eriro Alpine Hide, Ehrwald, Austria

Hotel Newbuild

A restrained yet deeply resonant expression of Alpine design, Eriro Alpine Hide won the Hotel Newbuild award at AHEAD Europe 2025.

Set high above the tree line and accessible only by cable car, eriro reinterprets regional craft through a contemporary lens by Unikateur Built almost entirely from locally sourced timber, the retreat incorporates recycled wood from the original inn, hand-crafted larch shingles and a façade shaped with subtle pleats inspired by the traditional Tyrolean dress. Interiors continue this narrative of tactility and place: bespoke furniture, natural finishes and a palette drawn from the surrounding landscape create a quiet, immersive atmosphere. Nature-led rituals — from foraged spa treatments to zero-waste dining — anchor the project in a slower, more intentional mode of hospitality.

The panel admired the project’s “purity of vision and material authenticity,” noting how its architecture “breathes with its environment rather than sitting on top of it.” Judges highlighted its elegant use of local timber, “masterful understanding of Alpine craft,” and the way its spatial rhythm “creates a calm, grounded experience from arrival to departure.” It was celebrated as a “rare example of design, sustainability and cultural memory working as one.”

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