OIKOS completes “unbuildable” Davos Hotel with oval façade

Munich-based architects OIKOS have finished work on their Davos Hotel in in Switzerland, an oval shaped building that was deemed “unbuildabale” by experts.

The architects utilised digital modelling and parametrization techniques to develop 791 three dimensional, curving steel spandrel panels and more than 62,000 individual envelope pieces for the hotel’s façade.

Inspired by the overlapping scales of pine cones, the design required overcoming several complex structural issues and extremely high costs.

OIKOS partnered with structural engineering firm Wilhelm+Partner who decided to use steel instead of aluminum and developed a design for the laser-cut primary and secondary ribs based on a square.

The 3D curvature was achieved through the use of a supporting structure, while 3mm-thick, metallic sheet steel plates were used to cover the frame and form the visible surface of the façade.

The complex design has taken OIKOS two years to complete.

Courtesy Inhabitat