It was from these premises that the elements which have ‘adorned’ the lighthouse were born: the wooden terraces soar towards the sea, seeming to float above the rocks and the beach; slender, lightweight structures form the pergolas, whilst the white bands – more solid and bold – define the existing loggia and outline the bar and seating areas. These bands frame the façades that open out towards the sea and mediate the transition between the terraces and the lighthouse’s imposing massing with a series of horizontal lines, through which the existing structure emerges even more powerfully. The soft, minimalist furnishings provide a counterpoint to the wood grain of the flooring and cladding, balancing the whole with flair and elegance.
The lighthouse stands firmly on the cliff, but beneath the terraces the sea’s undertow surges. That said, we could do nothing but imagine our project as a boat in its harbour; we could do nothing but design the terraces like the deck of a yacht from which to look out and hear the sound of the waves. From the balustrades to the flooring, from the lighting to the white bands, the architectural language we have adopted is that typical of yacht design. The taut lines unfold along dynamic paths with rapid changes of direction, but the edges are softened by smooth, curvilinear transitions. The dynamic fluidity of the lines – which nevertheless follow a simple geometric layout – acts as a bridge between the solid, sculptural form of the Faro and the utterly fractal, ever-changing nature of the sea. The white shell framing the loggia is reminiscent of a bridge and provides one of the main vantage points from which to admire the sea on three sides; it follows the line of the new pergola above the existing balcony before descending onto the stone parapet, becoming a continuous panoramic corbel equipped with stools.
The materials used are also reminiscent of those found on yachts. The metal balustrade and the wooden cladding elements are painted white, whilst the wooden floorboards echo the finish and colour of the decks on luxury yachts. The key design features work by contrast with what they delineate or frame. On the terraces, the white ‘hull’ defines the edges of the dark flooring, marking the boundary between the wooden decking and the sea; the slender steel cables of the balustrade flow smoothly along the two white tracks of the handrail, which, when illuminated at night, stand out boldly against the horizon, whilst during the day they disappear from view amongst the waves; on the loggia, which increasingly resembles a ‘bridge’, the white, glossy and perfectly polished frame stands out against the existing stone parapet—rough and unpolished—acquiring an unprecedented lightness that contrasts sharply with the visual weight of its forms.
The lighting design for the project was one of the most delicate aspects of the creative process. Developed in tandem with the conception of each new element, it had to meet the need to highlight the new features without overwhelming the old, acting instead as a link between the two. The result has created – even more so at night than during the day – a dialectical balance between the new design and the existing structure; whilst retaining their own distinct identities, they manage to interact and form a unified whole with one another and with the surrounding context (the lights along the seafront, the harbour lights and those on the boats, the reflections on the sea). Various solutions have been adopted that can function individually or in a complementary manner, depending on the occasion, so as to create a variety of scenarios according to the activity taking place. The warm, diffused light from the city and the new spotlights, spread evenly across the Faro’s expansive façades, is counterbalanced by the cool, precise spotlights embedded in the ceilings of the pergolas or the lines of light that follow the white bands and structural elements, emphasising the dynamic and fluid character of the design. Floor-mounted spotlights, through brushstrokes of grazing light, bring the jagged stone and rough plaster of the existing structure to life, whilst lighting systems integrated into the casings help to further dematerialise the lightweight structures of the new design elements.