Haas Fertigbau GmbH

Mountain-Top Restaurant

Mountain-Top Restaurant
© Pierre Vallet

MOUNTAIN-TOP RESTAURANT

Gbau

ARCHITECTS
Gbau

LANDSCAPE
Apu Romain Allimant Paysage

FLUIDS ENGINEERS
Cipavem

CONSTRUCTION COMPANIES
Métalleries Du Forez, Ets Blanchet, Charpente Métallique

CLIENT ASSISTANT
Mdp Ingénierie Conseil

INSPECTION OFFICE
Apave

ECONOMY
Ecogest

STRUCTURAL ENGINEERING
Batiserf

SKI LIFTS CONSULTANT
Tim

AREA
861 M²

YEAR
2014

LOCATION
Chamrousse, France

CATEGORY
Restaurant

Text description provided by architect.

With an altitude of 2,250 m, la croix de chamrousse is the highest peak of the municipality’s ski slopes.

Mountain-Top Restaurant
Courtesy of Gbau
Mountain-Top Restaurant
© Pierre Vallet

The cable car and three chairlifts that converge here and the télédiffusion de france building bristling with antennae, have deeply altered this natural site and seriously remodelled its topography.

The mountain restaurant built to meet you as you step out of the cable car, is the first stage in a project redeveloping and restoring the entire mountain cap to its natural state.

Mountain-Top Restaurant
© Pierre Vallet
Mountain-Top Restaurant
© Pierre Vallet

It involves laying a scree path, furrow or edge, which marks a lasso-shaped boundary between the congested inner side of the crest (pylons, mountain stations, ski patrol huts) and the better protected slopes.

Its design takes an encircling-edge approach and is an illusion to the imaginative world of the stronghold or tumulus.

Mountain-Top Restaurant
Courtesy of Gbau
Mountain-Top Restaurant
Courtesy of Gbau

The restaurant is a curvilinear incision in the slope that curves round to the west to escape the electric wires’ route and it is an integral part of this furrow. It is its continuation and creates continuity.

It sweeps brushing lightly, underpinning, cutting and then brushing lightly again: it starts and ends by blending and connecting with the natural terrain.on either side of this incision, the natural outline of ground is restored using scree:

Mountain-Top Restaurant
© Pierre Vallet
Mountain-Top Restaurant
© Pierre Vallet

on the roof above and on the slope downhill from the restaurant, with the exception of the restaurant terrace given a gentle horizontal slope.

Backing onto the kitchens’ back-office, the restaurant dining room extends 80 m,bending to follow the contour lines. It is intentionally narrow – 5 m on average. It creates a huge open vista with a 180° panorama from belledonne to dauphiné, including oisans. 

Mountain-Top Restaurant
© Pierre Vallet
Mountain-Top Restaurant
© Pierre Vallet

The interior of the restaurant is completely panelled from wall to ceiling in plywood panels darkened with the copper brown stain suggesting a fine noble wood at little cost. The strong contrast with the overexposure outdoors is deliberate.

It creates a ‘darkroom’ that amplifies the panoramic view. When the weather is bad, this interior provides a warm refuge against the harsh elements.

Mountain-Top Restaurant
Courtesy of Gbau


Mountain-Top Restaurant
Courtesy of Gbau
Mountain-Top Restaurant
Courtesy of Gbau
Mountain-Top Restaurant
Courtesy of Gbau
Mountain-Top Restaurant
Courtesy of Gbau


Mountain-Top Restaurant
Plan
Mountain-Top Restaurant
Plan


Mountain-Top Restaurant
Site Plan
Mountain-Top Restaurant
Site Plan 3


Mountain-Top Restaurant
Section
Mountain-Top Restaurant
Section


Mountain-Top Restaurant
Diagram
Mountain-Top Restaurant
Context
Mountain-Top Restaurant
Detail

Haas Fertigbau GmbH
T +49 8727 180 F +49 8727 18593
Haas Fertigbau GmbH
Industriestraße 8, 84326 Falkenberg, Germany