The Monocle Minute

It’s funny how winter can sneak up on you. It doesn’t feel so long ago that our Italian colleagues were returning from Ferragosto but, all of a sudden, Monocle’s December/January issue is on newsstands. It seems like only yesterday that I was taking a late-season dip in Lake Zürich, where ice skating is now more probable than swimming backstroke. And while the cold conditions can make people grumpy, extremes can also bring out the best in human creativity.

A case in point is Snowbird Ski Resort, a 1971 gem of modernist architecture high in Utah’s Wasatch Range of the Rocky Mountains (and which features in Monocle’s December/January issue). It’s built on terrain that’s so steep and avalanche-prone that it was long considered unfit for human habitation. That was until some thrill-seekers banded together and commissioned a group of architects, led by Jack Smith, to build them a base that would allow them to make the most of Utah’s world-class powder and vertiginous terrain. Constrained by a topography that left little room for conventional buildings, Smith created structures that fit into the terrain rather than fighting against it. The results are taller than typical ski-resort architecture and constructed to withstand avalanches with concrete forms that appear to erupt from nature.

But working at extremes doesn’t always have to mean finding ways to survive in subzero temperatures. Sometimes it’s a matter of having the resilience to thrive in what others might consider to be dying industries. On Monocle’s culture pages, for example, there’s a New Yorker trying to upend Spotify’s app-based dominance of the music industry and a Haarlem factory that refused to give up on record pressing even when vinyl fell out of fashion. Meanwhile, in a time of self-check-ins and app-based recommendations, we have launched our new travel section, The Concierge, which is on hand to provide travel recommendations for Paris and beyond.

So, next time you grumble about extremes – whether weather-based or otherwise – just think of the creativity that the conditions might be inspiring. Or, if you’re not convinced, book yourself a stay at Snowbird and see for yourself.

Nic Monisse is Monocle’s design editor. For more reasons to be excited about winter, pick up a copy of Monocle’sDecember/January issue, which is on newsstands now.

Massy-based supermarket company Carrefour has narrowly avoided a diplomatic row after its CEO, Alexandre Bompard, rowed back on comments suggesting the chain would stop selling beef from parts of South America. With French farmers protesting a free-trade agreement between the EU and the Mercosur regional bloc, which includes Brazil, Bompard sought to position Carrefour as a champion of French fare.

But Brazil is Carrefour’s largest foreign market. In response to the comments, Brazilian meat suppliers halted deliveries to Carrefour’s outposts in the country until Bompard subsequently retracted his statement and issued a public apology. “Domestic pressure for French companies such as Carrefour to take sides shouldn’t distract them from the fact that they are part of a global market,” says Simon Bouvier, Monocle’s Paris bureau chief. “They have customers who are relying on them everywhere in the world.”

After a summer of record cancellations and delays, British Airways is seeking to reassert its premium credentials with its new First Class seats, developed in collaboration with UK design firm Tangerine. Unveiled earlier this week, it features a roomy two-metre-long, 93cm-wide seats that can be folded out into a flatbed. Sweeping, curved walls cocoon passengers, giving them privacy while subtly evoking the glamour of the Concorde’s wings. The privacy divider between the middle seats slides open, allowing two people to dine together – if they’re not engrossed in a film playing on the 32-inch (81cm) 4K screen.

“First Class isn’t about the biggest seat, longest bed or best materials,” Daniel Flashman, Tangerine’s creative director, tells The Monocle Minute. “It’s about making the experience truly special. We created a design that would form the perfect backdrop to an impeccable service.” Almost 30 years ago, the UK flag carrier pioneered flat First Class seats. The airline is hoping that this new design, set to be introduced in 2026 on its Airbus A380 fleet, will help it to maintain its competitive edge on its flagship transatlantic routes.

This week’s picture was taken in October for Monocle’s bumper December/January issue. The streets of Tarragona were teeming with thousands of Catalans of all ages, many of whom were there to build towers out of themselves that can reach up to 10 people high. Photographer Julia Sellmann got in on the balancing act at the 29th gathering of castells to capture the beauty of Catalonia’s human towers.

We speak to Thomas Woltz of Nelson Byrd Woltz Landscape Architects, whose new monograph, The Land is Full, explains why all land comes with deep history and cultural ties. Then we inspire young urbanists with the author of an architecturally themed colouring book and assess how Singapore will combat loneliness in its rapidly ageing population.