Becker Architektur AG

The Waldhotel Liechtensteiner Hof on the edge of the villa district of Vaduz was built in the early 1930s and was considered the first noble hostel of the Principality of Liechtenstein. The location, the architecture and the outdoor areas with tennis court and swimming pool were considered unique for the region. This piece of Liechtenstein's architectural and cultural history was finally canceled again due to a lack of guests at the end of the 1970s. Except for the former cellar, which was not demolished but only covered with soil, nothing is reminiscent of the once magnificent Waldhotel.

Today's area at the Waldhotel is not particularly attractive and unlovingly designed. In addition to a new open space design, the area is to be upgraded with two architectural interventions. One of them is the reactivation of the filled cellar rooms of the Waldhotel. The entrance is accentuated by a striking concrete wall with an attached canopy. With this measure, the underground rooms are also present above ground and thus anchored in the terrain. The historical substance is to be adapted to the new use with a few but targeted interventions. A glass wall behind the entrance is pulled in and the room is provided with new lighting, so that the historic walls and ceiling have to be touched as little as possible. The covered area under the canopy is intended to serve as protection and assembly opportunity.

The second upgrading measure is the demolition and replacement of the toilet facilities. The new building is positioned at the entrance to the parking lot on the northwest side of the area and thus forms the prelude to the site. The new building presents itself as a minimalist body. The small volume with gable roof evokes associations with a hut in the forest and, dressed with local wood, looks abstract and familiar at the same time. Due to its iconic shape, it is identifying for the place and the actual use moves into the background of deliberate masses. The two interventions have a sufficiently large distance from each other so that everyone can work for themselves. Together with the open space design, the mentioned measures give the place a new, attractive appearance and strengthen the existing character.