Alpine Living

"We were shocked at first by the plans the architects submitted as proposals to the competition." Hany Ayad, who has been responsible for destination development at Orascom Development Holding for over 30 years, was a member of the Andermatt Swiss Alps competition jury and remembers back. Things then worked better on the second go-round.

Some time passed from planning to implementation. For many of the architects, this project was forgotten. This was also the case for Marcel Santer of Ilg Santer Architekten Zurich. "I was a bit surprised when I got a call in spring 2021." Meanwhile, the shell of the Mira apartment building, which Marcel Santer and his team planned over 10 years ago, is completed. Even though it has not been realised exactly as planned at the time, mainly due to changes and advances in the construction industry.

"The needs of the owners have changed. Today we build apartments with more spacious living areas and several bedrooms. After an active day in the mountains, people want space to relax and socialise," knows Vincent Jandowsky, Development Director Real Estate at Andermatt Swiss Alps.

Andermatt Reuss is growing and growing. This year, ten apartment buildings will be under construction. The new squares, shops and restaurants will bring life to this part of the village. As soon as the area between Andermatt Central station and Andermatt Reuss is completed, we will be able to say that Andermatt has grown into a single entity. This will also fulfill the promise that Andermatt will be perceived as one village.

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Samih Sawiris came to Andermatt for the first time in 2005. But why actually? In this interview, the people who were there at the time and who have contributed significantly to the further development of Andermatt provide information: Josef Dittli, Raimund Kunz, Heidi Z'graggen and Samih Sawiris himself.

The fact that his ideas have been crowned with success has a lot to do with Samih Sawiris' attitude: "I think you have to be persistent and think long-term. It has so much to do with luck and not just your own performance. Success only comes when you are in the right place at the right time with the right idea."

This episode is about the promise to develop Andermatt into a year-round destination. But hear for yourself how this promise was kept.

Do you have feedback, input or ideas on what topics should be covered in this podcast? Then get in touch at [email protected]. And of course we'd love it if you subscribed and rated the podcast.