we’re certain Naomi’s home away from home is one to be remembered.
