THE WORLD’S first en-suite ‘sky garages’ have been launched in Asia, where appetites for trophy properties have burgeoned.
The garages form part of the makeover of an existing building by Hamilton Scotts and every superlative in the book has been pressed into action to describe the 54 units in the “residence of distinction that invites owners to lounge in the subtleties of sublime luxury.”
Future owners who will be “connoisseurs of luxury and the contemporary art of living” can admire their prized cars at an altitude of 100 metres above ground, simultaneously satisfying both growing lack of space and the display of cars in the comfort of the home. This is the latest expression of the feature glass wall that allows car collections to be displayed to guests.
Lack of space was addressed in prime London by one developer with a scheme straight from a James Bond film. At Amberwood House opposite the V&A in Kensington and once the home of Dame Margot Fonteyn, the architects planned to create an ‘automated facade’ that would lift up, allowing the owner to drive a car straight into the entrance. From here a turntable would deliver the car to a garage in the new basement.
Amberwood House may be an extreme example but increasingly developers are addressing the unique requirements of housing not just the superrich but their very expensive toys. Last year in Miami an investor paid a record $38million (£24.5million) for a classic Ferrari. Understandably, whoever bought it will want a top class gallery in which to showcase the treasure and as a consequence, garages are turning into art galleries. Candy & Candy and Spink have created museum-like environments for supercars, with marble floors, polished walls, humidity control, Italian lighting, mirrored walls and underfloor heating.
Middle Eastern boy racers who fly their Rolls Royces and Lamborghinis to London for the summer now need a home with at least five parking spaces and services to go with them. “It’s rare not to hear the roar of an Italian super car on Park Lane throughout the summer but we have also seen a huge growth in the number of highly bespoke mechanics being called in by concierge services,” says Michelle Van Vuuren, managing director of Sotheby’s International Realty.
Architects Wildblood Macdonald designed an entire house in the North of England around a collection of cars in an underground gallery. “The cars are artworks,” says James Mate. “It is very much like a museum with a highly controlled DALI lighting system that can be choreographed so each car can be spotlighted when the owner wants to show guests around.” Curators have assembled a collection of memorabilia associated with the cars and there are facilities in the garage for video projections of historic footage. Much like a contemporary art gallery, the walls are white and plain, to allow for possible displays of the heritage, and the floor is carpeted throughout.
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