Architects: Herzog & de Meuron
Location: Unterwasser, Switzerland
Year: 2015
Timber Concepts: Timber Construction
Photo by Herzog & de Meuron
Found on the picturesque easternmost peak of the Churfirsten mountain range, a new timber restaurant was constructed as an extension to the existing cable car station. The station, found at an elevation of 2262 metres, was improved with a new timber facade to match the new construction and the restaurant is now connected by a shared sloping roof. The previous restaurant construction was a building converted from construction worker housing. The original foundation was reused and timber was utilized to follow local traditions and was transported by cable car to the top of the mountain during the normal working hours. This renewal project won the “Landscape of the year 2021” prize awarded by the Swiss Foundation for Protected Landscape which recognizes touristic infrastructure in a highly sensitive environment.
See below for a presentation by Structural Team, Blumer Lehmann, for more project details and photos
See more information at Herzog & de Meuron’s website: Website