A new hotel complex consisting of two up to 7-storey tall buildings is to be built at the south-western end of the village of Zermatt, Canton of Valais. As the terrain in the project perimeter rises sharply, the access to the hotel will be via an access tunnel with a lift from the street level, which is approx. 40 m lower. Due to the very steep terrain, there will be vertical excavation cuts up to 20 m high on the slope side. In combination with the geological conditions (mostly unconsolidated rock), this project represents a complex geotechnical challenge.

At the beginning of March 2021, Grundbauberatung-Geoconsulting AG was commissioned to carry out the associated geological and geotechnical investigations. A total of four boreholes were recently drilled to a maximum depth of 30 m. The installation of the drilling equipment required transportation with helicopters. The results of the investigations do form the basis for the further planning and dimensioning of the required geotechnical measures. Start of the excavation work is scheduled for October 2021.