Apart from the environmental quality of the site, how did you organize the relationship with the existing context?
S.U.: The existing office building, which we could not demolish, left us with a magnificent corner exposure and large windows, which compensate for the ceilings which are not particularly high. On the basement levels we were able to reduce the parking zones, replacing some with a very large spa (1300 square meters) and a 25-meter swimming pool.
P.V.: I would start by saying that we have redesigned the façade (together with the French firm Valode & Pistre), which dated back to the 1970s. It was totally incongruent with Haussmann’s urban fabric. We took inspiration from Parisian Art Deco of the 1930s and 1940s, in the buildings around the nearby Eiffel Tower: lots of golden limestone and bronze casements. As for the internal spaces – the bar, the restaurant of Niko Romito, the fitness club, the Vitality Pool, the nine spa treatment rooms and the Spa Suite of 65 square meters, the lounge, the 76 guestrooms, including 57 suites with high windows, terraces and fine views – they have been decorated with great attention to detail, thanks to the precious contribution of our project director Roberto Mariani: the mini-bars, for example, are hidden inside large steamer trunks of bygone days, the Nespresso makers are covered with leather, while original ceramic pieces by Gio Ponti for Richard Ginori have been incorporated as well-balanced punctuation. The large mosaic-clad spa is a reference to ancient Rome, accentuating the sparkle of the water with the well-gauged use of gold tiles. The second pool, with a waterfall gushing from the Bulgari logo, has the same fan decorations as the Baths of Caracalla.