Blurring the lines between front-of-house and back-of-house – why revealing all is the latest trend in super-prime

What’s in your garage? For most of us, the short answer would be something along the lines of everything except the car. Piles of junk, a few tools perhaps and box loads of ‘bric-a-brac’, which should long ago have been consigned to the rubbish tip or local charity shop, would probably be on most people’s list – but for our high-net-worth clients it is a totally different story.

There are garages and there are garages…

For us as architects, garages, and even the plant rooms where all the essential infrastructure for a home is housed, can be places of beauty for the wealthiest and most demanding of clients, who want their visitors to see that no expense has been spared.

Working on the assumption that the world’s wealthiest people also own some of the most desirable cars, then it is understandable that they both want to show them off and protect them at the same time, which means that large windows from living and entertainment areas that allow good views of the contents of the garage, are becoming a frequently-requested feature.

Not just a garage but a showcase for a supercar

What’s the point of owning a Bugatti or a Pagani if no one can see them – at least that’s the theory. The floor has to be the best polished concrete, the lighting has to be designed to showcase these automotive museum-pieces to their optimum, but that is just part of the challenge we face as architects.

These feature garages are typically housed below ground, so viewing is often linked to another entertainment or leisure space, such as a bar, cinema or games room, or even a golf simulator, gymnasium or ice rink – all must-have facilities for some of the mega-wealthy. Other projects include sophisticated car-lift and carousel systems to transport vehicles between floors – just some of the day-to-day challenges we face.

A spotless environment for a car that deserves showing off

Most of us never expect to have an open view of our garage, but if a client wants their car collection to be a centre-piece of their home – and why not – then a creative design process is needed to deliver the desired effect to ensure that the vehicular and human living areas blend together seamlessly as part of the overall scheme.

Wanting to show off a desirable car is almost a rite of passage, but stopping at the garage is not enough for many high-net-worth individuals, who are equally determined to make a feature of their high-tech plant rooms, where all the essential infrastructure and equipment for the mechanical and electrical services is housed.

The complexities and demands of luxury living require failsafe systems

While these are the kind of things that most of us expect to be hidden, it can be a different story when your plant room is the size of a modest apartment. Many clients have invested in systems that could rival a small hotel and sometimes they want to be able to show visitors to their homes “behind the scenes”.

The infrastructure itself has its own hidden beauty. Just because they are not “front-of-house” does not mean the services should not be given the same level of design consideration as any visible element. Rows of pipes mounted in perfect straight lines and symmetry, everything neatly labelled and organised – Lees Associates’ plant rooms are often compared to the exquisitely-presented engineering of a battleship or submarine!  They can contain a plethora of technology: from HVAC to AV, high-tech security, lighting, swimming pool plant, fire detection and suppression, and the Building Management System that brings it all together in a single, user-friendly interface.

When the pressure is on you need a robust system in your plant room

It is the kind of tech that makes the whole house work in harmony, and for many high-net-worth individuals, many of whom might have made their wealth from one form of technology or another, it can be a work of art, deserving to be shown off and consequently must be considered as part of the overall design on any refurbishment or new build project.

Working with discerning and demanding clients also means catering for the unusual. For some, such is the love of cars that they own or cherish, that they want to see them all of the time – even if they are living in an 8th-floor penthouse apartment.

It’s not just the cars that have clean lines and a sense of mystery

In that particular case, it meant craning the vehicles up to the 8th floor during the fit-out works, where they could take pride of place among the client’s other possessions in the living area. It is also not unusual for high-end clients to want their cars encased in glass or to be featured in rotating glass carousels, so the world – or the privileged members of it whom they allow in – can also share their beauty.

And when you stop and consider it, that is really the whole point – even if most of us cannot afford it, we can admire and share it in some small way – a little bit of wow factor and what might be to brighten up your day – and what can be wrong with that?