Project Eden: a new star-studded luxury resort opens by Lake Garda
![Exterior view of the Villa Eden. The top part is a glass exterior in different shades of blue. The bottom part is stacked rocks with the writing "Villa Eden". We see a mountain to the right.](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/4LZL2MPrshBzVhgHquLo8e-415-80.jpg)
Lake Como may be the most well known of the Italian lakes, but its bigger sister, Lake Garda, wants for nothing in comparison, in terms of style and natural beauty. This is the largest lake in Italy, a popular international sports hub and a coveted holiday destination for many central Europeans - especially Swiss, Austrian and southern German - who descend in numbers during the summer months to sample the good Italian food and weather.
The hills and waterside surrounding the small town of Gardone are dotted with grand, heritage Lombardian resorts, traditional Italian houses and old limonaias - the area's typical Italian lemon tree grove farmhouse. It is within this picturesque scenery of classic grandeur that Austrian developers Signa spotted an opportunity for a new, ultra-modern private luxury resort - and Villa Eden was born.
Seeking to create a stylish composition of different architectural languages - rather than employ a single architect to work on the whole - Signa approached a star-studded team of architects for the complex's 11 buildings: Matteo Thun, Richard Meier, David Chipperfield and Sphere architects worked on the architecture and Enzo Enea on the landscape design.
Matteo Thun was the first one on board and helped spearhead the project - he had been visiting the Lake Garda since his childhood and felt a strong connection to the land and the area's famous wind, the Ora. He designed Villa Eden's main clubhouse (which includes a small boutique hotel, a restaurant and bar for members and a spa), a private house and a small apartment building, called the Landmark, which is still in construction. His approach was about blending into the landscape, taking his design cues from the rich Italian nature and the area's 'genius loci'. 'Architecture should disappear,' he explains.
A similar approach was adopted by David Chipperfield's team, who worked on two private houses that draw on the architecture of the area's limonaias. Recreating their defining vertical columns in an abstract way on the houses' timber facades, Chipperfield clearly pays respect to the local vernacular.
The landscape design involved saving and rearranging the site's existing olive trees. All outdoors areas were treated as a single space, avoiding private outdoors areas for each villa. The aim was to produce a coherent, seamless surrounding that feels at home in this Mediterranean setting and doesn't distract from the hillside development's long views of the lake. 'We worked to frame and integrate the view,' explains Enea.
This was taken on board on all house designs, and worked particularly well with Sphere managing partner Marc Mark's overall design approach. 'The landscape comes first,' he says. 'We thought - no gardens. We didn't want any fences and private space seeping into the public areas.' The practice was involved in the design of three villas, one of which sits at the development's highest point, unashamedly modern yet fittingly discreet, striking a careful balance between the environment's old and new elements. 'We wanted to have this tension, between the very modern villa and its historical context,' he explains.
The clubhouse building, designed by Matteo Thun, includes a small hotel, a restaurant and a spa, which will be open to members.
Thun also designed one of the complex's private houses, which has already welcomed its new owners.
David Chipperfield and his team worked on two new private houses for Villa Eden.
The two structures share key characteristics that were inspired by the Lake Garda's traditional limonaias (lemon groves).
The timber and concrete structure that defines the design's main facade references local architecture...
...but also helps provide shade and secure privacy, without obstructing the views of the lake.
Chipperfield's contribution to Villa Eden uses materials that feel at home in the Mediterranean environment, like timber and local stone.
The villas' outdoor areas were carefully planned. The complex doesn't allow private gardens for each house, but the architects ensured some areas are protected and not overlooked by neighbouring buildings.
Inside, all main spaces open up towards the site's stunning views of Lake Garda.
The villas' linear arrangement over two floors means that public spaces and bedrooms share the same unobstracted views.
Sphere architects worked on three houses in Villa Eden, including the complex's largest property, pictured here.
The house sits at the development's highest point and was designed as a composition of long, low columes and outdoors spaces.
This way, common areas can be completely independent from private ones, making this villa perfect both for relaxing and entertaining.
Wallpaper* Newsletter + Free Download
For a free digital copy of August Wallpaper*, celebrating Creative America, sign up today to receive our daily digest of inspiration, escapism and design stories
Ellie Stathaki is the Architecture & Environment Director at Wallpaper*. She trained as an architect at the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki in Greece and studied architectural history at the Bartlett in London. Now an established journalist, she has been a member of the Wallpaper* team since 2006, visiting buildings across the globe and interviewing leading architects such as Tadao Ando and Rem Koolhaas. Ellie has also taken part in judging panels, moderated events, curated shows and contributed in books, such as The Contemporary House (Thames & Hudson, 2018), Glenn Sestig Architecture Diary (2020) and House London (2022).
-
Commune’s sustainable personal care products look ‘quite unlike anything else’
Commune’s Somerset-made products stand out in the sustainable skincare crowd. Madeleine Rothery speaks with the brand’s co-founders Kate Neal and Rémi Paringaux
By Madeleine Rothery Published
-
‘Hedonistic and avant-garde’: Rabanne’s Julian Dossena on the legacy of the chainmail 1969 bag
Paco Rabanne’s 1969 chainmail handbag encapsulates the late designer’s futuristic, space-age style. Current creative director Julien Dossena tells Wallpaper* about the bag’s particular pleasures
By Jack Moss Published
-
Postcard from Paris: Olympic fever takes over the streets
On the eve of the opening ceremony of Paris 2024, our correspondent shares her views from the streets of the capital about how the event is impacting the urban landscape.
By Minako Norimatsu Published
-
‘Carlo Scarpa: The Complete Buildings’ is an essential tour of the Italian master’s works
‘Carlo Scarpa: The Complete Buildings’ is the perfect book for architecture enthusiasts
By Jonathan Bell Published
-
New Aesop Milan store is a haven of beauty and tranquillity
The latest Aesop Milan store to open is a hub of wellness, beauty and tranquillity in the Italian metropolis
By Ellie Stathaki Published
-
A new water mirror casts a misty veil over ancient Roman baths
Architect Hannes Peer reveals a water mirror in Rome – an immersive architectural installation at the heart of the ancient Baths of Caracalla
By Ellie Stathaki Published
-
Giovanni Michelucci’s dramatic concrete church in the Italian Dolomites
Giovanni Michelucci’s concrete Church of Santa Maria Immacolata in the Italian Dolomites is a reverently uplifting memorial to the victims of a local disaster
By Jonathan Glancey Published
-
Milan’s 10 Corso Como revamp nods to the concept store’s industrial character
Milanese concept store 10 Corso Como unveils its new look by 2050+, a stripped-back design that nods to its 20th-century character
By Ellie Stathaki Published
-
Carlo Ratti announced curator of Venice Architecture Biennale 2025
Carlo Ratti has been revealed as the Director of the Architecture Department at the Venice Architecture Biennale 2025, with the specific task of curating the 19th International Architecture Exhibition
By Ellie Stathaki Published
-
Floating infinity pool by Herzog & De Meuron at Lake Como is largest of its kind
Herzog & de Meuron creates the largest floating infinity pool in the world for Mandarin Oriental in Lake Como
By Lauren Ho Published
-
Best of brutalist Italian architecture chronicled in new book
Brutalist Italian architecture enthusiasts and concrete completists will be spoilt for choice by Roberto Conte and Stefano Perego’s pictorial tour
By Jonathan Bell Published