Henning Larsen and Ramboll have won the competition to design the new campus for the prestigious scientific research center, CERN. Designed to integrate science and nature, the B777 building uses biogenic materials and low-carbon methods to reimagine traditional laboratory settings. Situated on the border of France and Switzerland, in CERN’s Prévessin Campus, the scheme aims to foster a sense of community, collaboration, and well-being.
The rustic village of Vals in the Swiss Alps is one of the country’s most picturesque areas, located at an altitude of 1250 meters above sea level with numerous exceptional projects. The main square is surrounded by original Vals houses roofed with stone tiles made of Vals quartzite. Throughout the years, the village maintained its authentic residential and rural typology, making sure that its agriculture and rural fabric remained intact. Perhaps the most powerful natural resource of the Vals Valley, one that has nurtured its landscape and wilderness, is the water. For millions of years, ice and rain have forged the deeply-cut topography, and provided the village with a 30-degree thermal source, the only one in the Grisons Canton which springs straight from the ground.
One of the most notable architectures in Vals is The Thermal Spa designed by 2009 Pritzker Laureate Peter Zumthor. The secluded structure is built with local quartzite, a stone that blends the elements of water and stone to create “the perfect wellness experience”. Another iconic architecture tucked within the mountains of Vals takes advantage of the local material, structural typology, and topography, a project that leaves the original landscape intact and subtly intervenes to create a one-of-a-kind award-winning vacation home; The Villa Vals.
Peter Pichler Architecture has been invited to participate in a private competition for the design of a set of Ski Facilities in Ponte di Legno, Italy. The project includes the addition of three new cableway lines for the ski resort, each marked by an architectural intervention designed to provide shelter and dining options. The buildings also include exhibition spaces dedicated to the preservation of the cultural, natural, and historical heritage of the site.
Milan-based architecture studio Peter Pichler has designed an eco-resort to develop a new concept of hospitality in the European Alpine region. Dubbed the YOUNA Nature Resorts, the complex follows the mountain’s silhouette to offer a maximized relaxation experience. The A-shape typology allows wide opens the front facade to connect with nature while reaching high-private interiors under the same roof. The resort is the last of the studio’s series of projects in the Italian rural area, including a hotel in Maranza and a prototype of a treehouse in the forest of the Dolomites.
Foster + Partners has revealed images of InnHub La Punt, a new center for innovation in the heart of the Engadin valley, in the Swiss Alps. The 6,000-square-metre project, set for completion in 2022, is comprised of a 3-story building encompassing work and seminar spaces, sports facilities, retail shops, and a restaurant. Based on the idea of the ‘third place’, the intervention creates a space for collaboration and creativity.
The world’s longest pedestrian suspension bridge has opened to the public in Switzerland, offering adrenaline seekers unprecedented views of Europe’s most famous mountain, the Matterhorn. Spanning 494 meters (1620 feet), the Charles Kuonen Suspension Bridge cuts the 2-day travel distance between the towns of Zermatt and Grächen by nearly 3 hours. The bridge spans the country’s “deepest cut valley,” reaching a height of 85 meters (279 feet) above the ground at its highest point.
