From skiing and snowboarding to year-round activities, Alpine resorts are attracting international investors looking for a reconnection to nature and strong long-term value.

Almost all architecture is enhanced by the landscape that it is set in. For proof, one only needs to look to the strickbau (log cabins) and contemporary holiday homes of Alpine Switzerland.

In 1779, Englishman Charles Blair built the first primitive shelter for hikers to view France’s Mer de Glace glacier, in the shadow of the Alps' tallest peak, Mont Blanc. The simple stone hut, rebuilt ...