WALDHOTEL HEALTH & MEDICAL EXCELLENCE
Right on the inner side of the Bürgenstock mountain, the Waldhotel Health & Medical Excellence by Matteo Thun & Partners steps gently down the slope.
Thanks to its terrace structure and the green, naturally insulated flat roofs, the Waldhotel blends perfectly into the landscape. Waldhotel is an innovative hotel concept that extends the theme of sustainability and health to hospitality as a complex of highly qualified medical care and rehabilitation treatments, accompanied by exceptional sport and wellness facilities, in a setting of unspoiled nature, quite unlike anything experienced at traditional hospitals.
Inspired by the Walser architecture and alpine building tradition, facades are shaped with gabion baskets, filled with stones recovered from the excavation of the Bürgenberg, continuing the walls of the slope.
Transport could also be extremely minimized by using local larch wood for the external structure providing a pergola system for rooms’ balconies - working as brise-soleil and protecting from all atmospheric agents. Swimming pools and irrigation systems can count on the lake water as alternative source of energy.
The 9-stories 25.000 sqm “Three Zero” complex, with its 160 rooms and suites, ranging from 42 to 150 sqm, identify an interior with natural materials, organic shapes and warm colours. Floor-to-ceiling windows and inviting terraces melt interiors and exteriors. Herb gardens on different floors and manifold elements visualizing herbs and botanic objects highlight the preeminent theme of healthy living in all rooms and suites, the Verbena restaurant and it’s Bar, the Private Dinings, the two lobbies and the generous Spa.
More than 4.200 sqm are dedicated to specialized medical disciplines, diagnostics, ophthalmology, dental surgery, alternative Chinese medicine, physical therapy, psychology, weight-management, SPA activities and wellness programs. Every floor guarantees medical treatment-rooms and outside terraces.
Enjoying nature was the point of departure. It’s all about the forest, the air, the mountain. It’s about health. The consistently concept of healthy living turns low season into high season. The architecture, in harmony with the Genius Loci, supports the cure and tries to accompany the healing process in an optimal way, providing physical and mental well-being, allowing a relationship between the guest and the environment.
Photo credits: Matteo Thun & Partner