Matteo Thun designs village 'of sustainable beauty' for hair and skincare brand Davines
Italian architects Matteo Thun and Luca Colombo have designed a verdant new village in Parma, Italy to house the new headquarters and visitor facilities of hair and skincare brand Davines Group.
Spread over 11,000sq m (118,400sq ft), Davines Village will feature a skin bar where people can try the brand’s Comfort Zone range of products, education zones for hairdressers to train, and the company’s development laboratories, all set around a luminous glasshouse and biodiversity gardens.
The architects, who work together as part of the MTLC firm, have envisioned a village inspired by classical Italian farmhouses.
“The site will be a contemporary interpretation of traditional forms and patterns and gabled roofs,” said the Davines Group in a statement. “Cubic spaces gathering around a central courtyard will be at the the heart of the village. The distinct sense of beauty, professional values and mission of Davines will be symbolised by the architectural concept. It will be a home of sustainable beauty.”
The group said the project is being designed to meet high standards of environmental and ethical sustainability and wellness. Speaking exclusively to CLAD in the latest issue of CLADmag, Thun claimed that these aspects of architecture can no longer be ignored.
“We think that every architect and designer should aim for innovation, save resources and energy, take cost engineering seriously and think about how to dismantle a building or how to dispose of an object while designing it,” he said.
Construction work on the project has now begun, with completion of the whole village scheduled for mid-2017.
Thun recently completed work on the refurbishment of the newly-opened JW Marriott in Venice, located on a private island, featuring 250 guestrooms and a 1,715sq m (18,460sq ft) GOCO Spa.
He also revealed that he is currently working on a wellness hotel in Bürgenstock, Switzerland called Waldhotel Healthy Living.
Sensitive historic refurbishment on a private island at Matteo Thun & Partners-designed JW Marriott Venice
Matteo Thun & Partners' JW Marriott Venice opens, with GOCO-designed spa to follow in May
FEATURE: Architect’s focus – Matteo Thun


Saudi Arabia's Neom mega-development to include 100-mile long 'horizontal skyscraper city'

David Adjaye and Ralph Appelbaum selected for £57m International Slavery Museum and Maritime Museum project

Virgin Active opens at Milan’s sleek new Bocconi University by SANAA

Swedish architects Wingårdhs create year-round resort with waterpark and hotel for Liseberg

Juneteenth Museum by Bjarke Ingels Group has been designed to inspire spiritual uplift

BIG and HOK's timber concept wins Zurich Airport competition

Christoph Ingenhoven reveals Lanserhof Sylt, featuring the largest thatched roof in Europe

BIG's designs Prague concert hall to be vibrant centre of life

Mather & Co-designed Gretna Green Experience opens to the public

Project to save last major bellfoundry which cast bells for St Paul's and Washington National Cathedral

Perkins & Will reveals designs for net-zero sports and cultural centre in Toronto

World’s first living waterslides announced for Therme Manchester

Heatherwick reveals Volcano-inspired opera house designs for Hainan

Natural history museum planned for Abu Dhabi

Controversial London music venue, MSG Sphere, gets full planning permission

Clifford's Tower opens to the public after £5m redevelopment

Clifford's Tower opens to the public after £5m redevelopment

Glasgow's iconic Burrell Collection reopens after five-year, £68.5m revamp

SB Architects delivers Ritz-Carlton Reserve in Costa Rica with tree-house spa and private residences

Ole Scheeren designs vertical jungle resort complex in China

Designer Brian d’Souza launches Swell to create evocative soundscapes for physical environments

Basalt Architects create geothermal Forest Lagoon in the wilds of Iceland

Hot Pickle design £73m Guinness visitor attraction for Diageo in London

Amsterdam's new digital art centre Fabrique des Lumières will use tech to bring art alive

Pharrell Williams to launch tropical Bahamian beach resort

Banyan Tree curating solar-powered wellness retreat on private Mozambican island

Dubai Expo hits 10 million visits

Foster + Partners designs Dorchester Collection's first hotel in Middle East

Neil Jacobs reveals Six Senses Places concept for major cities
