Situated in the Swiss Alps, Six Senses Crans-Montana is inscribed in the site as a powerful, tectonic structure. The hotel accommodation and facilities are grouped together in the central 6-storey core structure which forms an elevated platform with two chalet-inspired residential buildings above. This platform provides panoramic views of the mountains from the bar, the outdoor swimming pool and lounge areas fitted out with log fires and a film projection station. The interiors of this alpine retreat have been designed to incite relaxation and revive the senses through an enveloping and cocooning experience in which the mountain views are given primary place.

The project is based on the concept of dark to light, of gradually revealing what is hidden as a sensory architectural experience inspired by the surrounding environment. Like a rock emerging from the mountainside, the hotel extends outwards, reaching up towards the light. This concept has been applied to the journey that every guest embarks on from the moment they arrive at the underground entrance modelled on a mineral grotto. The interiors are based on a refined elegance using natural and local materials such as leather, wood, and stone that reflect and dialogue with the surrounding nature.

The first experience visitors have of the project is the entry tunnel leading you into the drop off space. This vast space is lined in stone, with a rhythm of linear lights around. It is like a contemporary expression of the grotto. For the rooms and suites, we wanted to create a sense of ‘coming in from the cold’, while in direct contact with surrounding nature. The accommodations are lined in rough timber planks and stone-coloured wall render. The windows run the full width, with vast private balconies, taking in the views onto the ski slopes, forest and valley.

The indoor pool was thought-out as a mountain cave pool. The stone lined walls and floors are juxtaposed to the sculptured ceiling in wood. The reflection of the timber ceiling battens - 14 000 of them - in the water creates a play of light with the sunlight filtering through the exterior courtyard lined in birch trees. The treatment rooms, which we imagined as mountain cabins in the woods, are organised around the Alpine Garden, putting them in direct contact with nature outside.

We decided to ‘insert’ a giant garden at the heart of the building. It is a vast space, fully landscaped with native trees and plants. It is framed by a steel superstructure that defines it as part of the architecture. The space is also used as an external circulation route, with its suspended wooden walkway, reminiscent of the locally found ‘bisse’, a traditional system of paths and wooden structures found in the mountains, used to irrigate the fields below.

Between the two chalet structures, the terrace is organised around the main outdoor swimming pool.
The space opens towards the east and the forest.