architek[tour] tirol – der architekturführer für tirol

As part of a renovation process, the lift stations for the Kapauns chairlift and the Wilde Krimml gondola lift, which lead to the Übergangsjoch, were also rebuilt. The guiding principle behind the design was to integrate the technically complex structures into the alpine landscape as sensitively as possible. From the two mountain stations, designed as pavilion-like structures, a steel staircase leads to the viewing platform "Die lange Bank” (The Long Bench), also designed by Snøhetta.

The 13-meter-high observation tower "Top of Alpbachtal” was built right next to the mountain station as part of the construction of the new Hornbahn 2000. The wooden structure, clad with handmade shingles, references Alpine architecture and houses a lounge area with informal seating that is open to the public at all times and free of charge. At the top, a 360-degree panoramic terrace invites visitors to enjoy a panoramic view of the surrounding mountains.

The municipality of Fliess has been trying for several years to counteract the threat of migration. After a multifunctional village centre, the sports and leisure facility is another building block to encourage young people to stay in the village. Based on the topography, the architects placed several horizontally layered levels on, over and against the edge of the hillside: including a clubhouse, a sauna structure by the outdoor pool and a cantilevered deck along the main football field.

Replacing the old gymnasium, a new transverse volume was built northeast of the shared middle school of Vomp and Stans. It includes a triple gymnasium, spectator stands, and a gastronomy area. A street-level parking deck, open to the south, forms the base, while the hall above opens outward with a translucent facade. The design responds to the site’s topography, with new open spaces and paths integrating the facility into the school campus.

On the Stubai Valley Wild Water Trail, the Grawa Observatory offers a barrier-free viewing platform overlooking the widest waterfall in the Eastern Alps. The organic shape of the platform, which also serves as a bridge along the trail, is inspired by sediment deposits from glacial moraines. A gently sloped area with wooden deck chairs invites visitors to take a minute to pause and "bathe” in the fine water mist.

For the newly built Falginjochbahn aerial tramway on the Kaunertal Glacier, the architects developed two technoid-looking infrastructure buildings made of concrete, steel and glass that make reference to the technical equipment of cable car technology. Situated at an elevation of 2,750 meters, the base station consists of a large, glazed steel framework on a concrete plinth; the cantilevered top station at an altitude of over 3,000 meters is designed as an antipode.

Situated on a former agricultural property directly on the Innpromenade, the Rum Sports and Exercise Center includes several sports fields and facilities for the local soccer and weight training clubs. The centerpiece is an elongated bridge structure with a restaurant and grandstands on the upper floor, to which a transverse structure connects in the north, where, among other things, a large competition hall can be found.

The Fohlenhof (foal farm) in Ebbs is considered the centre of international Haflinger breeding. Over the years, an extensive stud farm with stables, paddocks, riding hall, large arena and museum has grown up around a castle estate. Two new structures were placed in this heterogeneous conglomeration of buildings, forming a new centre with attractive outdoor spaces and giving the stud farm a contemporary identity.

For many years now, the Innsbruck Tourist Information Center has been located in a former stable building directly adjacent to the city wall. In the course of the renovation and redesign, the interior was cleared of later fixtures, the historic vaulted ceiling exposed, the original floor level restored and a barrier-free access in the form of a concrete ramp placed in the Renaissance hall. In order to restore the character of a city wall, the large arched windows were closed flush with the façade with perforated ceramic tiles.

After several halls of a former printing shop had already been converted for sporting purposes, it made sense to situate the new climbing center at this location as well. A large bouldering facility was housed in the existing building, and a cube was built on Ing.-Etzel-Straße for the nearly 18-meter-high climbing hall. Together with three freely placed, sculptural climbing walls and the existing building, an exciting ensemble that includes well-usable open spaces evolved.

The tower-like valley station designed by Obermoser arch-omo responds to the cramped construction site at the entrance to Sölden with a compact, tower-like structure, whose entrance level is designed as a U-shape encased in a perforated band. The mountain station, gently integrated into the landscape, consists of a concrete base for the technical equipment and a transparent, foil-covered steel structure for the station level and space for the gondolas.

