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Since first opening its doors in 1971, Mykonos’s Super Paradise Beach Club has been a heady cocktail of revelry and free spirit, a place where time is told by the setting of the sun rather than a ticking clock. Now, half a century later, this storied establishment has undergone an outstanding architectural rebirth, and alongside the esteemed venue’s exceptional transformation, a new concept is being thrust into our collective architectural language: ‘Future Retro.’
Super Paradise beach club by Omniview Design, Mykonos, Greece. Popular Choice Winner, 11th Annual A+Awards, Bars & Wineries | Photos by Yiorgos Kordakis
Adopted and introduced by the architectural tour de force, Omniview Design, the term is defined and embodied in their work on the beloved establishment Super Paradise Beach Club. The phrase is born from the idea that “timeless charm’ can still exist in a predominately trend-driven present. Their strategy is an intriguing amalgamation of tradition and innovation, expertly reintroducing indigenous elements using next-gen technological prowess, ultimately crafting an architectural experience that feels both familiar and novel.
Super Paradise beach club by Omniview Design, Mykonos, Greece. Popular Choice Winner, 11th Annual A+Awards, Hospitality – Bars & Wineries. Photograph by Yiorgos Kordakis
In this instance, A+Award winners Omniview wanted to recapture the essence of Mykonos from a time before hospitality on the island became the industry it is today, a bygone era when the island’s aesthetic was utterly dependent on its breathtaking indigenous elements. They have certainly achieved these goals.
The iconic entrance to the club nods to the style and formation of classic groin vaults, while the playful manipulation of traditional Cycladic motifs is evident throughout. Caverns and coves exist at every turn. They feel full of historic charm yet are draped in a distinctively modern minimalist elegance. If you didn’t know it, the club is as likely to have been designed yesterday as a hundred years ago — and that is precisely the point.
Super Paradise beach club by Omniview Design, Mykonos, Greece. Popular Choice Winner, 11th Annual A+Awards, Hospitality – Bars & Wineries. Photograph by Yiorgos Kordakis
While Super Paradise Beach Club is set to become a testament to an era when past and future are not adversaries but instead partners, the architects at Omniview Design are not alone in their endeavor to create spaces that sit out with trend-driven design.
This years A+Awards winners are brimming with architects and designers who endeavored to create projects that could stand beyond the boundaries of time and achieve the ultimate acclaim of “timeless classic.” These “Future Retro” projects not only achieved it but have gone on to prove that this type of architecture is strongly resonating across the industry.
FORESTIS by ASAGGIO, Brixen, Italy, Popular Choice Winner, 11th Annual A+Awards, Hospitality – Hotels & Resorts. | Photos by FORESTIS
If you know, you know, and everyone in the know recognizes that the Future Retro style is synonymous with Italy. The country has built a reputation around its effortless beauty and charm, so it comes as no surprise that FORESTIS, overlooking the incredible Dolomites in Brixen, Italy, encapsulates the Future Retro aesthetic with such apparent ease. ASAGGIO have complemented the existing listed building with its three new towers, each letting nature take the lead through a clean and linear architectural language.
FORESTIS by ASAGGIO, Brixen, Italy, Popular Choice Winner, 11th Annual A+Awards, Hospitality – Hotels & Resorts. Photograph by FORESTIS
The design and architecture weave together the four elements: water, air, sun and climate, symbolized through the careful adoption of natural materials. The rooms in the new structures all face the sun, a nod to the healing qualities that FORESTIS sought to capture, while natural warm fabrics reflect the strengthening and warming properties of the sun, radiating comfort throughout.
Stone, in the form of a mineral surface coating, brings the presence of the Dolomites into the interiors, while glass represents the purity of air. Untreated spruce forms the walls and ceilings in the suites, adding a touch of organic purity. As such, FORESTIS offers an elegant interpretation of Future Retro, intertwining the charm of the past with the progressive language of the future.
Prime Seafood Palace by Omar Gandhi Architects, Toronto, Canada. Popular Choice Winner, 11th Annual A+Awards, Restaurants | Photograph by Adrian Ozimek
Similarly, a fresh take on Future Retro is evident in Toronto’s Prime Seafood Palace, a culinary haven masterfully designed by Omar Gandhi Architects. Found amidst the lively bustle of West Queen West, Prime Seafood Palace delicately entwines the past and future, creating an architectural narrative that both honors and transcends time here in the present.
