Living up to the promise. Soča Valley, 4-star boutique hotel project status update
When LynxCraft was first introduced to the story of an ambitious and up-coming, slovenian real estate investor LT 91 Ltd. and their idea about building a boutique, 4-start hotel in Soča Valley, Slovenia – things were not looking great. The dream of building a boutique sustainable hotel on the Soča River was slipping away for the LT 91 Ltd. team after a year of working with heavily fragmented supply chain.
The project was already 30% over budget, the timeline was crumbling, hence the possibility forc the investor to include the investment within the European Union – Next Generation EU recovery and resilience Plan and obtain available investment subsidies seemed practically impossible… Enter LynxCraft!
The Mission Was Clear
Get the project back on track, on budget, and on time—without changing the building permit. It wasn’t a magic trick, but through methodical redesign and smarter building strategies, Lynxcraft managed to reduce costs by a significant 30%, while actually improving several aspects of the building—visually and structurally.
By using early version of Lynx Platform LynxCraft managed to deliver upon the promise by:
- Switching the structure to LynxCraft prefabricated kit of parts (building blocks)
→ Faster assembly, greater precision, consistent quality, and cost control
- Reducing Cross Laminated Timber usage
→ Only used for the ceilings; walls and parts of the roof transitioned to light timber frame
- Implementing a fully prefabricated light timber frame wall/roof system
→ Faster build, lower material cost, excellent thermal performance - Simplifying full glazing strategy
→ Replaced oversized glazed walls with visually similar but more economical segmented window systems - Rotating the load-bearing system by 90°
→ Improved structural efficiency and simplified timber engineering - Replacing a costly CLT cantilever balcony
→ New solution: smartly supported external gangway, allowing thinner CLT (14 cm instead of 16 cm) and better waterproofing - Optimizing the basement’s reinforced concrete structure
→ Removed over-engineered sections and replaced with drywall partitions where appropriate, saving money and reducing carbon footprint - Streamlining façade timber cladding
→ Simplified installation while giving the building a clearer volumetric identity - Revamping the fire safety concept (huge thanks to IVD Maribor!)
→ Reduced number of fire segments from 19 to 7, minimizing HVAC hatches, sealants, fire doors, and expensive facade adjustments - Retaining centralized ventilation and recuperation system
→ Thanks to the simplified fire strategy, we avoided the need for inefficient local units - Redesigning the landscaping strategy
→ Lowered costs and environmental impact by reducing excavation volumes and landfill needs
When taking over an ongoing project, one also inherits mistakes
Even after budget rescue and technical redesign, LynxCraft faced a few more challenges that came from the original plans:
- Excavation pit lacked proper protection
- Drainage systems had to be entirely reworked
- Road level misalignments required building repositioning
- Soil backpressure wasn’t accounted for in early designs
These issues resulted in spending additional five months for redesign, coordination, and additional engineering. But these challenges did not break the project.
Thanks to close collaboration with our expert partners Janko Logar (geomechanic; bearing capacity of the exchavation slope), Rok Fazarinc (hydrologist; drainage of back water), and Marles d.d. (expert wooden housing producer) – LynxCraft managed to move ahead the project into full speed.
Progress on site
Here’s the construction status:
✅ Concrete basement completed
🏗️ Timber structure going up next month
🔧 Installations and finishing works following immediately after
Although opening the hotel for Summer season 2026 seemed out of reach, LynxCraft ensured the project is now back on track and will be finish exactly as originally planned.
Looking ahead
The vision of the real estate investor is finally coming together—and LynxCraft stands proud to play a šivotal role in delivering it the way it deserves to be built: responsibly, beautifully, and efficiently.
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