Sited at the edge of a forest overlooking vineyards to the east and south, this 100-room destination hotel, spa and wine center in Alsace has views of Switzerland and Germany in the distance. The red cliff from the former stone quarry on the site provides a unique background for the building, while an ancient road crosses the site coming from the historical Marbach Abbey, which was once part of the pilgrim path to Santiago de Compostela.
The concept of Arborescent Structures – a morphology of tree-like branching – gives a unique order and space to this building as it gently merges with the landscape’s slope. The concrete frame structure is sheathed in blackened wood siding which merges with the dark greens of the forest and landscape.
Like a flower branching from this wooden tree, the event center pavilion is covered in red weathered steel, similar to the local stone cliff, with colored glass in different shades of red. This pavilion has a wine gallery at its base with a direct connection to the hotel restaurant. On the level above, connected to the lobby, is a gathering space for concerts, weddings, and special events. The flower-like pavilion can also be a place of silence and reflection, connecting to the site history with the adjacent monastery and abbey.
Steven Holl (design architect, principal)
Noah Yaffe (partner in charge)
Ruoyu Wei, Chris McVoy, Marcus Carter, Runar Halldorsson, Fiorenza Matteoni, Gabriela Pinto, Clare Smith, Ebbie Wisecarver, Human Tieliu Wu, Dominki Sigg, Magdalena Naydekova (project team)
Christiane Deptolla (project architect)
