Architecture News Plus (ANP) – Architecture and Design Magazine

Austria Trend Alpine Resort

This is a project by ATP Architects and Engineers and it is located at Fieberbrunn, Tyrol, Austria. Project's program: 810 m2 spa and wellness area, 144 rooms: including 18 junior suites, seven suites and two special rooms for the disabled. There are twelve images for Austria Trend Alpine Resort.

: © Engelhardt/Sellin Architekturfotografie

Project details

Project name: Austria Trend Alpine Resort
Location: Fieberbrunn, Tyrol, Austria
Program: 810 m2 spa and wellness area, 144 rooms: including 18 junior suites, seven suites and two special rooms for the disabled
Area: Site Area: 8,950 m2 • Gross Built Area: 15,251 m2
Year: Construction Start: June 2008 • Completion: December 2009
Client: Conwert Immobilien Invest
Project by: ATP Architects and Engineers
Team: ATP Project Team: Competition: Dario Travas; Process-Leading Architect: Andreas Schaller; Project Leader: Hannes Achammer; Architecture: Herta Frank, Johannes Hug, René Mathe; Structural Engineering: Martin Krautgartner, Rainer Sturm, Tina Stauch; Mechanical Engineering: Rudolf Bedenk, Peter Hennerfeind, Carin Frotschnig; Electrical Engineering: Helmut Vince, Egmont Pruggnaller; Documentation: Markus Schlaffer, Andrea Schmidthaler; Site Supervision: Kurt Rösler, Harald Hanappi, Thomas Sallmayer
Others: Operator: Verkehrsbüro Hotellerie • Ground Conditions Report: GDP - Garber, Dalmatiner & Partner • Fire Protection Report: Prüfstelle für Brandschutztechnik, Linz • Constructional Physics: IC-Konsulenten • Kitchen Design: Ingenieurbüro Stria • Visualisations: Isochrom • Interior Design: Appia Contract

Project images

Designer's statement

Situated directly on the ski-slope in the Tyrolean winter sport resort of Fieberbrunn, the 144 bed resort is opening after a construction period of 18 months. “The building is above all conceived for families seeking active and wellness holidays. The region offers wonderful opportunities for recreation - in summer as much as in winter”, says Hannes Achammer, the project leader from ATP Architects and Engineers of Vienna. “The unique location directly on the slope and the excellent connections to the existing tourist infrastructure should do much to reduce the amount of car traffic – which is a very important consideration in terms of the sustainability of the project”. The free U-form of the hotel does much to integrate the building into the landscape. The two or three stories of the wings of the building and the five stories of the central block embrace a central south-facing patio. This free space at the heart of the project makes it possible to create generous visual links between interior and exterior while opening up the southwards view onto the slope. “Sustainability and a series of energy-saving concepts were key to the design from the very beginning”, explained Achammer. A series of loggias and panoramic windows on the bedroom levels together with the rounded corners of the building underline its horizontality of the building and create a sense of continuity. The base of the building – the first and second levels, on which all the customary hotel functions are grouped is characterised by the contrast between large areas of glazing and large areas of solid wall clad with vertical timber elements. The use of local larch wood in both the loggias and the internal courtyard establish the relationship with the nature of the region. These areas of timber contrast with the areas of smooth plasterwork which emphasise the special form of the building.

Concept:

The semi-arch of the building volume – the first-prize winner of a 2006 design competition - acts as an extension to the topography of the landscape while the hotel integrates itself fully into its surroundings through its form and the choice of façade materials. The entrance to the generous lobby offers views of the courtyard and an overview of the structure of the entire building. From the hall – with its reception, bar and open chimney place - one has direct access to the restaurant area with its seating areas and buffet, the kindergarten, seminar room and a smoking lounge. The main vertical circulation block contains three lifts and two ancillary stairs.

Interior design:

The 119 rooms of which two are specially adapted for the disabled, 18 are junior suites measuring 32 - 43 m2 and seven are suites measuring 41 - 50 m2 offer the guests highly agreeable levels of comfort as well as views of the surrounding mountainous panorama, the internal courtyard and the ski slope. A seating niche with viewing window and the timber clad loggia establish the character of the standard rooms while the suites at roof level open up generously by means of their south-facing balconies. In the words of Achammer: “By setting the windows deeper into the facade we created a natural shading which allowed us to avoid the use of air conditioning in the rooms and, hence, make enormous energy savings in comparison with normally air-conditioned hotel complexes”. The corridors serving the room areas in the main wings are characterised by a three storey void which allows light to fall from the rooflights to the lower storeys of the building. The 810m2 wellness area at first floor level includes a swimming pool, steam bath, infrared cabin, ice fountain and experience shower. The open façade to the internal courtyard is occupied by the reception, solarium, massage and changing rooms, sauna area and the fitness room – which cantilevers out from the main timber volume. The four metre high pool area with its pool of around 100m2 and access to the sundeck completes the spatially differentiated spa area. The relaxation room also has an access to a discrete external terrace is protected from onlookers but enjoys views of both the surrounding meadows and the mountain panorama. The internal service areas of the hotel are located in the ground floor of the eastern wing. The delivery area is connected to the kitchen, all stores and the room service area via a dedicated service lift which also serves the 24 staff rooms and staff apartment located at first floor level. The staff changing rooms and restaurant are located directly next to the kitchen. The office areas are adjacent to the reception in the west wing. The interior design combines the local aesthetic with timeless, modern elements. The generous lobby contains numerous elements of built-in furniture in a series of comfortable spaces, each of which has a distinct character. Glazed niches are created to open up views between these various spaces. Ancient spruce from local woods, varnished walnut and natural stone are the principal materials and these combine with a warm palette of colours and a panoramic spatial organisation to ensure that the external landscape becomes a part of the interior design of the lobby.

Energy concept:

The central ventilating plant for the wellness area, swimming pool, restaurant, lobby and corridors has a heat recovery system. In addition to this, the air conditioning of these areas is managed by the central building control system. Warm water for the rooms is produced by a high performance storage load system, which leads to extra energy savings in comparison with normal systems. The heating in the rooms is divided into two zones which permits further savings at times of lower occupation. Natural gas from the public network is the principal source of energy for the building. The entire complex uses high efficiency low energy pumps. All sanitary pipework is insulated in order to further minimise energy loss. Waste water from the kitchen passes through a fat separator designed in consultation with the statutory authorities. Rainwater is collected in a reservoir and can be used as fire extinguishing water.

Construction:

The building is constructed using a solid construction method in which the key load-bearing elements are made of in-situ or prefabricated concrete. The slabs (flat roofs and prefabricated roof elements) are fixed to the reinforced concrete walls at the upper floor levels. Between each pair of load-bearing walls, which are set out on an eight metre grid, an extra room dividing wall is constructed using a lightweight construction method. The prefabricated concrete units containing two bathrooms and a service duct are fixed to this lightweight dividing wall. The external wall at the room levels consists of timber framed elements finished with a composite thermal insulation system and external larchwood cladding.