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.
    Tectoniques
    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.
    Tectoniques
  • 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
  • Project management
    Tectoniques (architect, lead), 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

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