ROCK RESORT, LAAX, SWITZERLAND

Domenig Architects used the view as their prime inspiration when creating the just-opened Rock Resort – which has 220km of these wonderful slopes literally on the doorstep. Aware that anything blocking the view would be an eyesore, the architects coated the facades of the eleven cube-shaped buildings with quartzite stone facades that reflect the surrounding mountain scenery. The complex, which is 90 minutes from Zurich airport, offers a 70-bedroom boutique, 160 apartments, 6 restaurants and 14 shops. All apartments get the services of the hotel including housekeeping, catering, concierge service and ski hire.
The interiors are slick, filled with Cassina furnishings and characterized with natural materials such as untreated gnarled oak and concrete. Integral wet rooms are equipped with a steam bath/shower with all fittings by Dornbracht. Domenig Architects have kept a strict environmentally friendly approach throughout the project, sourcing only local and natural materials, and incorporating a climate-neutral heating system.

OLEUM, BARCELONA. WHERE FOOD MEETS ART.

I've always loved the magic of places where gastronomical pleasures find their appropriate counterpart in design and art. The Restaurant Oleum in Barcelona serves its mediterranean dishes in the throne room of the Palau Nacional where KIng Alfonso XIII of Spain inaugurated the world fair in 1929. Today the palace is the Mueseu Nacional d'Art de Catalunya - and the restaurant's design a beautiful mix of original and new decor.

COPENHAGEN GETS BRIDGE BY OLAFUR ELIASSON

Acclaimed for his atmospheric, experimental artworks, but perhaps less so for his widely discussed New York City Waterfalls project last year, artist Olafur Eliasson has now turned his talents to a more functional architectural endeavor: creating a bridge.
Cirkelbroen (the circle bridge) will cross the Christianshavns Kanal in Copenhagen, allowing pedestrians to walk around the city's entire inner harbor for the first time, but, true to the Danish-Icelandic artist's practice of challenging viewers' perceptions, will cut a winding rather than a straight path.
Wow!

MARIO BOTTA STRIKES AGAIN!

Mario Botta's second museum in the US has just opened, bearing all the hallmarks of the world renowned Ticino architect.
The Bechtler Museum of Modern Art – named after its benefactor, the Swiss Andreas Bechtler – is situated in the centre of Charlotte, North Carolina. Dare I say? It looks so 80ies!

Outdoor Fireplace by Haugen/Zohar Architects

I love winter - using leftover materials from a construction site, Haugen/Zohar Architects built this structure with 80 layers of pine (each made with 28 pieces of wood) that are connected with small oak separators. The result, especially at night, is both comforting and stunning.