St. Moritz, Switzerland 2009 – 1st Prize Ex Aequo

The Albula Line of the Rhaetian Railway (RhB) in Switzerland, which terminates in the St. Moritz railroad station, is listed as a UNESCO World Heritage site. Yet, the rail infrastructure of the station needed reorganization and modernization. On this occasion, the Rhätische Bahn (Rhaetian Railway) commissioned a competitive planning study for the urban and commercial development of the station area with international architectural offices.

The project proposed by Hosoya Schaefer defines three distinct plateaus: The station square serves as the main point of access. The lake terrace next to it provides a view of the alpine scenery and is reserved for pedestrians. A convention hotel is positioned at the western end of the site and facilitates the transition to the lake shore one level below. The hill terrace on the eastern end is located above the station square and connects the station area with the village of St. Moritz. It contains commercial, public, and private functions.

The levels are joined together by a pedestrian axis that runs from the hillside terrace via the station square to the hotel and connects via the Serletta parking garage back to the village center. At the mid-point of the pedestrian axis, the historic station building is flanked by a new service building. Unobstructed by the new development and returned to its original volume, it serves as a landmark for the station itself.