A brand new residence de tourisme from MGM of 250 ski-in, ski-out apartments and an adjacent 28 bedroom hotel, is described as a state of the art example of sustainable development.

It forms part of the €150 million transformation of the old village of Tignes les Boisses into a modern ski centre re-named Tignes 1800. When it opens for business at the end of 2014, Tignes 1800 will, in effect, be a new gateway to all the established areas of the wider Tignes ski resort.

The new eco-village was planned in response to the need for new accommodation for 1,500 skiers in one of the most popular skiing areas in Europe while responding to the challenge of building a sustainable development.

Each apartment will have exceptionally high levels of insulation with low cost under floor heating being supplied by an innovative new plant, the first of its type in the French Alps, run on wood waste pellets fuelling a 4,000 kilowatt boiler supplying heat to all the buildings in Tignes 1800.  The development will be finished externally in traditional stone and timber.

The family orientated pedestrianised village of Tignes 1800 will include a tourist information centre, ten shops and a ski school. There will be a choice of bars and restaurants with frontages both on the village square and the piste. A conference centre will be located within the new hotel and full fitness and health and beauty facilities are being developed.

Veronica notes “Purpose built developments have come a long way in France since the low cost, inefficient, unattractive projects of the 1960’s.   That MGM, one of the largest developers in the French Alps, is now addressing the concerns of Responsible Skiing and is even creating Biomass heating for its developments shows how far the message has spread.   Whilst the direct economic benefit of purpose built ski centres to local community will always raise questions, together with their ability to offer a range of activities (both sporting and cultural), it is pleasing to see that at least their visual impact and resource impact will be much less.”