Carlo Ratti Associati (CRA) and Mobility in Chain (MIC) have unveiled a new vision for the waterfront of Lugano, Switzerland, aimed at better linking the city to its glacial lake with a system of innovative public spaces. The plan addresses a current disconnection between the city and Lake Lugano by partly pedestrianising the congested waterfront and creating a dynamic road system that can be configured to have zero, one or

Architects Hesselbrand have designed the 120-room Acquarossa Spa & Hotel in the Swiss Alps with elements for sustainability and fostering a sense of community among both guests and residents of the local area. The Acquarossa is aimed at bringing people together in a social and relaxed atmosphere based on their mutual interest in wellbeing and experience-based tourism. Located in the village of Acquarossa in Ticino, Switzerland, it provides views of

After five months of construction and an investment of CHF 45m (€40m), the completely renovated Grand Hotel Quellenhof in Switzerland has opened its doors. For 150 years, the Quellenhof has served as the flagship of Europe’s wellbeing & medical health resort in Bad Ragaz. Swiss interior designer Claudio Carbone has been responsible for the redesign and the development of a new concept which is centered around the hotel’s history and

Hyatt Hotels will bring the Alila brand to Europe for the first time by putting its name to the Golf Resort La Gruyère to create the Alila La Gruyère resort, which is set to open in Switzerland in 2023. Overlooking a picturesque lake, Alila La Gruyère will offer an 85-bed hotel and wellness retreat as well as a golf course by Robert Trent Jones Jr and a range of residences.

The new headquarters of the International Olympic Committee (IOC), also known as “Olympic House”, will open to the public on 23 June – International Olympic Day. Situated in Bourget Park in Lausanne, Switzerland, the 25,000 sq m building was conceived as a metaphor for the IOC’s commitment to “transparency and openness”, and features a layered and sinuous façade. The centre's premises, which contain offices for 500 IOC employees, also comprise

The first phase of construction on the Malley Sports Center – a 10,000-capacity complex taking shape in Lausanne, Switzerland is expected to wrap in August. Designed by Swiss architecture office Pont12, the multipurpose building will serve as a venue for the 2020 Winter Youth Olympic games (YOG) and the IIHF Ice Hockey World Championships, which will be held in 2021. Leisure facilities at Malley will include three ice rinks, a

Swiss architecture studio Herzog & de Meuron have unveiled their plans to redesign the Klein Titlis, a 50-year-old mountaintop observatory station in Switzerland. The firm’s plan – dubbed Titlis 3020 – will see the current structure gain a new antenna tower and expanded gondola station in addition to an underground tunnel which will offer visitors a close-up glimpse of the glacier’s inner 'heart'. Other amenities and facilities will include an

Corippo, a 200-hundred-year-old village located in the Verzasca valley, is undergoing a transformation which could see it become the first albergo diffuso (“scattered hotel”) in Switzerland. Scattered hotels are effectively regenerated municipalities, endangered districts which get a new lease on life by becoming interactive, multi-venue destinations for travellers interested in full-scale immersion tourism. The plan to save the highland hamlet, the population of which has been diminishing exponentially for half

Bjarke Ingels Group are designing a hotel next to their forthcoming Audemars Piguet watchmaking museum in the village of Le Brassus, Switzerland. As with that subtly spiralling attraction – which is due to open in 2019 – the new project, Hotel des Horlogers, will be integrated into the topography of the landscape. Five zigzagging room slabs will expand into a gently sloping exterior path, leading directly to the museum and

Architect Claudio Carbone will oversee a complete renovation of Switzerland’s Grand Hotel Quellenhof in Bad Ragaz as part of an extensive investment programme of around 40m Swiss Francs (US$42m, €34m, £30m). Part of the Grand Resort Bad Ragaz, the five-star wellbeing and medical health resort first opened in 1869, and includes 106 suites, which have hosted film stars, statesmen and royalty. CEO Patrick Vogler said the forthcoming renovations will “complete

Bürgenstock Hotels & Resort Lake Lucerne has opened the final hotel in its portfolio, the Waldhotel Health & Medical Excellence, a medical wellness centre offering physical and mental wellbeing through a ‘Healthy by Nature’ concept. Designed by Italian architect Matteo Thun, the five-star Waldhotel features a team of multidisciplinary physicians, using cardiology, internal medicine, dermatology, orthopaedics, psychosomatics, dentists to nutrition and gastroenterology to treat and prevent health concerns. The physicians

Construction will begin next month on a new concert hall in Andermatt, Switzerland, the town chosen by the Swiss as a strategic military outpost for the Second World War, and which is now one of the country’s largest Alpine resorts. The project has been designed by London practice Studio Seilern Architects, who have just received planning permission to create a “world-class concert facility comparable to those in European capitals.” Andermatt

Aquatis, a groundbreaking new aquarium and vivarium that’s home to some 100 reptile and 10,000 fish species, is set to open its doors this weekend. The largest facility of its kind in Europe, Aquatis is located near Lake Geneva in Lausanne, Switzerland, and promises to take visitors on a journey through 20 different freshwater habitats from around the globe. Designed by architectural studio Richter Dahl Rocha, the circular building is

