Set amid Sylt’s distinctive dune landscape, at the island’s highest point, Lanserhof is an internationally renowned medical health resort. Its holistic approach extends to the architecture itself, which is designed to actively support health and well-being.
Under the guiding principle »Health is Freedom,« Lanserhof has spent the past three decades combining naturopathy with cutting-edge medicine, placing particular emphasis on regeneration and, above all, prevention. Following the opening of its original location in Lans, Tyrol, in 1974, the luxury health resort expanded to Lake Tegernsee, Hamburg and London. Its Sylt location opened in August 2022 after an intensive five-year construction period.
Shared vision
As with the Lanserhof properties at Lake Tegernsee and in Lans, the Sylt project was led by internationally renowned Düsseldorf-based architect Christoph Ingenhoven. His firm, ingenhoven associates, was responsible not only for the design of the €130 million building, but also for the entire interior architecture and landscape planning. The central challenge was to develop a more environmentally sensitive architectural concept while complying with the island’s strict heritage and nature conservation requirements.
Creating a connection
Built on the site of a former military barracks, the complex comprises five buildings arranged around the preserved officers’ mess from the 1930s, which forms the heart of the ensemble. Understated yet striking, the main building’s traditional thatched roof rises organically from the surrounding dunes.
Reflecting the project’s aim to create harmony between people, nature and architecture, the design draws on a roofing technique deeply rooted in the North German coastal region and makes use of a locally available material. Covering a total area of 7,000 square metres, the roof is both an architectural statement and a clear expression of the project’s commitment to a sensitive relationship with its natural surroundings.
A subtle departure from traditional construction is introduced by the loggias, integrated into a thatched roof of this kind for the first time. They provide private outdoor spaces and panoramic views across List Harbour and the adjoining protected landscape. This contemporary yet cohesive approach continues in the continuous timber-and-glass façade, which lends the building an almost weightless appearance while creating a sense of openness and connection to the surroundings within.
The main building’s flowing, pared-back architecture takes its cue from the surrounding dunes, carrying its timeless, softly contoured design language into the interior. It culminates in the atrium, where a 14.3-metre-high, two-metre-wide circular open staircase forms the building’s central artery, connecting the corridors across all five floors.
On every level
The medical emphasis on prevention is reflected not only in the treatment concept, but also in the design and construction of the resort, together with its careful consideration of the environment. Energy-efficient, resource-conscious construction significantly reduces the building’s energy requirements, while ecological materials selected for their compatibility with human health were used throughout the complex.
A green cleaning system uses micro-dry steam to eliminate germs and viruses without chemical cleaning agents, while reducing water consumption, time, labour and costs. In cooperation with Mercedes-Benz, an electric saloon shuttle also provides guests with a comfortable, emission-free arrival and departure.
In March 2023, the exclusive health resort, which combines medical expertise with five-star comfort, received the prestigious MIPIM Award in the category Best Hospitality, Tourism and Leisure Project. [DM]
