Swiss entrepreneur
chooses US architect’s minimalist design for 381 metre structure in
Swiss Alps – 107 room luxury hotel to open in
2019
Swiss entrepreneur Remo Stoffel along with US-based architect Morphosis,
has unveiled the design for what will become the world’s tallest hotel. The
structure which is to be situated in Vals, in the Swiss Alps, is designed to
reach a height of 381
metres , which once completed in 2019, will eclipse the JW
Marriott Marquis Hotel in Dubai
which currently holds the record at 355 metres tall.
According to Stoffel, who is Chairman of Dubai-based Farnek, one of the
leading facilities management companies in the Middle East ,
the inspiration for the hotel came from Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid the Vice
President of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai.
“Due to my involvement with Farnek, I travel to Dubai on a regular basis and I am always
amazed at how quickly the city grows and what it has achieved. It is now home
to the busiest airport in the world, tallest tower, tallest hotel, the largest
shopping mall, largest man-made island, the list goes on.
“During its early development, many local, regional and international
observers, some more vocal than others, were unsure that Sheikh Mohammed’s
vision for Dubai
would ever be realised. Even if the infrastructure was put in place, how would Dubai attract enough
visitors to fill the thousands of new hotel rooms being built? Undeterred, Dubai stuck steadfastly
to its strategy and last year it welcomed around 12 million overnight visitors
and is now planning to accommodate 20 million visitors by 2020.
“That inspired me to realise my own vision, by forming 7132 Ltd,
commissioning this stunning design, which will be built in my home town of Vals
within four years,” said Stoffel.
The unveiling of the design followed an international competition
launched by 7132 Ltd (derived from the town’s Swiss postal code) last June, in
which eight of the world’s leading architectural practices contended for the
opportunity to design the hotel.
The design created by Morphosis was selected for its minimalist approach
to help the hotel blend with the mountain landscape at the existing resort campus.
The new hotel and arrival is defined by three forms: a podium linking the
building with neighboring structures; a cantilever containing a restaurant,
café, spa, and bar – public amenities shared with the town; and a tower holding
a sky bar, restaurant, and 107 guest rooms with panoramic views.
With the completion of the hotel, the 7132 resort will feature buildings
by three Pritzker Prize winning architects, including the internationally
renowned Therme Vals spa designed by Swiss architect Peter Zumthor and the
Valser Path by Japanese architect Tadao Ando, which is slated for completion in
2019.
“The transparent and slim “7132 Tower” designed by Thom Mayne of
Morphosis will create a completely new world of hospitality in Vals,” Ando
says. “I believe it will harmonize with
the beautiful landscape.”
The resort’s ongoing development is born out of the collaboration between
the complex’s long-time Executive Director Pius Truffer and 7132 Ltd founder
Remo Stoffel, both local residents who were born and raised in Vals. The group
has owned and operated the Therme Vals since 2012, when 7132 Ltd purchased the
resort from the municipality. As a local company, 7132 Ltd is committed to supporting
a thriving, carefully guided model for tourism in the valley, especially with
consideration for a growing world-wide interest in alpine tourism.
About 7132 Ltd
When the people of
Vals decided at the ballot box to sell their thermal baths and Hotel – until
then public property – to entrepreneur Remo Stoffel, they not only handed him
the town's architectural jewel, but also a high level of trust.
The construction of
Peter Zumthor’s Therme with its distinct Valser Stone facades initiated Vals’ reputation
as an architecture Mecca .
Mr. Stoffel, himself a native of Vals, is dedicated to maintaining and
cultivating this identity with regard to further developments.
After the purchase,
he renamed the enterprise 7132, after the town's post code. What an unusual
name for a hotel! 7132 is in private hands, but the area of communal
responsibility extends beyond the Therme gates. 7132 is more than a branding
stunt. It is a bold vision for Vals, proposing a new tourism model for the
Swiss Alps, away from mass tourism. We are aiming at offering a subtler and
more exclusive hotel experience. For this purpose, 7132 sought the
partnership of world-renowned architects who will help create a truly unique
tourism product. The commissioning of Morphosis, Tadao Ando and Kengo Kuma
demonstrates that Vals will continue to appeal to those with an affinity for
extraordinary architecture and design.
Mr. Stoffel has
teamed up with Pius Truffer, who has played a crucial role in putting Vals on
the map of modern architecture. Together they make up the management board of
7132. Mrs. Sonja Dietrich acts as managing director of the hotel, a position
she already held previously. Furthermore, the company employs 150 people at its
current size. It is one of the largest hotels in Switzerland .
About Morphosis
Morphosis is a
collaborative architectural practice negotiating the technological, political,
and cultural intersections of architecture, urbanism, and design. With projects
built internationally, our work traverses a broad range of typologies, scales
and contexts across the public and private sector. Drawing from iterative,
integrative methodologies and driven by research, we endeavor towards
innovative solutions that are responsive to and generate from the specificity
of each project. We challenge advanced technologies to reconfigure the
intersection of form and performance, yielding buildings and urban environments
that are iconic and sustainable. Since
its founding in 1972 by Design Director Thom Mayne, Morphosis has received 25
Progressive Architecture awards, over 100 American Institute of Architects
(AIA) awards, and numerous other honors. Morphosis buildings and projects have
been published extensively; the firm has been the subject of 25 monographs and
numerous exhibitions. We maintain offices in Los Angeles ,
New York , and Shanghai . Further information for Morphosis may be found through the firm’s
website: http://morphosis.com/