pool Architektur

Description

A landslide in spring 2025 fundamentally changed the Lötschental valley. Alongside residential and infrastructure buildings, large parts of the hospitality sector were affected, with around two thirds of the hotel beds lost. Already by summer, the decision was made to construct a temporary replacement building. Opposite the Lauchernalp mountain station, a three-storey hotel in timber modular construction set at around 2,000 metres above sea level was completed by the end of 2025 within only three months and opened the same year. The short construction period was made possible by a high degree of prefabrication: floor and wall elements as well as fully fitted bathroom modules were manufactured off-site and assembled on site. Access is provided via a sun terrace that organises circulation and leads directly to the ski and bike room. From there, the space opens into a lounge with integrated reception and common area. The hotel comprises 19 rooms for up to 64 guests, mainly arranged on the upper floors and oriented towards the valley. Each unit includes a bathroom, built-in furniture and foldaway beds for flexible use. Balconies extend the rooms with sheltered outdoor spaces and shape the southeast façade. Materiality and colour are rooted in the region. Traditional wool blankets from the Lötschental formed the basis for the colour concept. This led to a custom-made blanket that reinterprets traditional motifs in a contemporary way and adds a warm, textile layer to the timber structure.