Rote Wand Gourmet Hotel, Lech-Zug (AT)
New building,
Building in existing structures,
Refurbishment,
Timber construction
Client: Rote Wand Hotelbetriebs GmbH
Location: A-6764 Lech, Zug 5
Architecture: Dietrich Untertrifaller
Construction: 2007 – 2018, ongoing modernisation and extension phases
Area: Hotel resort 5,000 m², Altes Schualhus 110 m², staff house 760 m²
Programme: Conversion, extension, refurbishment – hotel 58 rooms and suites, restaurant, indoor pool with wellness, Altes Schualhus 36 seats, staff house 29 furnished individual apartments
Photos: Angela Lamprecht, Rote Wand Gourmet Hotel_West, staff house: oa.sys. (Marcel Mayer)
Team
Helmut Brunner, Susanne Gaudl (Project management), Silvia Lau, Nina Sulger
Expansion: Susanne Gaudl, Teresa Hemmelmann, Danijela Müller-Stojanovic, Josef Piroddi, Elitsa Shishkova
Text: Gerlinde Jüttner
Partners
Statics concrete: Mader & Flatz, Bregenz
Statics timber: Merz Kley Partner, Dornbirn
Building services: Klimaplan, Hohenems; Ammann, Bregenz
Electrics: Brugger, Thüringen; Sorgo, Au
Building physics: Weithas, Lauterach
Master builder: i+R Bau GmbH, Lauterach
Striking alternative to the "Uniform Alpine style"
The Gourmet Hotel "Rote Wand" goes back to an inn next to the church, which has developed into an impressive hotel complex with six houses. We have been overseeing the regular modernisation and expansion phases since 2007. The long-term development concept is based on high-quality architecture and local craftsmanship.
Connected by a common base and the Red Corridor, the six buildings form a resort that is surprising in many respects. The Dependance and the Appartement house are also connected underground to the main building. The Dependance replaces a demolished guesthouse, and we also took this opportunity to make a correction. The cross-gabled buildings from the 1970s facing the valley above the church were replaced by longitudinal gabled buildings facing the slope on the eaves side. The gourmet restaurant "Altes Schualhus“ was added in 2015 as the last building block for the time being.
Zug, once a small hamlet with a church, schoolhouse and a few farmhouses, lies somewhat off the beaten track. In contrast to most other high Alpine tourist destinations, the village has managed to retain its rural atmosphere. This is mainly because, even during the decades of development from a farming village to a holiday resort, the buildings of the old set the standard for the new. Thanks to its dominance in the village, the "Rote Wand" hotel complex makes a significant contribution to the typical townscape and formulates a striking alternative to the widespread "Uniform Alpine style".
2009: Attractiv wellness area
The existing indoor pool in the basement was extended to create an attractive wellness and beauty area. A new outdoor pool, which can be used all year round, as well as the redesigned and enlarged restaurant on the ground floor further enhanced the hotel.
A key challenge for the underground areas was to create daylight openings. A recessed courtyard, located between the outdoor pool and House A, brings daylight into the relaxation areas and also serves as an outdoor space for the neighbouring sauna zone. The remodelling also made it possible to create a large skylight that now covers the indoor pool's lounging area as a glass roof.
2015: Old Schoolhouse becomes a gourmet restaurant
The former, almost 250-year-old village schoolhousestood empty for a long time before the gastronomic concept of Joschi Walch, owner of the "Rote Wand" hotel, won over the municipality. After just four months of construction, the "Alte Schualhus" opened in July 2015.
The new, contemporary function gives the " Alte Schualhus" back the most important asset for the survival of historic houses: a vital everyday use for the next generation.
The gastronomic use required numerous conversions and installations. In order to connect the building to the underground network of pathways and thus to the sanitary facilities of the main building, a basement was added. The historical construction was freed from later additions and the original knitted structure is now visible again.
The box-type windows, interior panelling and wooden shingle roof were handcrafted from old wood according to historical models. Dilapidated parts such as the roof truss had to be replaced. The two newly erected wooden exterior walls accommodate the necessary building services installations.
The gourmet restaurant with Chef's Table is located on the upper floor, the snack bar on the ground floor.
2018: Cube Rooms
The Appartement house has been extended with 12 cube rooms. Like a wooden cube inserted into the room, the bedroom offers a view of the famous Madloch.
Family Lodges
The 60 m² Family Lodges in the Appartement house with two bedrooms, a cosy living area and the large balcony ensure a spacious living experience.
2020: New Spatial concept
We have turned the spatial concept from 2007 on its head: The entrance and reception were relocated, the bar and lounge swapped with the dining room, the terrace extended - only the old parlours remained in the same place. These measures have given the hotel a completely new look. The reception, shop, bar and lounge now form the lively, communicative heart of the complex, while the dining rooms have become more intimate, individual and cosy.
2022: Friends and Fools Lounge
The ski cellar with sports shop and bar made way for the Friends and Fools Lounge and the Culinary Lab. In return, the children's playroom and beauty area were relocated. These changes also give the hotel a new boost, making it more multi-faceted.
The lounge is a meeting place – best characterised by the long table that seats 24 people. This is where catering concepts are tried out and interesting chefs are invited to share their experiences.
2022 also saw the construction of the large underground car park under the avalanche slope in the west. All internal and external vehicles can be parked here. The underground car park not only creates more outdoor space for guests, but also valuable areas for growing vegetables and herbs as well as inviting meeting places for the villagers.
The employees also live comfortably
The elongated, shingle-clad structure with a pitched roof is orientated towards the architectural style of the hotel complex and the local landscape - a symbol, as it were, of the employees' attachment to the "Rote Wand" and Lech-Zug.
The staff house offers 29 small, furnished individual flats with their own bathroom, which are accessed via a space-saving pergola. Lots of glass ensures brightness and conveys a spacious feeling despite the compact layout.
