herzog & de meuron's summit building in switzerland contains a mountaintop restaurant

herzog & de meuron’s summit building in switzerland contains a mountaintop restaurant
all images courtesy of chäserrugg

owing to its unspoiled nature and picturesque topography, the historical swiss region of toggenburg has long been a tourist destination of choice for residents of nearby zurich, st gallen and lake constance. as the easternmost of churfirsten’s ‘seven peaks’, the chäserrugg mountain offers a welcoming plateau at 2,262 meters above sea level. here, acclaimed architectural studio herzog & de meuron has completed a summit building, which contains a restaurant serving fresh, authentic cuisine.

the building is located 2,262 meters above sea level

commissioned by toggenburg bergbahnen, an integrated tourism company, the scheme has been designed to reduce the area’s commercial dependance on weather, increase business during summer months, and broaden options for tourists throughout the already profitable winter. consequently, a sustainable landscape strategy was employed with the structure’s form absorbing the language of the region’s vernacular wooden architecture, while simultaneously respecting the site’s impressive surroundings.

a cantilevered terrace adjoins the building’s restaurant

set back from the actual summit, the building is accessed via cable-car and, in addition to the restaurant and its adjoining terrace, contains a hall available for concerts and other cultural events. designed to accommodate up to 500 guests, an upper storey offers space for seminars, meetings and private functions. the cable-car was also used extensively during the project’s construction, with 1,200 trips bringing 3,600 tons of material to the mountain’s summit. the building stands as a signal of the region’s intent to develop a clean, natural and culture-based tourism with further projects currently in development.

the structure’s form absorbs the language of the region’s vernacular wooden architecture

set back from the actual summit, the building is accessed via cable-car

project info:

herzog & de meuron project team:
partners: jacques herzog, pierre de meuron, christine binswanger (partner in charge)
project team: michael fischer (associate, project director), bergstation (mountain station): beatus kopp, hendrik steinigeweg (project managers), konzeptstudie (concept study): salomé gutscher (project architect)
roman aebi (workshop), michael bär (associate), frederik bo bojesen, leif buchmann, yannick claessens, santiago espitia-berndt, alexander franz, alen guberinic, justin hui, maria krasteva, victor lefebvre (workshop), severin odermatt, philipp schaefle, kaspar stöbe, christoph wassmann, freya winkelmann