Starck goes prefabulous

Philippe Starck teams up with Slovenian engineering firm, Riko, to build Democratic Ecological Architecture

Eccentric French polymath Philippe Starck has long dabbled in housing, with the property company Yoo where he’s creative director. Now, he’s switching focus from deluxe apartments in Miami and the like to a wooden prefab. He’s teamed up with a Slovenian engineering firm, Riko, to build the prototype in Versailles. The intention is to create a sustainable range, hence the project’s clunky name and cozy acronym Democratic Ecological Architecture with Riko by Starck, or DEARS. This first one will have five bedrooms and will feature green-tech gizmos like photovoltaic and solar panels, triple glazing and thick insulation out of either paper pulp or wood fibre.

It’s a far cry from the must-have kitchenware and eclectic hotel interiors that he’s known for. But it seems that eventually the eco message sinks through to even the biggest pushers of product. Check out more great examples of green architecture in Vitamin Green worth 450 points when you join Phaidon Club today.