Prime Seafood Palace was envisioned as a timeless escape, a cathedral of light-infused wood cradled within the city’s brick fabric. Its design offers the sophistication of Omar Gandhi Architect’s residential projects but carries this elegance through to a commercial canvas. The neutral palette of white maple and brass sets the stage for the delectable cuisine by renowned chef Matty Matheson.
Prime Seafood Palace by Omar Gandhi Architects, Toronto, Canada. Popular Choice Winner, 11th Annual A+Awards, Restaurants | Photo by Adrian Ozimek
Subtly nodding to Matheson’s East Coast origins while taking inspiration from Japanese and Scandinavian architecture. The result is a space that elevates the dining experience and yet maintains an earthly connection to its roots. Natural light filters in, casting a soft glow on the brass screens and bouncing off the wood, creating a space that feels intimate and has an ethereal quality that is almost impossible to describe.
Dry Garden Poetry by Arterra Landscape Architects, Santa Cruz, California. Popular Choice Winner, 11th Annual A+Awards, Private Garden | Photo by Marion Brenner
Dry Garden Poetry, a creation by Arterra Landscape Architects in Santa Cruz, California, is an eloquent example of Future Retro’s breadth and depth. The design does not primarily dwell on the architecture or interiors but on how the project situates within its landscape and promises to age gracefully in synergy with its surroundings.
Redefining the relationship between architecture and the environment, the architects replaced a traditional stucco home with a series of contemporary structures that echo the topography and bordering oak woodlands. Rather than sit in the meadow’s lower parts, the new buildings perch on higher ground, inviting expansive vistas of the meadow and the Monterey Bay.
The property excels in blending indoor and outdoor spaces, exemplified in the transition between the Summer and Winter Terraces, separated only by glass pocket doors. The Winter Terrace’s sun-soaked patio and boulder-encased firepit mirror the comforting warmth of the Summer Terrace, yet with a distinct, desert-like ambiance.
Dry Garden Poetry by Arterra Landscape Architects, Santa Cruz, California. Popular Choice Winner, 11th Annual A+Awards, Private Garden | Photos by Marion Brenner
Dry Garden Poetry embodies the essence of Future Retro, expressing how contemporary design can exist harmoniously within its landscape, ensuring enduring relevance and beauty. This project is not just about buildings; it’s about creating dialogues with nature that are destined to grow richer with time.
Apartment V by Park + Associates, Singapore. Jury Winner, 11th Annual A+Awards, Apartment | Photo by Derek Swalwell
In Singapore, Apartment V by Park + Associates offers an intimate and evocative illustration of how functionality can lead design decisions and create timeless spaces. Faced with the challenge of rejuvenating an apartment without drastically altering its structure, the client—the designer—looked towards functional requirements as the guiding light. By focusing on how the space would be used and what was truly necessary, the design emerged not from trends but from a deep understanding of purpose.
Apartment V by Park + Associates, Singapore. Jury Winner, 11th Annual A+Awards, Apartment | Photo by Derek Swalwell
The result is an exquisite demonstration of Future Retro. The home was distilled down to its essentials, with custom furniture designed to serve specific needs. Sustainability also played a key role, with existing pieces such as built-in cabinetry and a solid timber dining table refurbished to align with the new aesthetic. The design doesn’t chase after fleeting trends but instead embodies a style that is relevant and enduring. By shaping form to function, Apartment V’s design captures the essence of Future Retro: a reflection of the past and a vision of the future, tied together seamlessly by the thread of functionality.
Apartment V by Park + Associates, Singapore. Jury Winner, 11th Annual A+Awards, Apartment | Photo by Derek Swalwell
Future Retro is not simply about aesthetics or materials but a holistic design perspective. It asks us to consider where we come from, where we are and where we are heading. It teaches us that by focusing on functionality and context, we can create designs that resonate with our past and anticipate our future needs, resulting in spaces that are not only aesthetically pleasing but also meaningful and timeless.
The latest edition of “Architizer: The World’s Best Architecture” — a stunning, hardbound book celebrating the most inspiring contemporary architecture from around the globe — is now available. Order your copy today.