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Adding new spaces and functions to a mountain hotel without affecting the harmony with the landscape, on the contrary, creating a better integration with the surroundings: this was the guiding theme of the project we realised for the Olympic Spa Hotel, in Vigo di Fassa, with a tradition of hospitality dating back to 1963. The plan to expand the current premises with an annex and a new sauna was an opportunity to define a 'mimetic' and sustainable intervention model, which allowed the hotel to grow and offer its guests an even more exciting immersion in the beautiful Dolomite scenery.
The key idea was to shift the centre of gravity of the hotel from the provincial road, which most of the rooms hitherto overlooked, to the slope behind it, which slowly declines, turning into a forest, until it reaches the Avisio stream. Thus, the project envisaged the construction of the new ten rooms along the slope, partially buried and connected to the hotel by an underground passage. The sauna, on the other hand, is a separate wooden building, located on the edge of the forest, in an elevated position facing the treetops and accessible via an aerial pathway. The emphasis is on direct contact with nature, which is also supported by the used materials, by the façade design that plays with the mountain skyline, by the terraces and the special interior patios embedded in the larger rooms.
The structure of the annex is made of reinforced concrete, with a portion of green roof where the building is buried in the slope. This is a solution we are proposing especially for hotels, where large volumes are often required. Burying a part of the structure reduces the visible volume and is an interesting solution, particularly in attractive mountain areas like the Dolomites. The entire project was implemented with local firms.
All the furnishings are made to measure in knotty oak, a choice that reflects the hotel's green vocation and links to Alpine tradition. Even in the shapes of the furniture, continuity with local styles has been sought. Light, natural colours dominate, complemented by green, which recalls the shade of the beautiful pine forest in front of the rooms.
The new building is characterized by its distinctive profile, inspired by a mountain. At one end, a higher spike identifies the double level of the largest suite. From there, the roof descends, with lower spikes indicating the single-level rooms, and at the other end, the fitness studio. This highly recognizable silhouette, in its graphic simplicity, is intended to become the hotel's architectural signature.
Each room features floor-to-ceiling windows and a large terrace overlooking the landscape. Oak and larch from the Fassa Valley are used throughout the rooms, both for the flooring and furnishings. The new rooms are named in the Ladin language, reflecting the cultural heritage to which the owners' family is deeply attached. For instance, the four ‘Te Bosch’ rooms pay homage to the forest. Each room has an internal patio with transparent walls: a private space accessible year-round, bringing light and nature into the room.
The five ‘Te Aga’ rooms, dedicated to the element of water, feature a stone fountain from which pure mountain water, sourced from a spring at 3,500 meters, gushes.
In the two-level suite, the sleeping area is on the ground floor, while the first floor is entirely dedicated to relaxation.
The new sauna is made entirely of wood, with an exterior clad in larch and an interior lined with spruce treated with black wax. Access to the sauna is only from the outside, even in winter, a choice intended to promote a strong and direct connection with nature.
The new Olympic project marks a new era for the type of tourism we want to offer at our facility. It is a step towards a more conscious hospitality, attentive to the traveller's desire to experience eco-luxury, reconnect with nature, and enjoy a facility with a strong emphasis on design.
NOA is a collective of architects and interior designers founded in 2011 by Stefan Rier and Lukas Rungger. Today it counts over 30 creatives in its network - the founders have been joined over the years by three partners: architects Andreas Profanter and Christian Rottensteiner, and interior designer Barbara Runggatscher. The main HQ are located in Bolzano, with additional offices in Berlin, Turin, and Milan. Following an always curious and never conventional approach, the studio has established itself as an industry standard for hospitality architecture and design. The firm's philosophy revolves around seeing the project as a tool to tell stories; bringing an additional value to the places where NOA architectural works become embedded. Over the past years, NOA has expanded its portfolio with new architectural typologies. These include the Ötzi Peak viewing platform, the Transsensorial Gateway sound installation, and the competition proposal for the new European Library in Milan.
