World's tallest hotel proposed for the Swiss Alps denounced as an 'absurdity'

Controversial designs of what might become the world's tallest hotel in a Swiss village are being unveiled.

Rising to 1,250 feet, the glass tower, named '7132 Tower', is planned to be completed by 2019 in the Vals mountain community in southeastern Switzerland.

The tower has been named after Vals' postcode and has been commissioned by Remo Stoffel, the owner of the swanky alpine spa, Therme Vals.

"For the 7132 hotel and arrival, the incredible setting demands reducing materiality and presence in the design so that, as in all our work, the connection to site becomes paramount," said key architect, Thom Mayne.

"As much as possible, the hotel is a minimalist act that reiterates the site and offers to the viewer a mirrored, refracted perspective of the landscape."

The "transparent and slim" luxury hotel is set to match the height of the Empire State building and offer spectacular views of the Swiss scenery.

The tower's design by US-based Morphosis Architects was selected from several entries from world's leading structural designers as part of a global design competition.

Rooms rates at the hotel are expected between £675 and £16,000 per night and the hotel is set to offer 107 bedrooms.

Amenities at the hotel include a spa, sky bar, swimming pool, library, ballroom and an art gallery.

"The tower's reflective skin and slender profile camouflage with the landscape, abstracting and displacing the valley and sky. The combination of one-room-per-floor and a narrow floor-plate afford exclusive panoramic views of the Alps," said Mayne.

The current tallest hotel in the world is the JW Marriott Marquis in Dubai.

Vals' owner Stoffel has confessed to being inspired by Dubai's cityscape.

Speaking to Arabian Business, Stoffel said: "I travel to Dubai on a regular basis and I am always amazed at how quickly the city grows and what it has achieved.

"It is now home to the busiest airport in the world, tallest tower, tallest hotel, the largest shopping mall, largest man-made island; the list goes on.

"That inspired me to realise my own vision, by forming 7132 Ltd, commissioning this stunning design, which will be built in my home town of Vals within four years."

Meanwhile, Vittorio Lampugnani, Professor of Architecture at the Federal Institute of Technology (ETH) in Zurich told The Telegraph: "Skyscrapers in the Alps are an absurdity."

According to Lampugnani, accommodating people in such a small space in the mountains makes no sense.