The Bjarke Ingels Group (BIG) always puts an interesting spin on its projects – take the Lego House and pyramid-shaped Via 57 West, for example. Such is the case with the firm's recently-unveiled Audemars Piguet Hôtel des Horlogers, which will enable guests to ski down from its roof to the ground via a sloping zigzagging path.
The Hôtel des Horlogers was commissioned by Swiss luxury watchmaker Audemars Piguet and also involves local firm Cche Architecture. Once built, it will measure a total floorspace of 7,000 sq m (75,300 sq ft) and include two restaurants, a bar, a spa, and a conference center.
The building will have a stepped form to blend into the hillside plot and a long zigzagging path will reach all the way from roof to ground. While renders show it covered in grass in summer, during winter months the terraces will be covered with snow and guests will be able to ski down directly from their hotel rooms to access nearby ski trails.
"The hotel seamlessly rises from the surrounding landscape and gently unfolds onto the site," says BIG. "Interweaving the building with the topography, the community and public sphere become instantly engaged. The terrain fluidly becomes the roof, inviting guests to descend in skis towards the slopes of Vallée de Joux."
The Hôtel des Horlogers is currently under construction and due to be completed in 2020. It will be located next to Audemars Piguet's upcoming museum, which is also designed by BIG in collaboration with Cche Architecture and will feature a spiraling form part-buried underground.
Source: BIG