The two projects by the GrisDainese architecture studio presented in Milan at the forum on Games and hospitality enhancement. The accommodation designed by Gellner will have a widespread museum on the architect’s work
CORTINA. The former Impero hotel is now close to reopening as the De Len hotel, the former Agip motel is about to be redeveloped. There are two hotel renovation projects carried out by the GrisDainese architecture studio of architects Stefano Gris and Silvia Dainese in Cortina d’Ampezzo, with a view to architectural innovation in the hotels of Cortina in view of the Milan – Cortina 2026 Olympic Games.
The works on the former Impero hotel in via Cesare Battisti have now come to completion and the structure should open shortly, while the redevelopment of the Agip motel, which is located on the state road before entering the central area of via Roma, coming from the south. towards Cortina, at the moment it is in the planning phase.
The two projects were presented on Thursday in Milan and live on the Zoom platform within the cycle of events entitled “Winter Games Milan Cortina 2026 Hospitality & Development”, organized by Contract Network, the information portal of Contract Book which is also dedicated to the hospitality sector.
The former Empire, after passing ownership a couple of years ago, has come to the end of a complete renovation with expansion and elevation, and now it can be admired in its grandeur from via Cesare Battisti in a facade that clearly distinguishes it from this. that was before.
“It is a building in which attachment to the place is perceived”, explained the two architects. «A building that opens with wooden planks that guide people inside towards the most beautiful view as you go up. Via Battisti is rather sad, and it was not easy to find an attractive look. Larch slats were chosen which, despite being in the center and on a busy street, give an idea of opening onto the valley, overlooking the Tofane and the meadows, in particular from the top floor, where the spa is located. We have opted for the search for a new language without frills that uses simple materials: wood, iron, sheet metal, sandblasted concrete ».
“Everything has been studied in the name of feeling good”, they stressed. «We worked on the proportions of masonry compared to wood: not too much, simply to evoke, without overwhelming; the furniture is made to measure and essential in design. Then we worked on the ergonomic components, using new components, avant-garde techniques, for example by removing the negative ionizations inside the hotel, in such a way as to give a higher contribution than just the living room ».
The second project concerns the former Agip motel, a structure that bears the signature of the architect Gellner and which dates back to the years in which the Agip village in Borca di Cadore was designed by Gellner himself.
“This project is difficult, because it’s about reinterpreting what Gellner did at the time,” Gris explained. «We took the original project which was not accepted at the time by the Superintendency. The renovation plans to be able to make 70 rooms with an extension. We will recover the old windows and the garages on the back, in a completely new vision. This is an incredible opportunity to be able to propose a completely different style ».
“Another goal is the creation of a widespread museum of Gellner’s work inside the hotel,” he explained. «A museum with spaces for conviviality, as the Americans teach us, with a bar corner, and an original Gellner room where you can sleep. The concept of a hotel-museum gives the opportunity to confront the memory of the building. An intervention that is projected into the future but attentive to the almost philological reading of its roots ».
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