48° NORD, REIULF RAMSTAD ARKITEKTER
THE MEETING OF TWO CULTURES Breitenbach Landscape Hotel proposes a holistic and a true ecotourism experience in Alsace, inspired by Scandinavian traditions and building on the region’s culinary, wellness and nature opportunities. Perched on the heights of the Alsatian village of Breitenbach, the landscape hotel 48° Nord reinterprets the traditional Scandinavian hytte, a place of retreat and reconnection with wild nature. At the heart of a protected Natura 2000 site, the project was designed to fit into a preserved setting without ever disturbing it. REIULF RAMSTAD ARKITEKTER
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he project is born from the meeting of two cultures (France and Scandinavia), two passions (nature and architecture), two men (Emil Leroy and Reiulf Ramstad) and an enthusiastic and very supportive local community from the village of Breitenbach. Breitenbach is a unique hamlet, located between Vosges and Alsace, with a very dynamic community. It is strongly politically committed to an eco-responsible approach through various activities like an ecological brewery, beehives, dairy and cheese production to name a few. The mayor himself, an enthusiastic vegetarian, initiated ecological farming in the village, constantly encouraging new sustainable and ecological business.
A Franco-Danish client, a Norwegian architect and a common attraction for design and natural materials; it was from this exceptional meeting that the 48° Nord project was born. The Breitenbach landscape hotel encapsulates daring architecture and design, a spirit of wellbeing and a sharp culinary culture. By uniting local identity with the landscape through forms still unseen in the region, the architect gave 48° Nord a unique architectural expression.
FACT FILE: Location: Breitenbach, France Client: Private Type: Landscape, commercial Programme: Landscape hotel with the main building for the reception, restaurant, wellness facility and the director’s housing, as well as 14 hytte for hotel guests
FC&A – FEBRUARY – 2021
Size: 20,000m2 total planning area hytte from 20m2 to 60m2 Commission type: Direct commission (2015) Status: Completed (2020) Design team: Reiulf Ramstad Arkitekter in collaboration with ASP Architecture Photo credits: Florent Michel @11h45, Yvan Moreau
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