In what will either prove to be a successful sale or a very awkward, unwanted gift, Spanish architect Luis de Garrido—who has previously designed homes for stars like Naomi Campbell—has released designs of a massive soccer-inspired mansion made for FC Barcelona star Lionel Messi. While Messi's involvement in the project is unclear—some news sources report that he's approved going forward with building, while others vehemently deny it—the design shows a house clearly crafted with Messi in mind, right down to his jersey number, which is to be etched into the astro-turfed roof.
The proposed home sits on a giant, rectangular piece of property outside Barcelona and has a hexagon-shaped center. The rest of the home is separated by six walls that shoot out from the center and connect via wraparound wooden porches. It definitely sounds like an overly complicated plan, but an aerial view helps to explain the wacky layout, for from above the place looks just like—no surprises here—a soccer ball. Surrounding the two-story home is a large plot of land—for scrimmages and the like—on one side and what looks like the either the world's largest pool, or a small lake, on the other.
Dezeen reports that the soccer-centric home is just one of a 33-part project called BIP VIP (33 Architectural Birthday Presents for Very Important People). Spearheaded by de Garrido, himself, the endeavor proposes eco-friendly estates for celebrities like Angelina Jolie, Barack Obama, and Lady Gaga, just to name a few. Messi, who recently appeared in court due to tax fraud charges, might not be a feasible owner of the pad, but another notable soccer-loving, eco-crusader certainly comes to mind as a perspective buyer.
· A top architect wants to build this soccer-ball mansion in homage to Lionel Messi [Quartz]
· Luis de Garrido designs football-shaped eco-mansion for Lionel Messi [Dezeen]
· 33 architectural birthday presents for VIP [M.A.S]