Trysil Ski Resort Norway, Norwegian Mountain Hotel, Architecture, Design, Pictures
Trysil Ski Resort, Norway : Hotel
Norwegian Mountain Accommodation Development – design by BIG Architects, Norway
7 Jan 2011
Trysil Ski Resort Norway
Architects: BIG
How do you create the perfect ski resort that merges lodging and skiing?
Based on analyses of skiers’ experiences at various ski resorts of the world, it was discovered that avoiding waste of time plays a key factor in a successful ski vacation. Vacations only last for a limited period of time and the time should not be spent on walking to and from the ski lift dragging along heavy equipment and wearing boots that make you sink into the snow. Instead the precious time should be used for the main purpose of a vacation in the mountains: skiing.
We have created a master plan for a ski resort that gives access to the pistes directly from the hotel or apartment. The organization of the streets makes it possible to ski freely through the complex. The pistes have been made steep enough for skiers to reach the lift from their apartments or rooms in the morning before ending at their doorsteps in the evening.
The pistes run straight through the foyer of the main hotel of the resort, making it possible for guests to take the elevator to the top of the roof and ski down. The design also makes it possible to take the lift directly from the hotel to the après ski bars, concluding a long day of skiing.
The Slope
The key to be able to ski or snowboard all the way to and from the hotel is creating a master plan where all roads and paths have a constant descending slope. The slope should benefit skiers as well as pedestrians and drivers.
Snowboarders are more sensitive to the inclination than skiers and require a minimum slope of 4% for moving ahead un-problematically. A covered parking area with a perpendicular parking system should have a maximum slope of 6%. By using the average of these two percentages we create a universal slope on all roads and paths of 5% that ensures optimal access for everyone.
By analyzing the terrain we have mapped a distorted grid that only gives all roads and paths a 5% slope. Thus, the Trysil Ski Resort is not the straight, but the sloping line from A to B that gives the shortest travel time. The distorted and curvy lines follow the movement of the terrain and add to the plan the romantic charm characterized by traditional old villages. The Trysil Ski Resort is a romantic mountain village where people can move freely around on foot or on skis. We suggest that the sloping terrain is used to integrate all parking in the terrain, both covered and open towards the valley.
The Ski Resort
The Ski Resort consists of 2 parts. A hotel of 17,000 m2 and individual apartments of 53,000 m2. The new design of the hotel calls for something else than being surrounded by a Klondike of chalets. Instead we have designed coherent buildings that stand out from the normal ski cabin.
To combine the wish for individuality and adventure with the need for rationality and repetition we have developed a building system that consists of 2 different apartment types that can be combined with three different roof slopes, a concave and a convex roof. The three roof slopes are designed so that they allow the snow to stay where it is needed and not fall down.
By combining the two types in different ways, a coherent mountain landscape of roofs that wave across the mountain is created. The buildings follow the pistes parallel to the valley. The buildings are lowered and elevated from 0 to 5 floors in changing rhythms so that the view from the single apartment towards the mountain is optimized. Regularly the building lets the roof reach the ground to give passage to the pistes perpendicular to the mountain.
The roof is covered with grass and will emerge as part of the mountain both summer and winter. The coherent sloping roofs with changing inclinations unite a traditional building technique with a present and dynamic language of shape.
Every apartment has a balcony facing the mountain and a terrace facing the valley. The ground floor apartments have direct access to the pistes on both sides. Nearly 80% of the apartments are shaped as single plan apartments with an open kitchen and bedrooms facing both the hill and the valley. Whereas the remaining 20% of the apartments – with a roof inclination of 30 and 45 degrees – are shaped as duplexes. They have a kitchen with a double height and living space with bedrooms and hems facing the valley. Furthermore the variation of the roof slope gives some of the rooms a special quality, in the shape of added floor-to-ceiling height, with references to traditional chalet architecture.
The Ski Resort hotel grows out of the mountain as an extension of the ski terrain. Instead of the ski experience stopping at the entrance of the hotel, it continues all the way into the foyer and on to the rooms and roof. The hotel is located on the top of the hill and functions as a gate into the resort. The hotel twists and creates two well-defined living rooms.
Shaping the Hotel
A traditional rational hotel complex is manipulated so that the roof is connected to the terrain at both ends. The complex is manipulated in plan so that both ends are connected to the pistes. The hotel becomes an artificial hilltop in the ski terrain.
The hotel defines two complementary plazas. A calm protected valley towards the south-east sun for families and children. And a festive west-side towards the afternoon sun for restaurants, after-skiing and the younger adults. The hotel is terraced towards the south-east to give every room a sunny terrace. The ground floor suites have direct access to the piste.
The ski lift passes through the west wing of the hotel and gives access to after-ski. The slope passes through the foyer and gives direct access for the skier to and from the foyer. From the foyer an elevator runs directly to the top of the roof where a red and a green piste connect to the rest of the resort. The top suites have direct access to the roof piste.
The guests sitting in the foyer by the fireplace with a drink can enjoy the rush of skiers passing by. The skier will experience skiing at high speed through a building! From the foyer there is direct access to the south-east slope.
The hotel elevator connects the foyer with all rooms and an exit on the roof. In the morning guests will be able to ski down a red or a green piste on the roof and out into the terrain, as a kick-start for the hotel guests. In the evening the children can use the green piste as an easy piste or a toboggan run.
A spa is placed in the west wing in connection to the lift and the foyer. Here the hotel guests as well as other guests can come directly from skiing or from their rooms. The spa has separate rooms for massage, changing rooms and staff on the ground floor, and coherent pool area with pools of different temperatures on the top floor under the sloping roof. From the different spa pools you will have a fantastic view of the mountains. A part of the pool continues outside as a wet balcony facing south.
Materials and architecture
The hotel roof is covered with grass as is the rest of the resort. Other materials are chosen for their organic appearance, natural textures and colors; like wood, stone, concrete, glass, textile, metal and leather.
Towards the valley both the apartments and the hotel will appear very open with terraces and big glass windows. These aspects are intended to maximize the guests’ view of the mountains and to create a glowing mountain landscape of waving roofs and the hotel on the top of the hill.
The waving grass- or snow-covered roof scenery provides an association with traditional mountain housing as well as the mountain landscape. At the same time it gives Quality Ski Resort a unique architectonic identity.
Our general philosophy is to create an interesting balance between innovation and tradition.
Ski : Trysil Ski Resort – Building Information
PROJEKT: TRYSIL SKI RESORT
KLIENT: ESTATIA
STØRRELSE: 90,000 M2
STED: TRYSIL, NO
STATUS: 2. PRÆMIE
Ski ProjektGruppe
Partner-in-Charge: Bjarke Ingels
Project Leader: Jakob Lange
Contributors: Benny Jepsen, Jakob Christensen, Jørgen Smeby, Kathrin Gimmel, Nina Soppelsa, Sara Almstrup
Trysil Ski Resort Norway images / information from BIG architects
Location: Trysil, Norway
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image from architects
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Another Mountain hotel building design:
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Comments / photos for the Trysil Ski Resort Hotel Norway Architecture page welcome