Matteo Thun has designed many everyday objects, such as coffee cups, lamps, clocks and furniture. In the early 1990s, Thun was Creative Director at Swatch. However, he does not see himself as a “designer”. Thun, who has won many prestigious architecture awards, is best known as an advocate of natural architecture and is also passionate about building with wood – incorporating the surrounding nature. He likes to build according to the 3-Zero concept, says Thun: ‘Zero kilometre’ means building materials from the region, ‘Zero CO2’ means as few emissions as possible, and ‘Zero Waste’ means no waste and sustainable recycling of raw materials.
The ultimate goal of architecture should be to make people feel comfortable and bring them as close to nature as possible. The five-star boutique hotel, the four private landmark apartments and villas, and the detached Villa Matteo Thun on the Eden Reserve site were all designed by the architect. From the outset, he said, he was impressed by the terrain sloping down to the lake, with its unspoilt nature and privileged view of Lake Garda.
