Business & Money | Thursday 27 July, 2017 4:23 am |

The uniqueness and beauty of Margraf marbles are the ingredients that make a new luxury residence in Monte Carlo, just a short distance away from the Casino Gardens, the Hôtel de Paris and the Salle Garnier, truly exclusive.

The Petite Afrique, an 11-storey luxury building, with private swimming pool on the roof, a 6-level underground car park, an indoor swimming pool and the spa, was designed by the Brazilian architect Isay Weinfeld after an international competition by invitation launched by Fine Properties Monte Carlo.

The competition saw the participation of the most famous names on the international architecture scene—Ateliers Jean Nouvel, Shigeru Ban Architects, Kengo Kuma Architects, Adjaye Associates and others—to design a building with cutting-edge technologies that could fit in the surrounding urban context, including the Casino Gardens, called ‘Petite Afrique’. Weinfeld’s idea met with unanimous approval by the public and the two juries that examined the proposals. It consists in a building with a minimal yet elegant design that could establish a dialogue with the view of the Casino Gardens and the sea of the French Riviera.

In this new building, Margraf marbles play a leading role. On the outside, the façade blends perfectly with the Fin de Siècle architecture of the surrounding buildings and consists of 500 sqm of ventilated walls in Bronzite, 3 cm thick, up to the third floor. The perimeter is enhanced by 2,200 sqm of curved shaped Gascogne slabs.

The spacious apartments, one every floor, feature wide terraces with raised flooring in Travertino Romano Classico, 2 cm thick, laid with a honeycomb pattern. On the inside, the interiors are especially refined thanks to the Travertino Navona, with recurrent vein, in the living area, to the Calacatta Oro, laid in book-match style, for the flooring and bathroom wall tiling and to about 850 sqm of recomposed white quartz for the service and kitchen spaces.

 

The spa and indoor swimming pool, finished with 800 sqm of Travertino Romano Classico, are enhanced by Margraf marbles, which once again have given their unique and refined touch to the ambience.

Technical details

Design: Petite Afrique

Location: Monte Carlo - Principality of Monaco

Principal: FPMC Fine Properties Monte Carlo

Total surface area: 15,900 sqm

Architect: Isay Weinfeld

Margraf marble and natural stone used:  

500 sqm of ventilated wall in Bronzite, 3 cm thick.

2,200 sqm of curved shaped slabs of Gascogne, 3 cm thick, for the flower pots.

1,400 sqm of Travertino Romano Classico, 2 cm thick, for the terrace flooring.

2,000 sqm of Travertino Navona, with recurrent vein, 2 cm thick, for the flooring of the living area of the apartments and entry hall.

1,500 sqm of Calacatta Oro, laid in book-match style, 2 cm thick, for the flooring and tiling of the bathrooms.

850 sqm of recomposed white quartz, 2 cm thick, for the flooring of the service area and kitchens of the apartments.

800 sqm of Travertino Romano Classico, sandblasted and brushed, 2 cm thick, for the flooring and tiling of the swimming pool and spa.

All the materials described above were treated with water and oil repellent.