Hospitality Design - November 2020 - 52

rethinking wellbeing lago maggiore
By Will Speros
Renderings by Mir and courtesy of Oppenheim Architecture

modern village
An Alpine hideaway aims to
transform a community

Ticino, an alpine locale in southern Switzerland, is at the convergence of
Mediterranean climate and Italian culture. This eclectic fusion is evident
even in the architecture, with a regional vernacular that handsomely
complements Ticino's idyllic landscapes and diverse ecologies. For the
forthcoming resort and development Lago Maggiore Retreat, Oppenheim
Architecture aims to enhance this harmony.
"We studied the region and we wanted to make this fit," Chad
Oppenheim, founder of his Miami-based eponymous firm (with offices
in Basel and New York), says of the project. "It was not about fitting a
building but crafting a village and breaking down this scale to the scale
you would have in the ancient-type architecture that existed."
The Lago Maggiore Retreat will comprise three sites: an existing
village that finds a new urban context through artisanal shops, a
botanical garden, and a hamlet of rustic structures nestled into a
chestnut forest that reinterprets a Ticinese hill town nearly 4,000 feet

above Lake Maggiore. Spanning all of these components, the resort
will be home to 108 private residences, as well as a 61-room wellnessfocused boutique hotel. Locally sourced stone, infusing the property
with a humble elegance thanks to its imperfect beauty, will be a key
component of the material palette. Aged wood, along with the stucco
and granite that will line the botanical garden, will also be employed
to add texture.
While the retreat is slated to total more than 130,000 square
feet, Oppenheim Architecture-in collaboration with the Locarno,
Switzerland, architecture studio Aldo Cacchioli-will ensure
minimal environmental impact and define the project with simple
geometries and restrained palettes. "To create a large-scale building
here would really disrupt the special things that make this setting so
lovely," Oppenheim says. As concerns related to COVID-19 remain
top of mind for travelers, Oppenheim also posits that the project's
emphasis on Old World design principles will naturally support
social distancing: "We like to rely more on sensitivities and ancient
thinking than purely technologically driven solutions."
The pandemic may now complicate the development timeline,
but "the sense of the real" is what Oppenheim believes will draw
travelers upon completion. "Hospitality is about sharing the culture
holistically: architecture, art, craft furniture, food," he says. "What is
it that's unique? We search for and try to capture this." hd

The Lago Maggiore Retreat, carefully woven
into the landscape, embraces environmentally
sensitive ancient-style architecture

052

November 2020 hospitalitydesign.com
http://www.hospitalitydesign.com
Hospitality Design - November 2020

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Hospitality Design - November 2020