One of Europe’s most iconic resorts has had a soft re-opening after nine years of construction, with its Qatari owners claiming to have overseen “the project of the century.” Sophia Loren lived there, Audrey Hepburn was married in the local chapel, Charlie Chaplin was a regular visitor and Sean Connery’s James Bond dropped by in Goldfinger. Now the Bürgenstock Resort Lake Lucerne has been transformed to appeal to a new

Six Senses Hotels Resorts Spas has announced plans to open its first resort in Switzerland. Upon completion, the 47–bedroom Six Senses Crans-Montana will operate under a long-term management agreement with 1875 Finance. The resort located in the prominent ski areas of Valais, two hours from Geneva. Wellness offerings at the resort include a 22,000 square foot (2,000 square meter) spa specialising in alpine treatments, gym and fitness studio, pool and

Designers and gallerists from around the world have travelled to Basel, Switzerland for the 2017 edition of Design Miami/Basel trade fair. Collectors, curators and critics will join them for the event, in which exhibitions of twentieth and twenty-first century furniture, lighting, jewellery and modern art are showcased alongside lectures and seminars on “the global language of design.” This year 47 galleries representing 11 countries are participating from 13-18 June; unveiling

Swiss architect Peter Zumthor has presented his designs for the extension of Renzo Piano’s Fondation Beyeler in Basel. The CHF100m (US$101m, €92.2m, £78.1m) project will be constructed on the previously private land of the Iselin-Weber Park. It will see the addition of a simple service building for administration and deliveries, a transparent pavilion for events and a House for Art to display expanded collections of modern and contemporary art. The

Scheduled to open this summer, the reimagined Burgenstock Resort Hotel Lake Lucerne will feature a gargantuan spa covering 10,000sq m (107,639 sq ft). Situated on the shoulders of the Burgenburg cliff and offering views of Lake Lucerne, the Rigi and Pilatus, the new spa is among the largest and most modern in Europe. Aiming to introduce leading wellbeing facilities to provide ‘wellness without limits’ to guests, the concept has been

Swiss architect Peter Zumthor has been chosen to build the multi-million Euro extension to the Fondation Beyeler art museum in his home city Basel. An international jury composed of prominent figures from the worlds of art and design – including architects Jean Nouvel, Annabelle Selldorf and outgoing Tate director Sir Nicholas Serota – unanimously selected Zumthor to lead the project, which will add new exhibition and educational facilities to the

The iconic Swiss hotel Waldhaus Flims is undergoing a CHF40m (US$40m, €36m, £28m) renovation aimed to maintain the property’s storied heritage while enhancing the resort to a luxury alpine hotel and spa. The 150-bedroom hotel was acquired by Z Capital Partners – the same company that also recently acquired wellness hotel Carillon Miami Beach – in December, marking the group’s first international expansion. The renovation is being undertaken by Hong

Lausanne in Switzerland has unveiled plans to combine the city’s three major art and design museums into a single cultural hub, with all three institutions getting new homes as part of the landmark development. Known as Plateforme10, the three museums will sit on 22,000sq m (237,000sq ft) of repurposed industrial land next to the city’s main train station. Laid out as “an open terrace, an esplanade revealing the scope of

Jean Nouvel’s long-running bid to renovate and expand Geneva’s Museum of Art and History has received what appears to be a fatal blow after his plans were narrowly rejected in a public vote. Despite receiving planning approval and funding, the 131m CHF (US$129m, €120m, £93.4m) project to refresh Marc Camoletti’s 1910 neoclassical landmark faced a local referendum after criticism from campaigners. According to Swiss reports, 54 per cent of voters

British architecture studio Foster + Partners have been commissioned to restore a historic pavilion in Kulm Park, Switzerland so that it can be used at next year’s Ski World Championships. The two-storey Ice Pavilion, which is owned by ski and spa getaway Kulm Hotel St. Moritz, was constructed in 1905 in a traditional Swiss Art Nouveau style. Despite being listed for protection, the structure is on the verge of collapse

Plans have been unveiled by US-based Morphosis Architects for a luxury hotel next to Pritzker Prize-winner Peter Zumthor’s famous Therme Vals Spa, Switzerland. The directors of 7132 Ltd, Remo Stoffel and Pius Truffer are behind the scheme. Stoffel trumped a rival bid from Zumthor to buy the Therme Vals spa hotel from the municipality back in 2012, and he and Truffer are now keen to expand their presence in the

The Le Rosey school in Switzerland is set to open its new concert hall and centre for art and culture – designed by Bernard Tschumi Architects (BTA) – on the 2 October 2014. After a long construction process, the new venue, constructed by BTA and Swiss-based Fehlmann Architects, will cover 8,000sq m (26,246sq ft) and boasts a number of features. A rectangular auditorium sits under the circular steel dome, with