Kengo Kuma Crowns Cultural Center in Switzerland with Wing-Like Timber Roofs

The project forms part of Val de Bagnes’ ambition to develop Verbier as a sustainable, year-round mountain destination, integrating culture alongside sport as a defining pillar. Beyond its primary performance hall, the facility is planned to house a smaller auditorium, an art gallery, children's zones, a café, and public spaces designed for all-day activity, functioning less like a seasonal trophy and more as an alpine living room.

Kengo Kuma’s design draws heavily from the profiles of nearby mountains and the deep eaves of traditional Valais chalets. Layered timber roofs rise, dip, and extend outward past the glazed volumes below, producing a silhouette that unfolds across the site. Generous overhangs shelter entrances and outdoor pathways while softening the transition between the structure, the landscape, and the village.

Closely spaced wooden elements give the exterior a porous rhythm, filtering daylight while breaking down the massive scale of the cultural program. Instead of enclosing every function inside a single monolithic block, the proposal reads as a collection of spaces gathered beneath a unified roofscape. The main concert hall aims to serve as an international acoustic benchmark, while secondary rooms will host workshops, youth programs, and exhibitions.

Stock photo for illustration only, not from the actual event

This privately funded development is planned for municipal land at Chemin des Marais Verts, with construction provisionally expected between 2028 and 2029 following zoning procedures. If the schedule holds, the center will open in 2031, serving as a civic and artistic anchor for Val de Bagnes.

Source: designboom