Pity the poor chef at the recently opened Ritz-Carlton hotel in Charlotte, North Carolina. As well as having to wow diners with his menus, he had to bring a fairy tale to life in his kitchen. The new hotel, which trades heavily on its green credentials, is marking its first Christmas by creating a full-sized gingerbread house.
Guaranteed to put the fear of God into Hansel and Gretel should they be touring the area, the domestic confection is available for all to see just inside the lobby. Three metres high and four metres wide, it's bigger than many an Irish cottage, with the added advantage of being edible. Well, it's one way to deal with a housing surplus.
Straight out of a story book on the outside, the des res benefits inside from mod cons such as LED lights and a mossy green (inedible) roof inspired by the eco-minded roof on the Ritz-Carlton itself. Anyone looking for a little nibble might watch out, too, for the nails (recycled, of course) and the sustainably harvested timber.
And for architects who love their grub, the recipe for a house like this includes 160kg of sugar, 30kg of organic egg whites, 100 whole organic eggs, 135kg of flour, 55kg of fat, 11kg of molasses, 2kg of salt and 2kg of baking soda.
Throw in 700g of cinnamon, 7.5 litres of organic milk, 225g of nutmeg and, of course, oodles of ginger and you've got yourself a house fit for a witch.
ritzcarlton.com