How To Draw A Ship In A Storm

Architecture, Facade, Commercial building, Landmark, Real estate, Azure, Engineering, Tower block, Tower, Headquarters,

Photograph by Nigel Young

THE HISTORIES OF MONACO and yachting have long been intertwined. In the late 19th century the principality was a center for racing. By the middle of the 20th, Prince Rainier had founded the Yacht Club de Monaco, and it was on a yacht, the Deo Juvante II, a wedding gift from Aristotle Onassis, that he and Princess Grace honeymooned in 1956.

These days, along Monaco's coast, boats like the one the royal couple owned are dwarfed by the mega yachts of billionaires such as Paul Allen and Roman Abramovich, giving the Yacht Club—now presided over by HSH Prince Albert—good reason to invest in an impressive new home. In fact, the building, by Foster + Partners—the international architecture firm that also designed this magazine's New York City offices, as well as a number of state-of-the-art yachts—could be mistaken for an ocean going vessel. Decklike terraces offer views of the Mediterranean as well as of Monaco's Formula 1 Grand Prix circuit, and they're shaded by retractable fabric screens supported by masts and booms, further reinforcing the nautical impression. The interior, which is accessed through a glass atrium and has a dramatic spiral staircase, includes event spaces and members-only rooms, some of which (along with Prince Albert's private office and the outdoor furnishings) were created by the French designer Jacques Grange in collaboration with Fendi Casa. Grange, who has a long friendship with Albert's sister Princess Caroline, strove to maintain the seafaring aesthetic. "I wanted to respect Foster's architecture," he says. "The nautical feeling was very important."

The club also incorporates a new marina, shops, public spaces, a sailing school with a park on its roof, and the Monaco Rowing Club. "It's a continuation of Monaco's dense urban fabric," says Foster + Partners' founder, Lord Norman Foster. "A little city in microcosm."

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