Yacht Club de Monaco

In 2002 the Government of Monaco commissioned the practice to design a yacht club as the symbolic centrepiece of the city's remodelled harbour front. The new building celebrates Monaco's spectacular coastline and its rich nautical heritage, creating a series of deck-like viewing terraces that step up along the harbour to offer unrivalled views out to yacht races at sea or inland over the course of the renowned Formula 1 Grand Prix circuit. Located on an area of reclaimed land alongside two newly refurbished jetties, the development extends the citys existing marina eastwards and can accommodate a range of craft, from small childrens sailing boats to 100-metre super yachts.

Accessed either from the pedestrian promenade running along the quay, or by car from the roadside, the club is entered via a full-height glazed atrium that frames views out over the harbour. A spiral staircase leads up to the more exclusive areas of the club. On the first floor are a clubroom, bar and restaurant, which open out on to a broad terrace. Above the restaurant is a ballroom, and one floor higher is an apartment for the club secretary together with a series of cabins for visiting guests. All these spaces are air-conditioned, using a low-energy, sea-cooled refrigeration system. The elevations facing the water are fully glazed to allow uninterrupted views, but incorporate adjustable louvres to provide shading from the sun.

Along with the yacht club, the scheme also introduces shops and other public amenities at quay level that will make the harbour a lively and animated place to be. The lower floors of the building contain a rowing club and sailing school, which have full-height sliding doors that encourage activities to spread out on to the quayside. Designed largely for children, the school provides classrooms, workshops and lofts for the small Pico and Laser boats. Inland there is a new landscaped embankment park on the roof of the sailing school and nautical society. Bounded on one side by the clubs restaurant terrace and leading on the other side to a new Maritime Museum, it complements the few green public spaces in this densely populated city and forms a new link in the pedestrian route between the quayside and Casino Square.

Client: Service Des Travaux Publics de Monaco
Consultants: Roger Preston & Partners