Alps, Architecture, Tourism

Landscape, nature and tourism share a complex and interdependent relationship that is often the subject of controversial debate. On one hand tourism relies on a well-preserved environment that is both accessible and can be experienced by visitors. Yet on the other hand, tourism starkly impinges on the landscape – with critical consequences. While we must fear for the survival of the sensitive mountain landscape in many places, it is also because of the revenue from tourism that some mountain hamlets still exist today.

The exhibition presents exemplary projects of South Tyrol that promote a new form of sustainable tourism. They include not only buildings for the hotel and restaurant industry, but also infrastructure and access projects. The wide spectrum of works on show ranges from a simple guesthouse to a refined hotel, from a cable car station to architectural sculptures at the Timmelsjoch mountain pass. The curator Susanne Waiz has selected examples in which the focus lies on a balanced dialogue between landscape and building. Arising from a close collaboration between the client and architect, high-quality and sustainable buildings have been produced, which both enhance the landscape and accentuate the specific character of the place through the architectural design. Numerous interviews in the exhibition express the vision and motivation of the clients for these projects.

In total, twenty-three projects will be presented in the exhibition, from the town hotel to the mountain resort. This includes new buildings like the Guesthouse Nives in Sulden (Arnold Gapp, Schlanders), the Pergola Residence (Matteo Thun, Milan), the Saleghes Mountain Residenz (Archilab Architekten, Bruneck) and the Strata Hotel (Plasmastudio, Sexten), as well as historical establishments like the Parkhotel Laurin (built by the Ludwig Brothers, Munich, renovated by Boris Podrecca, Vienna) or the Hotel Drei Zinnen in Sexten (built by Clemens Holzmeister, Vienna, renovated by Christoph Mayr Fingerle, Bolzano). The third section focuses on the important theme of infrastructure for tourism, with projects including the Merano Mountain Railway 2000 (Roland Baldi, Bolzano), the Dantercepies Gondola in Gröden (Rudolf Perathoner, Wolkenstein), the Seis-Seiser Alm Car Park (Lukas Burgauner, Bolzano), the Cascade Spa in Sand in Taufers (Christoph Mayr Fingerle, Bolzano) and the Bike and Service Stop Lanz in Brixen (Walter Angonese, Klatern with Ingenieurbüro Bergmeister and Partner).

The spatial installation ‘Brennende Lieb’ by Susanne Waiz takes as its subject the geranium, the symbolic flower of the Alps, and its complex, socio-political associations.

Sponsors

Stiftung Südtiroler Sparkasse, Autonome Provinz Bozen - Südtirol, Stadtgemeinde Meran, aew Azienda Energetica, Gufler Innenausbau, Marketinggesellschaft Meran

Diese Ausstellung wurde ermöglicht mit der großzügigen Unterstützung von: