architek[tour] tirol – guide to architecture in tyrol

In the center of Kufstein, the City Hall and the neighboring "Bildsteinhaus” were transformed into a new, multi-functional unit for the city administration. The historic ensemble was interwoven with consciously placed interventions into a complex whole. The uncovered city wall builds the foundation; a white "crown” on the roof completes the ensemble.

After the redesign of the south building on Sparkassenplatz and the completion of the Tyrol Department Store, the niche in the southwest corner of the square became an attractive, inner city interstice. The Italian espresso and wine bar set up in this plaza niche is operated by two architects, but was designed by colleagues who created the atmosphere appropriate to the gastronomic concept with the help of purposefully chosen interventions and materials.

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.

The Pezid apartments in Serfaus are a classic example of the intelligent restructuring of post war architectural "burdens of the past”. The old, hardly ever put to use balcony façade, was transformed into useful space with loggias with "reclining-chair-oriels” integrated on the inside. In 2007 this transformation to a "modern-mountain-hotel” was awarded the BTV (bank for Tyrol and Vorarlberg) - Building-Owner-Award-Tyrol.

The entrance and the shop rooms of an old building, which comes under the federal law on the protection of monuments, had to be adapted to house an optician’s shop. The long main room, with a baroque vault, was returned, as far as possible, to its original state. A sculptural piece of furniture with a tapestry of red felt, and a working table covered by green rubber stand free of the walls to counterpoint the historical brickwork.

This part of the former Adambräu brewery, a landmark industrial building of classical modernism by Lois Welzenbacher, came under the federal law on the protection of monuments when the brewery closed down. Most respectful, nearly invisible interventions turned the functionalist structure into what might be described as a pulsating machine to convey architecture. On the lower floors,aut. architektur und tirol continually proposes exhibitions and lectures on contemporary architecture, the upper floors are occupied by the University Architecture Archive.

On the SOWI campus the "Solo Pasta” restaurant and then the "Solo Vino” n. 1 und 2 wine bars opened in rapid succession one after another. All three are characterised by a minimalist and everything but Zeitgeist-minded design making use of few and sensitively tuned materials. Customers can freely walk from one to the other rooms. Following a change in ownership, there has been some refurbishment not quite in line with the original concept