Cross the Season

At the beginning of the project, the focus was on how to alleviate environmental problems that are considered important in the project and creating resorts that can be used continuously in the future. So we tried to design a resort that can be used not only in winter but also throughout the four seasons. The concept of Vorsäß was introduced. We tried to use eco-friendly materials and installed an eco-friendly system.

What is a “Vorsäß”?

The term originates from the Alemannic Alpine region and refers to a settlement inhabited only in summer, consisting of simple farmhouses with stables, forming a loose settlement without the pretense of being a village. The buildings are oriented according to the topography, they do not form streets and they do not have fences. The Alps is generally run by a number of farmers as agricultural communities. The agricultural community organizes all services of alp, from alp employees to marketing of products produced. Ski resorts are also mainly used in winter.“Vorsäß” and ski resorts have something in common that they are used intensively in one season. We applied the concept of “Vorsäß” to the design.

In the same context as Vorsäß, Ski resorts are also mainly used in winter. Using the concept of Vorsäß, This concept was used and applied to the design. First of all, the buildings are oriented according to the topography, and we also install a system that produces energy for summer during the winter. It is the snow energy storage system. By using this system, we look forward to solving some environmental problems.

"the Snow Energy Storage System"

The pure snow is collected in a large holding basin. When it is full, the basin is covered with wood chips (an excellent insulating material). The cold meltwater from the snow storage area is transferred to heat exchanges in the resort through a pipe system, where it helps to cool the building on hot summer days. The water is then returned back to the snow storage area and the process repeated. As the snow and ice melts, clean meltwater is released gradually into the ground, helping to maintain the water balance in the soil.

On the first floor, you enter the resort along the road formed around the lake. The main entrance of the resort descends under the large horizontal mass, feeling the pressure of the mass. If you go down the low and long slope, you will see a lobby, where guests will check in. The art wall from the lobby to the second floor welcomes guests. Next to it is a cafe where you can wait and enjoy. You can go to the rooms and convenience facilities in the resort through the core from the lobby.

On the second floor, Like the concept of ‘Vorsäß’, various convenient facilities have been prepared for guests to enjoy even in summer. Convenience facilities for resort guests are placed on the second floor. There are lounge, yoga and meditation room, fitness, and Hot tubs,etc. The skip floor was used to connect restaurants and lounges. At the restaurant, you can enjoy your meal while looking at the scenery of Mattehorn. People enjoy staying in resorts while doing yoga, meditation, and exercise.

On the third floor, The characteristics of site with level differences are applied to the building so that you can enter the third floor from the ski resort. The route is connected inside the resort and provides a ski resort service space. First aid facility & Snowpatrol, and ski Lounge for ski resort users. This place serves as a shelter for people who come to ski to rest and go. On the 3rd and 4th floors, you can enjoy the scenery of Matterhorn in various types of rooms.

On the fourth floors, there is a small courtyard. Courtyard is created in the center of the hall of the room to attract external nature into the indoor space so that you can feel the surrounding environment throughout the resort. In addition, there is a swimming pool facility for guests, so they can enjoy swimming outdoors.

To accommodate the diverse number of people, we propose several room types. There are 32㎡, 64㎡, 72㎡, and 132.2㎡ rooms. And these rooms have single bed-rooms, double bed-rooms, triple bed-rooms and suite rooms types. The resort has a total of 42 rooms. So we satisfied almost 1500 visitors per month. Each room has various views of the snow mountain. A wooden louver was installed on the window. The wooden louver can be controlled as desired, so you can feel nature by opening it wide, and you can also protect the privacy of the guest by closing it. Concrete and wood were used together as finishing materials. Using wood that can be easily removed can help the environment.

We tried to design a ski resort that could provide environmentally sustainable skiing and vacation experiences, and we hope this will work out.