The impressive view from Muottas Muragl
St. Moritz in Switzerland is one of the world's oldest holiday resorts. The name is protected as a brand of quality and is synonymous worldwide with style, elegance and class. It is also the location of the perfect vantage point from which to admire the Engadine valley: the impressive "Muottas Muragl" (2,453 m). It takes just under 15 minutes to reach the "Muottas Muragl" mountain station by cable car from Punt Muragl train station. This is the starting point for a winter hiking trail of almost 7 km through the snowy mountain landscape. It is also the location of the Muottas Muragl Mountain Hotel.

Refurbishment work will offer guests more comfort
The menu served at Muottas Muragl was restricted during summer 2010 due to the work on the extension and refurbishment of the mountain-top restaurant. The refurbishment has been in full swing since February 2010 and is evident in the daily changes to the hotel's appearance. Additions to the building are being removed so as to return the central focus to the main building. In architectural terms the building has suffered a lot through the numerous remodellings and extensions. The starting point for the architectural concept was described by Fanzun AG as wish to refocus attention on the main building through the removal of the added structures. "This will create a link with the building's historical origins," he said. The colour scheme in pure white also echoes the original building. The hotel's plinth has been redesigned.

Energy efficiency is a key concern
The refurbishment of the main building satisfies both operational requirements and Minergie standards (Minergie = globally protected brand for sustainable building). Energy efficiency is the key. The energy-optimised outer skin of the building prevents the loss of heat in an environment characterised by major variations in temperature. The aim of the new energy design is to reduce the energy requirement, which is achieved by means of geothermal probes at a depth of approx. 120 m and tubular collectors.

Radiant heating/cooling using the Minitec System from Uponor
When it came to selecting the supplier for the underfloor heating, the choice fell on Uponor. The Minitec renovation system was installed in the mountain resort hotel. This system is ideally suited to retrofitting or renovation projects. With its minimal depth of just one centimetre, the Uponor system heats up surprisingly quickly, making it ideal for this particular project. Overall almost 350 m² of the Minitec system were installed in a radiant heating/cooling configuration. The architects for the project were Fanzun AG from Chur, while the installation work was carried out by Cao Tecnica della casa. The technical planning was handled by heating planners Hans-Luzi Züst and the Uponor systems were supplied by wholesalers Tobler System AG from Urdorf.