Peaks Place - E

LOCATION/HISTORY

The well-known Graubünden tourist resort Laax is located on a sun terrace high above the Rhine gorge. In winter, there is fun on the pistes in the huge «LAAX» ski area and, in summer, Flims-Laax-Falera is considered the ideal starting point for excursions into the great outdoors.

Peaks Place apartment hotel was built on the outskirts of the Murschetg hamlet in Laax. HRS Investment AG purchased the 12,108 m2 site; HRS Real Estate AG developed and implemented Peaks Place as general contractor.

Peaks Place is in an excellent location. The valley station of the mountain railways can be reached in a few minutes on foot or with the hotel’s own shuttle bus.

Only 24 kilometres from Chur, access by both private and public transport to the apartment hotel is exceptionally easy. The entrance to the underground car park is only a few metres from the main road. There is also a bus stop nearby. Behind the building, an idyllic hiking trail runs along the edge of the forest.

CONCEPT

Peaks Place consists of eight interconnected apartment buildings with a total of 102 apartments comprising 1 ½ to 5 ½ rooms. Guests enjoy the individuality of a holiday apartment with all the amenities of a 4-star hotel. Peaks Place offers 28 first or second homes. The other 74 are managed apartments. Beyond the owners’ occupancy the Weisse Arena Group handles the letting of the managed apartments.

All apartments benefit from the extensive infrastructure at Peaks Place. This includes an 850 m2 spa area with a wide range of fitness and wellness facilities, a lobby with a 24-hour reception desk, a smokers’ lounge, two modern conference rooms, «Peaks Bar» and the restaurant «The Peaks da Manuel Reichenbach». Award-winning Gault-Millau chef Manuel Reichenbach’s gourmet temple of is also open to external guests.

ARCHITECTURE

The new building boasts expressive architecture. The long, terraced building blends harmoniously into the landscape in a pleasantly modern habitus with an alpine character.

The apartments are southwest-facing and each has a large balcony with a beautiful view of the Lag Isla reservoir and the imposing Crap Sogn Gion peak. The hotel complex, including the reception, restaurant and spa area, is located to the west of the linear development containing the apartment buildings. The underground parking spaces are underneath.

The new building consists of a massive, concrete, load-bearing structure; the interior walls are made of non-load-bearing masonry. In the residential areas, compact facades and wood/metal windows characterise the exterior appearance, while in the public area the facades are fitted with aluminium windows and natural stone slabs. The bituminous flat roofs in the residential area are extensively greened and the bituminous flat roofs in the residential area have grass planted throughout, while abundant greenery sprouts on the roofs of the wellness facility and the conference rooms.

INTERIOR ARCHITECTURE

In the area of interior design, great importance was attached to high standards and beautiful aesthetics: light, colours, surfaces and materials form a harmonious interplay and create a feeling of closeness to nature. The apartments are dedicated to the devoted to mountains, valleys and meadows and are designed and fitted accordingly. Furniture and accessories were individually selected to match the theme. In the case of the parquet, bathroom and kitchen furnishings, additional gradations in light, medium and dark were created. For the artistic decoration of the apartments, retro motifs featuring mountains, snow and sports were selected and printed on wood.

The interior designers were also inspired by nature when designing the bar. The differently coloured mirrors at the bar symbolise mountain peaks. The lobby of the apartment hotel features a ceiling of wooden lamellae, combined with quarry stone on the fireplace wall and San Bernardino granite on the floor.

The restaurant «The Peaks da Manuel Reichenbach» uses the interior design language of Peaks Place, but nevertheless stands out clearly from the other areas. The two concrete pillars in the 180 m2 restaurant are surrounded by additional wooden pillars that give the effect of a forest with the slatted wooden ceiling.

OUTSIDE FACILITIES

The exterior of Peaks Place blends smoothly into the alpine environment and follows the architectural style. The hedgerows and extensive planting areas on the roof are arched. Mixed perennial plants, flower meadows and various indigenous shrubs give the surroundings a natural and representative character. For the maintenance of the extensive meadow areas, the site has been designed in such a way that simple management is possible.

SPECIAL FEATURES

The steep terrain presented a particular challenge for the general contractor. From the highest to the lowest points, the difference in height is as much as 20 metres. To secure the construction site, nail walls up to 18 metres high were erected. The material depot and the construction office had to be relocated three times during the construction phase. Access from the hotel reception to the eight buildings, which are staggered in height, is provided underground via a horizontal corridor, which was installed by blasting the terrain and installing protection in the form of nail walls.

Fire protection repeatedly required the attention of the general contractor as the standards were changed between the approval and implementation stages. This resulted in major adjustments. Access for the fire service is via a track with turf pavers. To cope with the differences in height, this track climbs uphill via two hairpin bends.

ENERGY CONCEPT/SUSTAINABILITY

Peaks Place apartment hotel has controlled apartment ventilation and meets current requirements for a not required sustainable energy supply. The not required heat energy comes from our own CO2-neutral pellet heating system. A parking space has been arranged in front of the building specifically for the delivery of the pellets.