FPMC MAgazine
Green is the New Glam
A perfect balance between luxury and sustainable ethics.
The Principality of Monaco has always been a laboratory of ideas and initiatives with a strong focus on the environment and the sea, both at a local and international level. The Principality of Monaco therefore endorses a green philosophy, backed wholeheartedly by its sovereign Alberto. As a matter of fact, the recent government campaign was entitled “Green is the new glam”, based on luxury and glamour but combined with eco-sustainability and responsible tourism.
In order to balance out uncontrolled overdevelopment in Monaco, the green areas have always been protected and are still numerous today: from the Exotic Garden to the Japanese one, from the Saint Martin gardens - the first green public area opened in 1816 - to the Princess Grace Botanical Garden, in memory of the princess who tragically passed away.
One of the most prestigious hotels in Monaco, the Fairmont, which opened in 1975, was ahead of its time in terms of eco-sustainability: heating and cooling are carried out by heat pumps positioned at a 40 metre depth in the sea.The Principality of Monaco has a Mediterranean coastline extension plan, expected to be completed by 2025, which will also be attentive to sustainable development and environmental protection.
The artificial peninsula, designed by Renzo Piano, will increase the surface area by 3% and the new floating extension, Portier Cove, will integrate perfectly with the existing coastline both in aesthetic terms as well as environmental ones. The 35 metre extension in depth of the existing coastline will allow for the natural flow of currents (without any modification), ensuring a continuum in the shape of the existing land. Every detail of Portier Cove has been designed to limit any environmental impact.
From the building methods to the energy requirements of new buildings, every aspect has been analysed in great detail in order to obtain a sustainable impact and be environmentally friendly.
The regeneration project of the Fontvielle district and port, curated by Massimiliano Fuksas, focuses on creating links with the surrounding environment and landscape.
The idea is, sure enough, to integrate and reproduce the natural habitat: using different colours for each of the building’s five storeys; the ground floor is red just like the roof tiles in the centre of Monaco; the first floor is a sea blue; the second is lavender, like the typical flower that grows in Provence; the third is ochre, mirroring the tones of the surrounding façades, and finally the hanging rooftop garden, the colour grey that recalls the cliffs of the French Riviera.
