Dec. 4, 2013
The gondola and lift stations have been completely redeveloped over the last few years, and in the coming days, the Ice Q restaurant at the top station is set to welcome the public with a wine cellar at over 3000m, a wonderful lounge, and a superb restaurant. For group gatherings, the new Ice Q offers a seriously impressive venue to meet, wine, and dine.
The all-glass and steel exterior is another example of daring architectural adventure in stunning Alpine locations. The roof space offers a sensational viewing platform, whilst the interior benefits from the floor-to-ceiling glass walls, which offer marvellous vistas across the local peaks and glaciers. Far from the wooden huts with small windows of yesteryear, the Ice Q is very much a contemporary expression of contrasts between the natural and built environments. Personally, I think this design is remarkably impressive, with the visitor offering a real interaction with nature metres away on the other side of some very substantial glazing. At night, the views and atmosphere so far above the valley in frigid Alpine air must be genuinely exhilarating. The Ice Q may not be one for the HRH, the Prince of Wales, but it is hard not to be awe-struck by the reflections and connections that the glass exterior offers those inside and outside of the Ice Q.