Renovation and Extension of a Youth Hostel in Les Deux Alpes

  • Tectoniques’ youth hostel in Les Deux Alpes, with timber-lined balconies behind a vertical metal double skin, stands at the foot of the snowy ski slopes.
  • Street view of Tectoniques’ renovated youth hostel in Les Deux Alpes, with CLT-framed volumes, timber double skin and metal cladding facing the snowy resort.
  • Front elevation of Tectoniques’ youth hostel in Les Deux Alpes, showing CLT structure with timber double-skin façade, rhythmic balconies and sawtooth roofs in a snowy streetscape.
  • Ground floor lounge of the Les Deux Alpes youth hostel by Tectoniques, with glazed façade, exposed services, mixed seating and pendant lighting.
  • Timber-clad façade of the renovated youth hostel in Les Deux Alpes, with openwork double skin, recessed balconies and mountain landscape in background.
  • Timber balcony of the Les Deux Alpes youth hostel by Tectoniques, with openwork wooden double skin casting linear shadows over CLT deck and façade.
  • Snow-covered view of the renovated youth hostel in Les Deux Alpes, with stepped volumes, deep balconies and timber-clad upper levels under pitched roofs.
    Aerial view of the Les Deux Alpes youth hostel renovation, showing CLT vertical extension, timber roof frames and masonry base on a sloping alpine site.
  • Aerial winter view of Les Deux Alpes village, dense pitched-roof houses and church clustered on a snowy slope, showing the resort context of the youth hostel.
    Diagram of timber balustrade patterns for the Les Deux Alpes youth hostel, showing varied cut-out motifs that inform the openwork double-skin facade.
  • Site plan of the Les Deux Alpes youth hostel Renovation and Extension, showing the fragmented dual-pitch roof volume within the resort’s urban fabric.
    Site plan
    N
  • Axonometric drawing of Les Deux Alpes youth hostel showing CLT frame, masonry base, stacked volumes and fragmented dual-pitch roofs with timber lattice skin.
    Axonometric view
  • Ground floor plan of the renovated and extended youth hostel in Les Deux Alpes, showing curved street façade, internal circulation and outdoor parking layout.
    ground floor plan
  • Floor plan of the Les Deux Alpes youth hostel showing the existing base and angled CLT extension with double-loaded bedroom corridor and shared cores.
    1st floor plan
  • Technical floor plan of the Les Deux Alpes youth hostel, showing two offset bedroom wings, central circulation core and repetitive room layout.
    2nd floor plan
  • Section drawing of the Les Deux Alpes youth hostel showing CLT structure, masonry base, vertical extension and dual-pitch roofs with timber envelope.
    transverse section
  • Elevation drawing of Les Deux Alpes youth hostel showing stone base, CLT superstructure, timber double-skin balconies and staggered dual-pitch roofs.
    south elevation

Project description

Located at the entrance to the resort, the former UCPA building is converted into a youth hostel through an intervention combining redevelopment, vertical extension and new construction. The project transforms a single-purpose facility into a more open hospitality venue, reinterpreting mountain archetypes through a masonry base, a fragmented volume, dual-pitch roofs and a timber openwork double skin. The largely prefabricated CLT structure streamlines works on a constrained site and introduces a construction method that was at the time little developed in the resort.

Project details

  • Address
    1 route de Champamé, Les Deux Alpes, Isère
  • Dates
    2015-2018
  • Programme
    362 beds, 45 double rooms and 43 dormitories, restaurant
  • Surface area
    3,140 m2
  • Budget
    6.1 M€
  • Regulatory framework
    RT Existant – 40 %
  • Energy consumption
    177 kWh/m2/year
  • Labels
    Bâtiment biosourcé niveau 3
  • Notable details
    French CLT structure for wall and floor
  • Selected media
    Archalp – juillet 2021

Credits

  • Client
    ADIM Lyon
  • Lead architect
    Tectoniques (architect)
  • Project management
    Tectoniques Ingénieurs (cost consultant, electrical engineering, MEP engineering), Arborescence (timber structure), CEBEA (concrete structure), Oxyelec (fire safety systems), DBVIB (acoustic consultant), Pimant (kitchen designer), Kaena (geotechnical engineer)
  • Photography
    Renaud Araud, Tectoniques, Inconnu

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