The White Sail is the name of a housing complex (luxury flats) in Odessa, with panoramic views across the Black Sea. In addition to flats and penthouses, with floor space varying from 75 m2 to 200 m2, White Sails also houses a health and fitness centre, an underground car park, outdoor sports facilities, a playground and a barbecue area.  

ASSOCIATIONS

The name of the complex, The White Sail, refers to its waterside location. From the Black Sea, the complex looms up on the horizon like an enormous sailing ship. The light colours of the façades and the billowing forms underline the associations of the name. White Sails not only conjures up nautical associations but is also reminiscent of the streamlined, undulating architecture of designers such as Luigi Moretti, who was the architect for the politically-charged Watergate Hotel complex in Washington in the 1960s, amongst other projects. The White Sail was designed by Beletage, a firm with branches in Odessa and Kiev taking commissions both within and outside Ukraine. The firm has demonstrated that it is equally at home in a great many markets and distinguishes itself through the multitude of styles in which it works, ranging from funky modern to contemporary classical. The White Sail can be described as modern and monumental. The building – ranging in height from seven to twenty floors – has a façade measuring 32,000 m2, approximately half of which is glass. The building combines a streamlined, undulating shape with extraordinarily fine detailing, resulting in The White Sail looking as if it is made from a single piece of material.