Fürigenareal Competition

Fürigen is situated on a terrain terrace above Standsstad and is nestled between meadows, forests and the steeply rising Bürgenstock - the view of the Alpine panorama, Lake Lucerne and the distant landscape is overwhelming. In 1893, ten rooms were furnished in the farmhouse and rented out to guests during the summer months. Twenty years later, the owners built the "Hotel Fürigen", which was to have a major impact on the development of the village in the years that followed. However, due to the decline in tourism, the hotel lost its importance in the seventies and has been vacant since 2010. With a residential development reminiscent of its past, Fürigen is to be given a new future.

The confrontation with the history of the place results in a settlement of the buildings, which elegantly and fits well-balanced into the environment. Four building volumes at right angles to each other are staggered and arranged at different heights to create a field-like space. In the newly created spatial centre, a high-quality public open space is created with different impressions - and a wonderful view. The founder's house as well as the station of the Fürigenbahn, which has been part of the hotel complex since the 1930s, will be preserved as identity-giving contemporary witnesses and integrated into the ensemble of the new buildings. 

The three buildings with residential use and the restaurant pavilion, which are accessible from the centre, will be constructed as delicate concrete structures and thus form a unity in terms of design. A fine mesh of horizontal and vertical concrete elements divides the structures and makes their mass appear lighter. The recessed façade level is made of wood, has a delicate composition and contrasts with the light-coloured concrete in nuanced colours. The different depths, storeys and heights create a balanced building topography, similar to a landscape.