YOUTUBE VIDEO New photographs and a movie reveal Zaha Hadid’s only completed private residence – a house in the Barvikha Forest near Moscow, for a man she called the “Russian James Bond”.
The late Iraqi-British architect designed Capital Hill Residence for businessman and philanthropist Vladislav Doronin, who runs property companies Capital Group and OKO Group, and is also the owner of luxury hotel and resort brand Aman.
The house’s defining feature is a master suite set atop a slender concrete stalk that raises it high above the tree canopy. When I heard there was a secret country inside of the USA, I knew I had to check things out. After looking at the website and the few articles available online, I was excited but skeptical. The website made things look quite legitimate, with possibilities to purchase Passports and everything, but a talk with the “Sultan” brought me some doubts. Arriving to the location of Slowjamastan, I was surprised to see the infrastructure. There is a border fence, border crossing booth, pay phone, “welcome to” signs and even an independence square. The strangest part is that it is all just sitting out in the desert. Slowjamastan is not actually a country, as it is claimed, but I do think it is a fun project. Whatever the intention is to this place, I am not sure, so I will leave that up to you to decide.