The Architects that changed hotel design in South Tyrol

Architectural enthusiasts have long courted this corner of northern Italy, a region rich in natural materials, heritage, and Alpine beauty; South Tyrol is a hotspot of creativity. Deep-rooted traditional culture when it comes to building methods which have long fostered respect for nature, and a sustainable approach is a given. Despite being lovingly steeped in heritage, culture, and a deep-rooted sense of the traditional, South Tyrol (Alto Adige/Südtirol) is far static when it comes to architecture and design, particularly when the topic is hotel concepts.  

Perhaps the innate connection to nature and traditions fosters a radical sustainable shift in the architectural design of hotels in South Tyrol. The dramatic natural beauty of the Alps, dense forests, wild meadows, and those jaw-dropping mountains, not least the Dolomites' theatrics, frame the region and paint the creative canvas. 

Pioneers of a more eco-conscious and sustainable approach to hotel architecture, these architects share an infinite love of nature and the setting. From the 1970s icon by Othmar Barth, The Seehotel Ambach, to the perhaps father of environmental construction, Matteo Thun, who created the Vigilus Mountain Resort. More recent champions of abstracting nature into a hotel concept is architect Peter Pichler, whose vernacular architecture is a signature clearly visible at the Schgaguler Hotel in Alpe di Siusi and Milla Montis in Maranza. Bolzano-based architecture studio NOA is another headliner in South Tyrol's raster of design, creating landmark outposts such as the award-winning Monastero Arx Vivendi - one of the most recent and much talked about hotel concepts set between Italy's Arco mountain and a few kilometres from Lake Garda. 

Brutalist in form, the ATTO SUITES is a triumph in rethinking the village hotel with a bold facade that cradles striking vistas - just what you would expect from Pedevilla Architects, who also pioneered the eco-hotel Bühelwirt. 

Anders Mountain Suites by architect Martin Gruber is causing quite a stir within the hotel design fraternity. Named ‘Freefrom’ the guesthouse is a curved and sculptural glass observatory, utterly private yet completely open to the rolling landscapes and its wildlife. A place to sit and ponder, the house surprisingly homely yet thrillingly modern.

Modern, abstract architectural thinking is not stranger in South Tyrol -think of the awe-inspiring Messner Mountain Museum, designed by Zaha Hadid. Equally, a game-changer is the Lumen Museum of Mountain Photography on the summit of Plan de Corones, Mount Kronplatz, by architect Gerhard Mahlknecht of EM2.

A truly fascinating corner of northern Italy that marries the drama of nature with the vision of bold architectural concepts that rethink tradition whilst fostering a love of natural materials and creative thinking. Meet the pioneers of abstract interpretation that are shaping the hotels' sustainable design narrative and beyond.

Pedevilla Architects

Design hotel Bühelwirt & Atto Suites in South Tyrol by architects Alexander & Armin Pedevilla, were projects that aligned with their modus operandi nicely.

Peter Pichler Architecture

Even though it's not always easy to spot, the architectural designs of Milan based Peter Pichler Architecture can be considered traditional in many ways. Their sleek, pointed and stark lines may not look it, but they are deeply inspired by nature and by the surrounding vernacular architecture.

Architect Othmar Barth

Professor, architect and designer with an intense love of concrete and the alps, architect Othmar Barth (1927-2010) was considered futuristic, often misunderstood and a bit of a silent hero of the rural monumental.

NOA

Conceiving of NOA as an ever-changing network of architects, interior designers, graphic talent to even psychologists and much more, noa* is able to incorporate a multitude of ideas and styles into its hotel projects.

Matteo Thun

Matteo Thun simultaneously designs and innovates within the medium of interiors, product design and architecture with an aesthetic that stays within the parameters of simplicity, durability and lightness.

Martin Gruber

Reducing a 50 bedroom hotel to just seven suites has a distinctive design logic of architect and designer Martin Gruber - a structural genius who narrates a closeness to Alpine nature.

Zaha Hadid

Changing the face of tourism in South Tyrol has to be Zaha Hadid's architectural masterpiece atop Kronplatz in South Tyrol, the Messner Mountain Museum, is a concrete designer ode to the history of mountaineering.

Discover South Tyrol with our 25 fabulous hotels - From its perch in northern Italy, South Tyrol, or Alto Adige as it is also known, is a jewel of ancient cultures set in the mighty crown of the Alps. Nestled among the Dolomite mountains (a UNESCO World Heritage site) a marriage of languages and cultures comes together in the area’s healing spa towns, medieval hamlets, fairytale castles, wine trails and foodie destinations.

Known primarily for skiing, South Tyrol is also a year-round home to hiking, mountain biking and strolling through the botanical gardens at the base of its snow-capped mountains. At the end of the day, cap it all off with a signature hay bath or a dip in the healing thermal waters. This hidden Alpine part of Italy is well worth travelling to.

This is the South Tyrol where Austria snugs up to Italy.