Mountain Restaurant by Herzog & de Meuron

Architects Herzog & de Meuron have created a timber-framed structure cliff restaurant perched on the top of Chäserrugg mountain, within a cable-car station of 7420 feet peak.

Architects: Herzog & de Meuron
Location: Chäserrugg, Toggenburg, Switzerland
Photography: Juergen Pollak

The new mountain restaurant is placed perpendicular to the station, extending horizontally along the mountain panorama towards the south. A large roofed area connects the two structures and creates an outdoor arrival hall.

The restaurant is a long, flexible space, its atmosphere marked by the repetitive woodwork from locally sourced spruce trees. The low-hung roof resting on closely placed columns is the dominant element of the building with a covered terrace in front. Glazed on three sides, the restaurant offers spectacular views of the scenery. Niches with built-in benches and tables occupy the fourth side of the room. Each niche has its own window and thus its own framed view of the mountainscape.