Aparthotel Melchsee

The complex seen from the lake side.

Project details

• Project Name: Aparthotel Melchsee
• Location of Site: Swiss Mountains, Kerns-Obwalden, Switzerland
• Design Team: Philip Loskant
• Project Type: Complex of Hotel and Apartments
• Client: AG Hotel Melchsee, Zug, Switzerland
• Contractor/s: AG Hotel Melchsee, Zug, Switzerland
• Site Area: 13,200 sq m
• Built-up Area: 9,900 sq m
• Cost of Construction: 25.3 Mil CHF
• Date of completion: Previsioned completion mid 2010

The complex seen from the village.

Words form the architect

The site today is occupied by a ruined historic hotel from the 1950's. The client's aim is to reanimate this -- once prestigeous -- place with a new structure.

Four polygonal volumes are based on a flat, unifying ground floor volume. The heavy, stone cladded volumes commemorate the historic type of swiss mountain hotels, but thanks to their raised, cantilevering position they seem to be dynamicaly modern at the same time.

View from an apartment with wooden window niches.

The upper volumes are cladded with a regional, natural stone, such as used in the former hotel ruine. The large glazed windows are framed by wooden boards, commemorating old wodden windows in a modern, overscaled manner.

While the ground floor is occupied by public areas, such as hotel lobby, restaurant, bar and shops, the upper volumes are solely occupied by hotel rooms and private serviced apartments.

Credits

• Text: Philip Loskant
• Photographs: Visualisations P. Loskant