hôtel de la poste, sierre, conversion

client :

citizen’s community, sierre

program :

restaurant 60 places, café 40 places, 14 rooms 3 stars, 1 bridal suite

dates :

competition 2005, 1st price

completion 2006-07

sia 116 volume :

4’200 m3

collaboration :

françois meyer architecture, sion

civil engineer:

alpatec sa, martigny

hvac engineer :

tecsa, sierre

electrical engineer:

yves roduit sàrl, sion

facade study:

bcs sa, neuchâtel

photographer :

thomas jantscher

the project is well integrated, reflecting the general character of its location. historically, this site is characterized by the complementarity of the urban environment of the rue du bourg and the rear courtyard and garden space, along the north of the railway. our project highlights the redevelopment of the city hall gardens. this led to the fundamental decision to extend the city hall gardens to the former car park just in front of the hotel de la poste, establishing a direct garden/rue du bourg relationship and giving rise to the further project of constructing a pavilion in the park.

the project plays on the relationship between the mineral and vegetable aspects, which have inspired a new structure seeking to complement the mid-18th century hotel de la poste. the existing space, mineral, orthogonal and compact, offers the necessary protection for the bedroom accommodation. the light, airy annex has a freer form, giving as much façade as possible and establishing relations with the whole of the garden, which is integrated into the park like the neighboring harbor. it provides the ideal infrastructure for enjoying the gardens, reinforcing the idea of offering all sierre residents a quality public space.

the café has been retained in its original position. the kitchen is directly adjacent to the annex, but is also practically linked to the bistro. the lift clearly serves the bedrooms, and its position allows the stairwell to be replanned, freeing up its central space. a range of double and single rooms is proposed, all with bathroom or shower room. they are personalized on a tree theme. rather than a number, each room is named after a tree species. the floor and the entrance door to each room are made from the wood of this tree. lying on the bed, you see an image on the ceiling, as if you were lying beneath a tree. at the end of the corridor is an upstairs lounge, and a special "bridal suite" is proposed at the top of the tower.

the quality of the project lies in the association between the two different yet complementary spaces (the hotel building and the annex). the structural delicacy of the pavilion is fundamental to the creation of this interior/exterior mix, where there are no boundaries within the garden.

condition before conversion - north facade - south facade