“I am an architect of light”: Jean Nouvel designs new concept for UBS bank in Monaco
The rooftop offers a 360° view of the Principality, from the sea to the mountains © Monaco Tribune / Théo Briand
The bank is launching the innovative ‘experiment’ for the first time. It is providing its clients with an exclusive rooftop, complete with bar and restaurant.
Imagine walking into a bank and, instead of the usual meeting room, you find yourself on the 11th floor of an elegant tower, sipping a drink or enjoying a fine meal with a breathtaking view of the Principality. This is what the UBS Monaco bank at 2 rue de la Grande-Bretagne will be offering its customers from December. The historic building, freshly renovated and raised by several storeys, is being transformed into a real living space.
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The architect of the superb structure is none other than Jean Nouvel, creator of many iconic buildings around the world.
Belle Epoque architecture meets Minimalism
Starting out in the Belle Époque style, the building has already undergone two ‘re-architectures’ as Jean Nouvel calls them. Adding his own that makes three, but removing the traces of the past was out of the question, as they are “witnesses to different eras and different ways of approaching architecture,” which he considers an art form.
It’s not easy to combine Belle Epoque architecture, with its many details, and contemporary architecture, where minimalism reigns supreme. However, Jean Nouvel has pulled off the challenge, with a tower rising up from the Belle Epoque base as a projection of the original building. Glass, the architect’s favoured material, is of course used to let in the light. “I’m an architect of light,” says Jean Nouvel, who finds it “easier to work with glass” than with other materials.
Light, lighter, lightest
The elegance of the extension lies above all in its weightlessness. As you climb the tower, the façades become increasingly transparent, and the windows become “more abstract” giving the impression of being outdoors.
As Jean Nouvel puts it, he’s “sick of windows that can’t be moved, like all the windows in service sector buildings” that are going up. He feels the greatest challenge in each project “is to recall what has been forgotten and to manage to blend a place into its environment.” “Architecture should not be seen as functional, but as a pleasant surprise.”
While the lower floors are set aside for meetings and discussions between the bankers and their clients, in a hushed, open-plan setting, the upper levels are more relaxed, with a lounge bar and a rooftop that has “one of the finest views in Monaco.” The mirrored roof reflects the sea and the Principality’s skyline, providing “continuity with the city.”
Customers will be able to bring whoever they wish, as if they were in a private club, where business is carried out naturally and in a relaxed manner.