Gondola Hall Talstation

With the opening of the 12-seater gondola lift between Laax-Murschetg, Larnags, and Curnius in the late 1980s, a need arose at the valley station for infrastructure that had to fulfil two operational functions simultaneously: storing the gondolas outside operating hours and housing the snow groomers. In 1991, a hall was built in Laax for this purpose

Rather than a purely functional building, the result was a timber-and-steel frame structure that combines the technical requirements of a mountain railway infrastructure with a distinctive architectural style. The hall serves as a gondola storage area and, at the same time, as a garage for the snow groomers, two uses that are accommodated under a single roof without one getting in the way of the other.

Structurally, the building is based on a steel framework with truss girders, which enable the large, column-free spans required for gondolas and vehicles. The façade surfaces are clad in larch timber, a material that has proven its worth at Laax’s high alpine altitude and develops a characteristic patina over time. The roof structure is built using larch planks, whilst the roofing consists of copper-titanium-zinc, a material that combines high weather resistance with a calm, metallic surface and withstands the region’s heavy snowfall and rainfall.