Wedge Creates "Altum" 3D-Printed Furniture Collection for Hotel Alpin in Saas-Fee, Switzerland

London-based design and research studio Wedge has unveiled "Altum," a bespoke furniture collection created for Hotel Alpin in the Swiss Alpine village of Saas-Fee. Commissioned as part of the hotel's ongoing commitment to contemporary design and craftsmanship, the collection explores the relationship between geology, computational design, and circular manufacturing. Combining 3D-printed silica sand with hardwood and glass, each piece transforms the pressures, stratification, and erosion patterns of the surrounding Alpine landscape into functional furniture.

Wedge - HAM - Hotel Alpin - Photo Credit Wedge-1

Rather than serving as gallery pieces, the furniture is integrated throughout the hotel, allowing guests to experience emerging approaches to sustainable design and advanced digital fabrication in everyday settings.

Translating Alpine Geology into Furniture

Situated high in the Valais Alps, Saas-Fee provided both conceptual direction and material inspiration for the project. The resulting tables and stools feature geological forms, textured surfaces, ridges, and voids generated through computational design and advanced fabrication technologies. As daylight changes throughout the day and across the seasons, the printed surfaces reveal different layers of texture and shadow, creating an experience that continuously responds to the surrounding mountain environment.

A Circular Material System

Each component is produced using recyclable quartz silica sand through advanced 3D-printing technology. Once a piece reaches the end of its lifecycle, the material can be ground back into powder and printed again, reflecting Wedge's ongoing research into circular material systems and regenerative manufacturing.

Connecting Digital Fabrication with Place

The project expands Wedge's broader research into material ecology and digital fabrication, where technology serves as a medium for exploring relationships between matter, landscape, and culture. The Hotel Alpin team describes the collection as "alive," noting that each object responds to changing light and atmospheric conditions throughout the day. Guests immediately recognize the furniture's strong connection to its Alpine surroundings.

About Wedge

Wedge is a London-based design and research studio working across material ecology, advanced technologies, and cultural research. Founded by Andy Zhang, Peiyan Zou, and Ray Zhang, the practice develops interdisciplinary projects that combine computational design, advanced fabrication, and material experimentation. Working across furniture, spatial design, installations, and material systems, Wedge explores how emerging technologies shape contemporary objects, environments, and culture. The studio approaches design as a collaborative process between humans, machines, and materials. Its work has been presented at Alcova Milan, London Design Festival, Material Matters, and 3 Days of Design Copenhagen, while its research has been recognized by Foster + Partners, Material ConneXion, and leading international design media including Dezeen, Elle Decoration UK, and DesignWanted.