Switzerland’s Chäserrug Gipfel restaurant gets a new look

Published by
Ashley Tucker
January 11, 2016

The new station on the Chäserrugg – the easternmost peak of the seven Churfirsten Massif in eastern Switzerland – has undergone a transformation by Architecture firm Herzog & de Meuron, with a new structure in solid wood home to the Chäserrug Gipfel restaurant. 

The restaurant has stood at the peak of Churfirsten Massif (7420 feet/ 2262 meter above sea level) since 1972. Embracing the design of the new wood-clad facade, the design team lead by Christine Binswanger, Senior Partner at Herzog & de Meuron, chose Konstantin Grcic’s B Chair by BD Barcelona Design – a stackable wooden chair that the restaurant could move, stack and store away easily.

Story continues below advertisement

“We used wood in order to develop a language and materiality that suits the Toggenburg region, but without resorting to the usual Alpine clichés,” says Christine Binswanger, Senior Partner. “The project was executed by craftspeople from the valley. Because local companies were involved, those working on the project were committed heart and soul. It was possible to make sustainable use of resources.”

The B chair – a wooden chair with pieces of aluminium in its structure – has legs are X-shaped with a seat that folds allowing for horizontal stacking.

BD Barcelona Design
bdbarcelona.com

Story continues below advertisement

Herzog & de Meuron
herzogdemeuron.com

Story continues below advertisement