St. Moritz, a resort town in the eastern part of Switzerland, is a seasoned host of sporting events. In 1928, more than 40,000 spectators and athletes descended on St. Moritz to attend the second Olympic Winter Games, and two decades later, in January and February of 1948, the resort once again hosted the games, by that time in its fifth iteration and the first since the end of World War II.
Today, a relic used in both of those games reopens after a renovation by London-based firm Foster + Partners. Drawing on local woodcraft techniques, the firm created a new events pavilion featuring a canopy structure that provides wind-cover and shelter from the elements. Meanwhile, the 1905 building has been renovated to include an exhibition space and restaurant operated by the Kulm Hotel St. Moritz.
"The restoration of the old eispavillon and the new extension seek to re-establish Kulm Park as the social focus of this part of the town, providing a new destination for visitors and residents of the Engadin valley alike," said the firm's chairman and founder Norman Foster, Hon. FAIA, in a press release. After falling into what the firm describes as "a state of extreme disrepair," the renovated and expanded pavilion will host the FIS Alpine World Ski Championships' medal ceremonies when the event is held in St. Moritz next month.
The Kulm Eispavillon joins two other Foster projects in St. Moritz. The firm completed the bean-shaped multifamily building Chesa Futura in 2004, and the Murezzan—a renovation of two early 20th-century buildings combined with a new apartment building—was finished in 2007.
Visit ARCHITECT's Project Gallery for more information and images about the Kulm Eispavillon.
