Perched on the edge of a cliff 60 meters (197 feet) above the floor of the Swiss Alps, the Viamala Gorge visitor center was in dire need of an overhaul. “It was too small, the roof was leaking,
small wild animals were able to get in and visitors weren’t
able to go inside the building, so they had to stand outside
and ask the cashier inside for goods,” says Stefan Kurath,
co-founder of architecture firm Iseppi/Kurath in Thusis,
Switzerland. “It just wasn’t efficient.”
So in 2010, the governing board of the center’s operating
cooperative asked Iseppi/Kurath to develop a project plan
to optimize the 40-year-old kiosk that each year welcomes
70,000 tourists to the Viamala Gorge. In addition to ensur-
ing visitors’ safety, the client also wanted to maximize the
space to sell more products.
The project team determined it couldn’t simply remodel the
existing structure that served as the entryway to the century-
lif f- hanger
Creating a
beautiful new
visitor center
meant facing
dangerous
terrain and frigid
temperatures—
plus the chance
of falling rocks.
BY MEREDITH LANDRY
BEFORE AFTER
