architek[tour] tirol – guide to architecture in tyrol

The revitalisation of the farmhouse in East Tyrol is an example of how historical buildings can be made fit for the future through careful renovation and the installation of modern technology, without losing their original charm. The exterior of the farmhouse remains virtually unchanged, while the interior surprises with a two-storey kitchen and an attic that has been converted into a large, column-free room, both of which have been completely lined with larch wood.

The revitalization of the 300-year-old shed is an example of how old farm buildings can be preserved and transformed for new functions in line with the "Reuse” philosophy. In the spirit of the Tiny House movement, the outbuilding utilized for storage purposes was transformed into a minimalist dwelling. As much of the existing building as possible was preserved and new things were implemented – in a clearly legible manner – using regional materials.

The little house in Fulpmes is a paramount example of the resource-saving approach to building materials and upcycling. Materials from a nearly 200-year-old, demolished threshing floor were utilized, as well as used windows, doors and glass. Moreover, regional or inexpensive materials were primarily used. A radically stripped-down, open-use space emerged on the ground floor, and a one-room apartment on the upper floor, largely equipped with used items.

An approximately 300-year-old mountain farmhouse at an altitude of 1,200 meters was sustainably revitalized with careful attention to historic preservation and based on the tradition of "building on.” Taking into account the farming past, as well as the more recent history, a harmonious ensemble was created with sensitivity and through the introduction of new architectural elements such as lattice windows, raw steel fittings and the use of conglomerate rock.

The basis for this extremely narrow house was the shape of the 11-meter-wide property, which was considered as unsuitable for building. Starting from the lot shape, Geri Blasiker developed a self-confident and sustainable structure offering a small family a unique home, featuring 108 m² of usable living area accessible on six mezzanine levels. The building envelope was made of brick and gets by without insulation. A turbine along the nearby stream completely supplies the house with energy.

The envelope of the Moser House by Madritsch / Pfurtscheller was originally an old barn that was translocated and transformed in the sense of "re-use” philosophy into a residence for a family of five. A half-timbered structure offering two levels of living space was set into the barn, which remains unchanged for the most part on the exterior. The result is a paramount example of how a building type that is no longer functionally needed can be filled with new life.

With small building supplements – a roofed parking space and an additional room on the ground floor – the architect has created an organic connection between the existing residential house from the 1970s and its surrounding natural environment. The Carport, with its polygonal concrete roof and slanted steel-tube supports, defines a new entrance area and integrates the tree population. The polyhedron cellar illuminated from above though a chimney-like shaft opens an existing passage to the garden, thereby creating new connections to the outside.

The cautious renovation of an old farmhouse and the new building extension with four holiday flats provides a new interpretation of the topic of "Old-New”. In place of the old stables, a massive structure with the original building’s dimensions was constructed and then covered with the old stable’s planks – a refreshing approach based on the transferring of the customary.

At the east border of Serfaus is Villa Rasilla – The name stems from a Rhaeto-Romanic term for field name – a holiday home designed by Noldin & Noldin. The two ground floor levels with the wellness-sauna-area, the bedrooms and bathrooms, have been built as a masonry wall construction; the top floor has been added as a self-supporting wooden cube with a wide and protruding partially roofed terrace.

The patron wanted an economical wooden house, so Lackner "simply” designed a wooden structure radially hanging from a concrete pile. The consequent mushroom-like shape beautifully responds also to the special needs of the patron. The very self-assertive building, although not resembling any familiar typology, due to the choice of materials, fits well into the environment.