New construction mountain inn Glacier Gate Kleines Matterhorn, Klein Matterhorn Zermatt

The project
In addition to the new restaurant with store, accommodation for alpinists was to be created and access to the Glacier Palace was to be improved.

The construction
The building is a skeletal structure braced by 3 central trusses and the rear wall slab, with the floor slab and roof as slices.

The challenge
The overall stability was challenging, as the side / south facades could hardly contribute to the bracing of the building due to continuous window bands. At the same time, the effects of wind (up to 100 m/s) and earthquakes (zone IIIb) are very high, which required enormous anchoring and bracing forces. The bracing was solved by means of an E-shaped bracing core consisting of the rear wall of the building and 3 building-high trusses integrated in the interior walls and positioned at right angles to the rear wall. The large tensile and compressive forces of up to 1200 kN from the trusses are transferred into the concrete via welded base plates. This project won the Swiss Solar Prize 2010, Category B - New Construction.