Architecture and PlanningSki resorts have developed in three main ways.
Most resorts – particularly in Europe – have grown up around traditional mountain villages that were surrounded by pasture land. As the resort developed, agricultural land was given up for development of hotels and facilities. The tourist facilities and the community facilities are integrated. In some countries, more so in France, purpose built resorts were developed – self contained resorts for the winter season separate from the original mountain communities. Some of the developments of the 1960s and 1970s have resulted in questionable architectural styles, incongruous with the local architecture, and are often empty for much of the year. Purpose built resorts are controversial – some say they protect villages by keeping all tourist development separate and can still benefit the locals if businesses are locally owned – others say they are soul-less, do little to benefit the local community and there is no cultural engagement at all with the destination. In the United States particularly there is often a split – with a town set some distance from the ski area – where there are also a significant amount of purpose built facilities. No matter the style, all development and planning decisions are down to the local authorities and the rules they set. In Europe, there are resorts where a building industry has taken on a life of its own and vast swathes of chalets, weekend homes and second homes have been built with the aim of making a quick profit and without concern for the long term interests of the local community. Aside from the land that is being lost to development, ownership of the property and thus control of the bed stock falls out of local hands. The local community then has a large group of overseas owners renting out their properties for prices they choose which may undermine the price and quality positioning of the resort and take profits out of the resort. Also, large numbers of properties may lie empty for most of the year and the land has been lost forever. Local authorities must balance the bednights and peak season population needs with the needs of the year round community and be careful not to create ghost towns. In North America, it tends to be corporations who purchase the original land and facilities and then develop and run the ski area. A large part of the income stream of the corporations running the ski resort is the sale of real estate. Ironically, many of these holiday apartments are being purchased by ‘baby boomers’ who will reach the end of their skiing careers in the not too distant future. The resorts will then be filled with people wishing to pursue other activities as opposed to skiing, and the resort will lose the revenue from the ski equipment and lift passes and have to attract yet more people. It can become a vicious cycle of development. Resorts need to plan for sustainable communities of locals and guests where the benefits of the tourism development stay local. There are resorts that have taken care to manage the balance of accommodation and have very strict rules on who can buy property and how many properties are available for outside ownership. Lech in Austria set a limit of just 1% for self catering apartments – the priority being to keep occupancy high and to maximise benefits to the local population. It is important that a resort maintains local control of the bed stock in their village to then control the pricing and positioning. Ischgl in Austria has now stated that there will be no new buildings – only redevelopment or refurbishment of existing buildings will be permitted. Most resorts have zoning plans which designate safe areas for development based on the lie of the land and the avalanche risk. Within that it is for the local authority to control the amount of development, height, size and style and the amount of the plot that can be given over to buildings versus open space. There are many examples in Switzerland and Austria where all new buildings must follow a strict architectural style and utilise local materials. For example in Saas Fee, to retain the traditional village character and the Valais style, the authorities have designated that all buildings must have a gabled roof and at least one third of the façade of a building must be built of wood. However, new buildings do not all have to follow the ‘chocolate box’ alpine chalet design - it is possible for buildings to be modern and indeed the Vorarlberg in Austria has some very avant garde buildings – but what they have in common, is blending in, using the materials from the region and being energy efficient. There are resorts, such as Val d’Isere, that have taken down many unsightly, energy inefficient buildings built in the 1960’s and replaced them in recent years with more architecturally in- keeping buildings. |  What do you think? Contribute to our discussion forum
For more great examples of what resorts are doing - check out the case studies
Accommodation
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The way forward...
These are all for the local authorities to address and again are often long term strategic plans, but they also apply to individual planning decisions
1. Plan for the development of the resort and what is the optimum balance of locals to guest beds – what is the ‘carrying capacity’ of the resort in terms of facilities, infrastructure and the maintenance of community.
2. Plan the balance of accommodation; each level of star rating hotels, self catering accommodation, bed and breakfasts, and accommodation that will be available for purchase. Plan for the long term contribution to the community.
3. Plan the zones that can be developed and set a limit of the amount of each plot given over to building to maintain green space.
4. Set clear guidelines on architectural style and materials to be used together with minimum energy efficiency criteria.
1. Plan for the development of the resort and what is the optimum balance of locals to guest beds – what is the ‘carrying capacity’ of the resort in terms of facilities, infrastructure and the maintenance of community.
2. Plan the balance of accommodation; each level of star rating hotels, self catering accommodation, bed and breakfasts, and accommodation that will be available for purchase. Plan for the long term contribution to the community.
3. Plan the zones that can be developed and set a limit of the amount of each plot given over to building to maintain green space.
4. Set clear guidelines on architectural style and materials to be used together with minimum energy efficiency criteria.
Resorts need to address all of the above points to contribute to Responsible Skiing
