BRIGHT is very proud to announce that Vista Lago Residences, their latest luxury villa development in the hills above Marbella, has won the award “Best Residential Development in the World” at this year’s prestigious International Property Awards. Up against more than 500 other developments from every corner of the globe, Vista Lago also won “Best Architecture in Europe”. We talk to BRIGHT’s CEO about their extraordinary success.
Report by Vivion O’Kelly – Images courtesy of BRIGHT.
How to define excellence? Say it yourself and it means little, because excellence cannot be self-defined. Other people must say it, and when those other people happen to be the 80 independent judges in the International Property Awards, one of the most prestigious property competitions in the world now in its 28th year, you know you have a healthy relationship with excellence.
Although it may be surprising that a residential development company tucked away in a small corner of Southern Europe may have won such an award, it is not totally unexpected for the company itself, or for those who have a special interest in property development throughout the world, because, along with their partners UDesign, they won the award “Best Architecture Single Residence, Europe” for their 2019 entry, Villa Alcuzcuz. Add to this the award for “Best Architecture in Europe (Multiple Residence)” for Vista Lago and “Best CGI Company in the World” for UDesign in the same awards this year, and a defining pattern for this partnership begins to emerge.
If Vista Lago were a film, BRIGHT would be the producer and UDesign the artistic director, each with their own skillset. Indeed, a luxury development of this kind is not that far removed from the making of a full-length feature film: a huge investment in a project that requires detailed planning from the start, whose inherent risk factor has to be managed by an unusual level of professionalism, creativity and dedication.
Michael Rodziewicz, CEO of BRIGHT, was born and grew up in Poland, and has always looked at the bigger picture, although sometimes the picture starts small. When he first met Jason Harris, CEO of UDesign, he just needed some help in designing his home in Marbella, but the meeting of these two exceptional minds, both focussed on design as the driving force behind all residential construction and development, led directly to the partnership we have today.
Michael brought a lifetime of experience in the luxury development field to the Marbella partnership, and he sees design as the primary expression of creativity. “A great home”, he says, “should improve your quality of life, probably more than any other single factor. That’s why every villa in Vista Lago is both a stunning property and a unique home. Our whole way of thinking when it comes to property development is design-driven, and the design, in turn, is an expression of creativity, but always in the service of producing a certain feeling, a canvas for a lifestyle.”
As developer, one of Michael’s tasks is to keep the project on an even keel, financially speaking. This means being good at business, but to achieve the success he now enjoys, he must also have a comprehensive knowledge of design and the rare ability to always know exactly what will work where. Quite simply, there is no room for mistakes at this level.
“We’re businesspeople,” he says, “and we have to ensure that the figures work. But this business, the creation of homes, should not be directed from a spread sheet. We design our homes around the resident and the spaces they will be living in, and that’s the most important of all. That’s what brings the concept to life.”
And what a concept it is! A rare meeting point of exceptional creative design, luxury construction, state-of-the-art sustainability and a location second to none, providing the best views over the Mediterranean Sea and North Africa from virtually every room in every one of the 18 villas that make up the development. When Michael first stood on the virgin plot and looked around him, his imagination went into overdrive. Now, looking at the same views from the same place, he has the satisfaction of knowing that dreams can come true if you work hard enough on them. “For me it is a labour of love,” he says, “and in spite of the hard work involved, it’s a real pleasure to see it all come together.”
The boutique development is situated 365 metres above the Marbella coastline, where each villa, although built to a style that maintains unity of design throughout, is quite different. Generous space all around and strategic use of existing landscape ensures complete privacy for each villa, while also allowing for uninterrupted views to the sea over infinity pools from almost every room.
Winning “Best Residential Development in the World” is also a win for the entire property industry in Southern Spain, because such an award reflects a level of excellence unusual in Europe as a whole, and pushes this southwestern corner of the continent closer to the forefront of world residential architecture and design.
It reminds us that precious jewels come in small packages, and we refer not only to BRIGHT Marbella, but to the astonishing development they have created in Vista Lago.
Vista Lago Residences
Architecture by UDesign and González & Jacobsen
Interior Design by UDesign
Developed by BRIGHT.
For more information on Vista Lago visit our information page or contact the Sales Team on (+34) 682 105 002 or email: info@by-bright.com
