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Fit for the Future
The client Patrick Schmid and his family wanted to make a former alpine inn fit for the future. One circumstance alone shows how much the client was concerned about quality: a private competition was held for the planning, which Baumschlager Eberle Architekten won. The clients' wish was to bring out the special features of the location. Its beauty and its panorama of the nearby mountains. Likewise, the restaurant at the foot of the chalet settlement was requested in order to create a place of communication here in the countryside. The design was influenced by three parameters: the careful use of land, the construction and choice of regional materials, and the message of the buildings. Above all stood the motto: urban design is also needed on the countryside.
Urban Design on the Countryside
Careful use of the land is a top priority in the Alpine region. Therefor the chalets were placed as close together as possible. Their location and shape were chosen to achieve the best possible view but also the highest level of privacy. The main building with the restaurant was partially integrated into the terrain. This building is the anchor-point of the settlement.
A clever settlement has been designed, connected by a network of paths and with a spatial centre. The compactness of the layout, the creation of a topographically coordinated network, the optimisation of view perspectives, the differentiation of public and private spheres are important parameters for creating a positive live-together. All important is the coordination of these parameters.
No Glue - Larch, Silver Fir, Ash
Building for the region as the main theme of the tourism complex also means using regional construction methods and materials. This approach leads to a reduction of grey energy, and is sustainable - factually and aesthetically. A solid timber frame construction – without glue - was used for this in a very classic way. Larch was used for the building envelope, silver fir for the interior walls and ash for the floor. Wood and its finishing skills are abundant in this region, improving the identification with the settlement.
The compactness of the buildings with the absolute retraction of façade openings reduces the energy expenditure generated by geothermal probes and heat pumps.
The Elemental of Architecture
Although it is small in scale, it shows essential features of the way to deal with the Alpine space. The project makes use of the genuine possibilities of architecture to take up the positive regional traditions and make them fit for the future. Careful use of the land is a top priority in the Alpine region. Therefor the chalets were placed as close together as possible. The restaurant was partially integrated into the terrain. Space was saved, but more than that: A clever settlement has been created. Architecture is more than just building, architecture conveys messages. Here at Alpe Furx, the elementary means of the medium were used: light, geometry and material. The elemental of architecture is the message in synthesis with nature. The reduction to the essential takes place, the careful handling of the possibilities lies also in the tradition of the area.
As simple as the chalets and the main house may look, architecture gives them a complexity in spatial terms that is unparalleled. In the case of the chalets, it is the perceptible three-dimensionality inside. In the restaurant, it is the column-free space that is accompanied by niches, so that public and private meet here. The flow of space, deliberate thresholds, and the transitions between inside and outside create a choreography of living together. The project is innovative through the synthesis of all elements that make the most of the existing possibilities.
"We have been doing tourism here for 4 generations. It was now time to change the previous hotel into a small resort to meet the new needs. These are more privacy, the possibility to combine work and holiday and to enjoy a lot of peace and quiet."
UNDERSTANDING LOCAL CULTURE
On the foundation of a clear attitude that can be described as authentic, methodical and poetic, Baumschlager Eberle Architekten formulate architectural responses to the rapidly changing built environment and societies worldwide. Founded in 1985 in Vorarlberg (Austria), Baumschlager Eberle Architekten have 14 independent branches in Europe and Asia.
The office communities currently comprise around 300 employees from 21 nations. Our local presence deepens our understanding of local contexts, environmental and cultural characteristics. This is important because with our architecture Baumschlager Eberle Architekten assume responsibility: for the clients, the users and the sustainability of the environment.
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