1st Prize, Invited Competition Crown Resort Montafon Gaschurn, Austria

Materiality and scale are the keys to the concept for the project. The hotel typology and the physical situation create a landmark which can be seen from afar and sets up a dramatic dialogue between the traditional buildings in the area, the valley and the road. The presence of the building and the respectful attitude to the topography inform the structuring and organisation of the new building. The individual elements are arranged on the site in such a way that the natural slope is fully exploited and internal and public areas efficiently separated. The arrangement of the two wooden volumes on a plinth constructed from the local stone is both a reference to the traditional building methods in the valley and an efficient response to the typology and functional needs of the hotel. Among the features of the project are the use of local materials and highly insulated timber façades, the recycling and storing of heat generated by the building, the employment of traditional building methods, the reduction of primary energy use and the use of renewable energies etc.