The Bürgenstock Hotel is a feel-good place in many respects because it offers fantastic views, fresh air and is located in spectacular surroundings. As early as the end of the 19th century, the ridge high above Lake Lucerne became a popular destination for day trips and as a place of recreation. In the 1950s and 1960s, the summit even gained the reputation of being the Saint Tropez of the mountains with Audrey Hepburn, Sophia Loren, Jimmy Carter, Konrad Adenauer, to name but a few, in the long list of celebrities who flocked there. It remains to be seen whether some of the past glory can be revived, but some things haven’t changed and the Bürgenstock resort with several hotels and sports facilities is now based here. The Waldhotel has been a special addition to the resort since the end of 2017. With its gabion facade, wooden pergolas and living roofs, Milan architect Matteo Thun’s terraced new build blends in well with its alpine surroundings.
The superior ecological standards of the Milan-based architects’ buildings match the innovative usage concept, with Waldhotel Health & Medical Excellence integrating professional health services in a five-star hotel.
In addition to 160 hotel rooms and suites, a restaurant with seasonal cuisine, a bar, library and four conference rooms, the hotel offers a health and medical centre on floor space of over 4,000 sq m. The portfolio is both specialised and varied, ranging from conventional medicine to natural therapies and is rounded off by wellness facilities such as a spa and fitness area.
The Waldhotel’s health centre was planned and furnished by interior designers Simon Regli and René Freivogel, owners of Identi AG from St Gallen. Some 52 workspaces have been created for treatment purposes, management, meetings and conferencing. One of the challenges was to make the area stand apart in order to single it out as an outpatient health centre while allowing it to blend in harmoniously with the rest of the hotel’s design. Which is why both designers chose an aesthetic language that rejects a sterile hospital atmosphere in favour of a home-like appeal for the architecture.
Last but not least, the furniture played a prominent role. The interior designers opted for the two Wilkhahn Occo multipurpose chair ranges from Jehs+Laub and the Neos office chair from wiege. “It was important to us for the high quality of the property and the rest of the office furniture to be reflected in the seating,” explains René Freivogel. “With its fresh, nuanced design, Occo’s impressive and also meets the hygiene requirements of the medical sector thanks to its polypropylene shell.” Neos also blends in well with the rest of the interior. The Swiss designers praised the fact that the chair offered all the functions and comfort required. The health centre’s design is exceptional due to its attractive mix of a professional and home-like appeal where first-class services and well-being are combined.
Click here to find out more about the interior designer’s architecture concept.
Click here to find out more about the project architects Matteo Thun & Partners.
Click here to find out more about office furniture ranges and planning by Identi AG.
Click here for more about the Occo chair range (design: Jehs+Laub
Click here for more about Wilkhahn’s design classic Neos (design: wiege).