During the past couple of years, luxury and fashion brands began venturing into architecture. Some built museums, foundations, and cultural organizations while others shaped residential structures that translated their identity into space. Following this same concept, KARL LAGERFELD, along with Spanish Developer Sierra Blanca Estates and the Design and Branding Firm The One Atelier, have developed the fashion house’s first “luxury architectural project”, the Karl Lagerfeld Villas in Marbella, Spain. Designed by The One Atelier, of which Andrea Boschetti is Head of Design, the project has low carbon impact, aligned with the brand’s commitment to the Fashion Pact - a global sustainability initiative that seeks to transform the fashion industry through objectives in climate, biodiversity, and ocean protection.
Asking what is “luxury architecture” and questioning why fashion brands are expanding into architecture, ArchDaily met with Andrea Boschetti to further understand the architect and urban planner’s take on the subject.
Focused mainly on the idea of combining luxury development with sustainability through design decisions and mechanical systems, the project puts in place five different villas, made of wood and covered by a synthetic ceramic material. Incorporated within the natural landscape, the residential development is also connected to the city, which has been seeing a shift in demographics and activities ever since the beginning of the pandemic. Marbella, which was once considered a resort and vacation town, has now shown that it is becoming a year-long destination for permanent residences.
Read on to discover the conversation with Andrea Boschetti, the architect behind the KL Villas.
ArchDaily (Christele Harrouk): What was the initial concept behind this project?
Andrea Boschetti: The initial concept was to combine luxury development with sustainability, inspired by Karl’s identity, who really was committed to the creation of a better world. Therefore, I wanted to adapt to the soul of the designer, and put these ideas as the main goal of the project, and connect two entities that are not usually connected. In fact, we did not use a so-called “luxury” material, our main material is terrazzo, recycled pieces of marble, wood, and a mirror façade created out of ceramics, a completely natural material.
AD: So, you are telling me that basically now the luxury world is ready for these sustainable approaches?
AB: Not everywhere for sure. We have also to understand that in different parts of the world, they're still not ready for these ideas. But it is also our responsibility as architects to share with the world and to speak up about these new ways of designing. Nevertheless, as this project states, I think part of this world of luxury is ready now. This Masterplan we designed in Marbella is not a large one, but still, it is a compound that encompasses 5 villas. Maybe we should test at a larger scale, how the situation will be. It’s not about fast sports cars anymore but much more about electrical cars for example. In terms of design, clients ask for atmosphere and space, rather than exuberant interiors.
AD: In that sense, how do you define luxury architecture now?
AB: I am someone that works a lot in the city. Being commissioned to work on luxury architecture was strange at first, but after the master plan of Milano, I had the chance to imagine a couple of villas in Russia, before The One Atelier asked me to work with them, to translate the DNA of some brands into architecture. It’s always important for me not to forget that I have an urban background, and every time with every new venture, I try to tackle the bigger picture.
If you think about the museum of Prada in Milano, for example, the project managed to create a certain change in that part of the city. In that sense, we can use luxury to bring quality to the city and to the people living in proximity. It’s true that it’s not possible every time, but for instance, in the Karl Lagerfeld Villas, we are using the plot, in order to give back a green infrastructure to the area, with trees and bicycles paths from the hill to the sea. It also compliments the landscape of the coastal city. In fact, the built geometry and nature are in direct communication, without having a structure that erases itself or hides under green covers, but through the creation of a strong dialect between nature and architecture.
AD: Do you see any resemblance between the fashion world and the architecture world? Just like Karl Lagerfeld, a lot of fashion houses are moving into architecture. Why do you think so?
AB: Speaking of Karl, although he worked for powerhouses like Fendi and Chanel, he was convinced himself that fashion, beauty, and creativity should be available for everyone. This democratic principle for me is something that joins my ideas of architecture, an architecture that transfers quality, creativity, and also beauty to the city. This is also the parallelism I am starting to see between fashion and architecture.
In fact, the brands want to transfer their values into architecture, because they also want to go out of one specific discipline and expand. Actually, a lot of brands have been reaching out to The One Atelier, so that we could translate their DNA into a structure. That previously was only done in interior design and furniture, but now it’s more about transmitting the identity and the experience to the city realm and the wider audience and creating icons in cities. It’s a normal evolution of creative brands in my opinion. It’s also about opening up new market branches and having a bigger presence. Our culture is visual and architecture is the most important visual reference in the city nowadays.
AD: How different is “luxury” architecture from architecture?
AB: For me, they are not so different. For sure the houses are larger, spaces are bigger, location is much more expensive, but the principles are the same. The sustainability approach is the same. This is my point of view on luxury. For me, luxury is much more connected to how you spend your quality time. In other words, with my work, I don’t want to highlight richness in the design but I want to create high standards qualitative spaces for the tenants. We have transferred the concept of luxury, from the material, from its tangible dimension to an immaterial experience, from show to life.
AD: Going back to the project in Marbella, it consists of five units, each one for a different tenant. Can you tell us more about the design of these villas?
AB: The units are not super big, between 660 and 900 sqm, intended for private families. This was the brief of the client. In terms of design, it was dictated by two main reasons. First, we simply didn't want to replay the same shape because we wanted a more customized experience. Second, and most importantly, we wanted to frame differently the scenery and create a diverse point of view to the surrounding landscape. That’s how we ended up with the shapes we have, offering different perspectives to the outside and different configurations on the inside, with multiple atmospheres and specific living environments.
Nature shaped the volume. Same logic for the shape of the windows: Sometimes we have more horizontal windows, so we can look at the horizon and the sea, some other times vertical openings that frame the view as a picture, with the sky, the sea, and the greenery. This conceptual choice is directly connected to the creative soul of Karl, who used to draw these kinds of frames and isolate some parts. Moreover, Karl Lagerfeld was a great fan of Mies van der Rohe’s “Less is More”, and this project tried to embody this idea, and to contrast between volume and void. Through the landscape of the project, we also managed to create continuity. The villas are connected by a sort of river that reinterprets the natural context of the city of Marbella, abundant in rivers. In some parts, it creates swimming pools in the master plan, and in some others, water bodies. This water element, part of the renewable energy systems, also determined the geometry of the houses.
AD: You have a lot of things going on, from the Loreto master plan to the Genoa competition, etc. Can you tell us a bit about those projects?
AB: With Stefano Boeri Architetti and Inside Outside, we won the Genoa competition two years ago, and it is now under construction. We are starting with the memorial and following up with a 60 hectares park. It’s a dialogue between private and public, but also, it’s about what people exactly need in terms of services from this regeneration. It’s all about listening to the people. For the Loreto project in Milano, although it’s not a big intervention, it’s a very important one, because if we start to change one square and give it back to the citizens, I think other squares will follow and change. It can be an important reference for all of Europe, especially in terms of its sustainable approach.
AD: Speaking of Milano, how do you imagine the city in 10 years?
AB: I think it will become completely different and much better, especially when it comes to all the spaces in between. I think the most important goal for Milano is to start rethinking housing, not only for Milano but also for Europe. Housing is a new challenge for cities and architecture. I think we should rethink what is private, what is common services, not only with co-housing approaches but re-question the whole ownership system.
