Pharrell Williams talks about his new Youth Center

A render of the proposed Pharrell Williams Youth Center - a tree house surrounded by grass, white flowers and trees during the day. There are multiple young people outside
A render of the proposed Pharrell Williams Youth Center, which takes the concept of a tree house to the extreme
(Image credit: TBC)

Whether it's conceiving best-selling albums or designing fashion and furniture (not to mention judging the Wallpaper* Design Awards), Pharrell Williams knows a thing or two about making a creative mark. So you can expect the new Pharrell Williams Youth Center to be quite the launch pad. In what he calls a bid to 'make the world a better place', Williams has teamed up with Miami-based architect Chad Oppenheim to create a visionary centre that 'inspires to aspire', incubating the creative talents of tomorrow and offering children a place to escape to and dream.

A freshly unveiled rendering shows a series of rectilinear volumes that appear to hover above the ground and nestle among the trees of a stretch of land in Williams' home town of Virginia Beach. Expected to break ground in 2012, the project now has the backing of Kiehl's (largely thanks to its sustainability and the musician's own eco reputation), which will support his own charity From One Hand to Another in its fundraising efforts. In a transatlantic chat, we caught up with Williams and Oppenheim to find out more.

What inspired the project?

Pharrell Williams: I wanted to provide people with the same opportunities I got. My teachers didn't let me go until I had realised my potential. They taught me to fight my way out of a paper bag. Children need guidance and creative discipline and someone to be there when they fall. They also need a safe haven. At the moment, arts organisations across the US are having their funding cut and we can't let that happen. There's so little regard for creative skills. Where would we be without design?

Chad Oppenheim: We're taking matters into our own hands.

You met at Art Basel in 2008. How did the collaboration come about?

CO: We were introduced through the French art gallery Emmanuel Perrotin, with whom we have both collaborated. Pharrell was a fan of what we were achieving and I liked the way he thinks artistically. He thinks big and it has been fun to try and turn his vision into architecture.

PW: Chad is a guy who turns real life ideas and situations into buildings. I like his very clean and linear signature. Together we wanted to challenge the status quo and create something that is sensitive to the environment.

Are there any precedents for this kind of design-led facility?

PW: We have spent a lot of time looking at facilities across America, such as the Tiger Woods Foundation.

How did you establish the scope and programme of the proposed building?

PW: I talked about the DNA of the building. I want it to be a safe haven for children and a place that challenges them, encouraging them to be curious. We had a very easy creative dialogue.

CO: There is an amazing grove of trees on the plot and we decided we wanted to integrate the building with nature. The tree house is symbolic of a child's imagination. Pharrell wanted it to be a kind of metaphor for fantasy becoming reality.

What exactly will it house?

CO: It will house departments for all sorts of different creative vocations, including art, music, and research.

What has informed the material approach?

CO: We want it to be as green a project as possible and for it to be at one with its environment. It will incorporate reclaimed materials like steel, wood, metal and stone, as well as high fly-ash content concrete, photovoltaic panels, geothermal technology and indigenous planting.

What else does the future hold for you as a creative duo?

PO: This is just a prototype. If all goes well, we will look at setting it up in other cities across the US as well, such as Miami.

View of Enea headquarters, Switzerland - a building with multiple windows and an outdoor seating area. There is a large body of water in front of the building and it is surrounded by greenery

Enea headquarters, Switzerland

(Image credit: TBC)

Alternative view of Enea headquarters, Switzerland - a building with multiple windows and an outdoor seating area. There is a large body of water in front of the building and it is surrounded by greenery

Enea headquarters, Switzerland

(Image credit: TBC)

Front view of Enea headquarters, Switzerland - a building with multiple windows and an outdoor seating area. There is a large body of water in front of the building

Enea headquarters, Switzerland

(Image credit: TBC)

View of an outdoor area with wood flooring, a roof and columns at Enea headquarters, Switzerland. The building has glass windows and doors and grass and trees can be seen at the side

Enea headquarters, Switzerland

(Image credit: TBC)

Alternative view of Enea headquarters, Switzerland featuring a multi-column structure. The building is surrounded by grass and trees under a clear blue sky

Enea headquarters, Switzerland

(Image credit: TBC)

A render of Wharf Road in Surfer’s Paradise, Australia in the evening - a tall building next to a beach with three people on it. There are other buildings nearby

A render of Wharf Road, in Surfer’s Paradise, Australia

(Image credit: TBC)

A render offering a close up view of the white Wharf Road building in Surfer’s Paradise, Australia - on some of the levels there are gardens featuring trees and pink flowers. The sun is shining over the sea

Wharf Road, Australia

(Image credit: TBC)

View of Simpson Park Hammock Pavilion, Miami - a wooden, rectangular archway with lighting surrounded by greenery

Simpson Park Hammock Pavilion, Miami

(Image credit: TBC)

Close up view of Simpson Park Hammock Pavilion, Miami - a wooden, rectangular archway with lighting, wood flooring, flowers and a tree trunk inside

Simpson Park Hammock Pavilion, Miami

(Image credit: TBC)

Exterior view of The Net Metropolis, the Philippines - three tall buildings each with a design featuring diagonal lines under a clear blue sky. The Net Metropolis is surrounded by trees and other buildings

The Net Metropolis, the Philippines

(Image credit: TBC)

Close up exterior view of The Net Metropolis, the Philippines - two tall buildings can be seen with one featuring a diagonal line design under a blue sky. There are roads, trees and other building nearby

The Net Metropolis, the Philippines

(Image credit: TBC)

Malaika Byng is an editor, writer and consultant covering everything from architecture, design and ecology to art and craft. She was online editor for Wallpaper* magazine for three years and more recently editor of Crafts magazine, until she decided to go freelance in 2022. Based in London, she now writes for the Financial Times, Metropolis, Kinfolk and The Plant, among others.