15-06-2017

Oberholz mountain hut restaurant in South Tyrol, Peter Pichler and Pavol Mikolajcak

Peter Pichler Architects, Pavol Mikolajcak,

Oskar Da Riz,

Sport & Wellness, Rifugio,

The Oberholz mountain hut restaurant by Milan-based Peter Pichler Architecture, in collaboration with local architect Pavol Mikolajcak, is an environmentally friendly eatery located 2000 metres above sea level in the Obereggen ski resort, San Floriano, in the Italian Dolomites, a UNESCO World Heritage Site.



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Oberholz mountain hut restaurant in South Tyrol, Peter Pichler and Pavol Mikolajcak The Oberholz mountain hut restaurant by Milan-based Peter Pichler Architecture, in collaboration with local architect Pavol Mikolajcak, is an environmentally friendly eatery located 2000 metres above sea level in the Obereggen ski resort, San Floriano, in the Italian Dolomites, a UNESCO World Heritage Site.  


Architects are always faced with major challenges when they build in natural environments like the Italian Dolomites, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Milan-based Peter Pichler Architecture, in collaboration with local architect Pavol Mikolajcak, won the competition to design a new mountain hut 2000 metres above sea level in the municipality of Obereggen (San Floriano) and their response is a building that harmoniously blends into its surroundings, assisted by the aesthetic choices and materials used by the designers.
The mountain hut restaurant is designed for year-round use and is inspired by the shape of a fallen tree, with three gabled volumes referencing branches that cantilever out from the mountainside. These branches end in three, floor-to-ceiling glass facades, each one framing different views of the majestic Central Alps, including the mountain chain of Lagorai and the mountain of Ortler. Along one of the trunk's sides, an outdoor terrace set on the edge of the mountain provides other dramatic views.
The interiors are a streamlined journey where small, intimate pockets in the main, ground-floor restaurant space give diners a cosier feel. This warm and friendly embrace is underscored by the use of locally sourced wood as the main material. Juxtaposed larch wood slates clad the whole external facade, while the exposed spruce used for the framework and interior panelling makes a bold spatial statement.
The iconic appearance of the Oberholz mountain hut restaurant by Peter Pichler Architecture and Pavol Mikolajcak and its aesthetic and ecological respect for the environment make it a drawcard for tourists who love contemporary architecture, which is plentiful in the Italian Dolomites. It's easy to get to the Oberholz mountain hut restaurant because it is located next to the cable station and is the perfect base for winter sports with direct access to the ski slopes, as well as being perfect in summer for mountain climbers.

Christiane Bürklein

ARCHITECTURE: PETER PICHLER ARCHITECTURE & ARCHITEKT PAVOL MIKOLAJCAK
YEAR: 2015 winning competition, April 2016 beginning of construction, December 2016 completion
LOCATION: Obereggen, Südtirol, Italy
CLIENT: Obereggen AG / Spa
ENGINEER: Dr. Ing. Andreas Erlacher
CREDITS: Peter Pichler, Pavol Mikolajcak, Gianluigi D´Aloisio, Simona Alu, Giovanni Paterlini, Matteo Savoia, Silvana Ordinas, Krzysztof Zinger, Jens Kellner 
PHOTOGRAPHY: Oskar Dariz, Jens Rüßmann

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