CHECKLIST

Hotel & Restaurant

Ifen Hotel

The reprise of renowned Alpine architecture

Construction site board

Project name:

Ifen Hotel

Location:

Austria, Kleinwalsertal

Construction time/completion:

2010

Client:

Reiffeisen Holding Kleinwalsertal; Travel Charme Kleinwalsertal GmbH

Architects:

1936: Hans Kirchhoff

2005 - 2010: Prof. Hermann Kaufmann

www.hermann-kaufmann.at

Interior designer:

The original structure of the Travel Charme Ifen Hotel was an example of the architecture of the 1930s which receded against the backdrop of the lofty Alpine mountains in the Austrian province of Vorarlberg. Hans Kirchhoff, the Hanover-based architect and former builder, created a round structure situated on a precipice which offered its prominent clientele an impressive view while also serving as a subject to behold on its own. Seventy-five years later, Prof. Hermann Kaufmann created a new structure based on the original, which is linked to the tradition of the 5-Star building and the formal value, both inside and out.

The name of the luxury hotel is borrowed from the mountain range on which it sits at an elevation of 1,111 metres. The building on the Hoher Ifen quickly became an emblem of Kleinwalsertal due to its exclusive location and guests, as well as its appearance. Inspired by the original architecture, Vorarlberg-based architect Prof. Hermann Kaufmann, 2007 winner of the Global Award for Sustainable Architecture, completed the five-year renovation and new construction phase with a similarly charismatic structure.

Reduced form language with an Italian design signature

The tradition of formal restraint is also refl ected in the interior, which was designed and created by Roman designer Lorenzo Bellini. He designed parts of the furniture, lighting, and accessory accoutrements specifi cally for the hotel. Natural materials such as wood and granite, as well as warm colour tones in red, brown, beige, and grey fi ll the interior with a pleasant ambience in contrast to the imposing landscape of snow and ice visible through the panorama windows. The La Belle wash basin from Villeroy & Boch is incorporated as both a surface-mounted and drop-in unit, along with the wall-mounted toilets or bidets of the Subway series accent the bathroom accoutrements with elegant round forms.

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