The Dolomitenbad was built in the 1970s by Manfred Machné as a simple, no-frills sports facility in the spirit of that era. Forty years later, his son Hans Peter Machné renovated and expanded the indoor and outdoor pool, resulting in the emergence of a coherent, new whole. The centerpiece of the extension is the sauna area with a curved wooden lamella ceiling, whose shape makes reference to the surrounding Dolomite Mountains.

The annex of a competition-compatible hall with a grandstand, which emerged from an architectural competition, makes the previously disoriented building appear new as the "missing head for the existing body.” This new construction, the defining design element of which is the supporting structure, consists of a glass base for the hall and a closed cube above it for the grandstand.

As part of the reconstruction of both Gaislachkogel lifts it was necessary to rebuild the valley, intermediate and mountain stations. Each station has been designed to fit its location formally with functional requirements developed accordingly. One thing they have in common is the type of construction; a self-supporting steel construction covered by a transparent membrane.

As part of the newly designed entrance area of the lake Natters camping area, the architects created a long and narrow building for the necessary infrastructure functions that sets up to now unheard of quality standards in the world of tents, caravans and mobile homes. Despite its rather large volume, the two-storey building unpretentiously sits on the lakeshore, sort of becoming part of the landscape. There, you find everything you need for a camping holiday, plus a lot of small highlights and brilliant new ideas.

Situated at an altitude of 3200 metres right in the middle of the Stubaier Glacier, the summit platform "TOP OF TYROL” offers a very impressive view across the Tyrolean Mountains. Based on the existing topography, LAAC architects designed a "symbol in the snow”, which nestles into the flowing movements of the Great Isidor’s rocky ridge and juts out nine metres above the ridge edge.

An extension has been built onto the Skiing Academy formerly known as the Federal Sports Home. The new building has six levels, all part of a ski training centre – from a seminar hall at sub-basement level to a sauna and wellness area on the roof. The independent large form of the crystalline shaped building attempts to meet the requirements of its location without matching the traditional alpine type of design too much.

The panorama restaurant with its congress centre on top of the 2.620 metres high Pardatschgrat in the Ischgl skiing area is distinguished by its simple forms and materials. A particular challenge during the construction of the two buildings was to find a technological solution to compensate for the frost-thaw rising and sinking of the ground below.

The new Bergisel ski jump is a landmark that is visible from most every part of town. The various functional elements, while still perfectly and precisely serving their purpose as mere instruments of sports competition, were moulded into an elegantly sculptural and expressively dynamic construction symbolising the ski jumper’s movement.

In the centre of St. Christoph, the ÖSV (Austrian Skiing Association) built a sports hall (for the 2001 World Skiing Championships) with a fitness centre, a bar and offices for the association’s staff. A low budget solution based on minimalism was realised within a short time. The "self-confident” building is situated close to the ensemble around the "Hospiz”, which dates as far back as the Middle Ages.

The finish line stadium constructed for the skiing world championships, were constructed by the same architectural-team that built the new St. Anton railway station. The tranquil wood-panel covered building is intertwined with the surrounding terrain in such a way, that the finish line stadium seems to be more of a topographic intervention than a building. With its many seminar rooms and fixed stand for 2000 persons, the finish line stadium is the perfect place for various outdoor events.

Norbert Heltschl counts among the few architects in Tyrol who were able to keep up with the international development after the Second World War. Erected by him from 1957-61, the Tivoli Outdoor Swimming Pool remains an outstanding example of timeless leisure architecture. From the swimming pool to the stands to the distinctively sculptural diving tower, he consequently utilized smooth exposed concrete. In the sense of a total work of art consisting of architecture, painting and sculpture, water-themed sculptures are spread throughout the whole area and are still used to today as drinking fountains or climbing devices.

The listed indoor pool was erected in the interwar years according to the plans of the City Building Director Friedrich Konzert, who, among other things, also planned the municipal steam baths in Salurnerstraße. It is characterized, on the one hand, by the functional composition of the structures, which is clearly legible from the outside. On the other hand, many allusions to Secessionism can still be found in the details. The heart of the swimming pool is the two-story hall, which features large windows on three sides and an encircling gallery.