Smart Ski Resort Magazine (English) After Ski Season 2014/2015 | Page 11

Designed to reflect its alpine setting, this hotel project would be the tallest tower in Europe. The project’s name, La Femme de Vals or Woman of Vals, is a reference to the Woman of Venice, the seemingly infinitely tall figure sculpted by Alberto Giacometti.

Swiss developer Remo Stoffel has dreams of a luxury hotel that blends in with the sky and recently announced his project to overhaul the existing hotel and spa, which he owns, with a view to further develop tourism in Grisons. To the west of Davos and Saint-Moritz, Vals portrays its own idea of luxury, based on discretion, authenticity, quality and exclusivity. Stoffel, a native of the village, is set on respecting and preserving the area yet aims to revolutionise mountain accommodation. He plans to build the highest, thinnest hotel in the world and make it one of the five most luxurious on the planet.

A vertiginous architectural project

The designer of the unconventional building is Thom Mayne, of the New York office Morphosis, who won the Pritzker prize in 2015 and is somewhat of an enfant terrible in architectural circles. His project is an incarnation of Stoffel’s desire for modernity. The unique, powerful design forms a long line against the mountain side, forever striving to reach the sky. The 381-metre high tower would house 107 rooms, some of which would take up a whole floor and a wealth of reception rooms and areas as become a five-star hotel. The project is scheduled to see the day in 2019.