The alpine village of Andermatt Swiss Alps is car-free and entirely powered by renewable energy. It comprises about 500 apartments, 28 chalets, an ice rink and even an 18-hole golf course, among other amenities
Luxury and sustainability. Not too long ago, it seemed like never the twain shall meet. But with the recent advances in technology, the idea has gone from feasible to fashionable.
It is, to some degree, also why Andermatt Swiss Alps has been 15 years in the making. The CHF1.5 billion (S$2.08 billion) development is touted as a carbon-neutral luxury village built 3,000 ft up in the Swiss Alps—and probably the largest real estate project in any mountain destination in the world.
“When we started the project, there was an element of scepticism from the local community,” acknowledged Russel Collins, Member of Executive Management at Andermatt Swiss Alps AG.
The cynicism dissipated as the village—located in the Uri canton, about a 90-minute drive from Zurich or two-and-a-half hours from Milan, Italy—started taking shape.
Construction began in 2009 and the high altitude location proved to be a physical and logistical challenge, as thousands of tonnes of materials had to be brought up the mountain passes.
“Geographically, it’s a challenging place to build a project like this,” Collins noted. “We have adverse weather, which prohibits us from building in the winter. So, you’ve only got a few months a year where there’s no snow and it’s safe to do construction.”
The group of 40 architects and designers also had to ensure the development reflected the distinctive culture and architectural character of the historical townscape of Andermatt—while handling the project with utmost sensitivity to the environment.