The Riders Palace in Laax, Switzerland designed by René Meierhofer is a fabulous integration of urban sophistication into the Alpine environs. The facade is made up of a delicate gridwork of local larch wood panels and reflective glass. From afar, the glass reflects the surrounding mountainscape creating the illusion that the wood panels are floating in space. The integration of the outdoor views subtly and successfully affects your understanding of the structure's footprint and mass, creating an illusion of a building that is truly one with its surroundings. While the backdrop is highly important and affects your experience at the exterior, the interior is also affected by the amazing vistas, drawing your view outward while still maintaining an intimate interior experience. I'd love the opportunity to visit this project and experience it in person...I'd also love the opportunity to take a look at the working drawings for this project. The facade is very simple in appearance, but is likely much more complex to construct. The different combinations of glass and wood likely create a myriad of details, and yet all of the connections are identical in appearance. It makes me wonder if the panels are pre-fabricated. If so, perhaps there are even more infill options for the panels. Again, I'd love to learn more about the facade's construction, so please feel free to send information.
All in all, another wonderful Swiss project.
