FEBRUARY 2019
stretching the limits
ahead of the curve NOA gives the traditional arch a modern twist for Gloriette Guesthouse, a boutique hotel in Soprabolzano, Italy text: athena waligore photography: alex filz 128
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ahead of the curve NOA gives the traditional arch a modern twist for Gloriette Guesthouse, a boutique hotel in Soprabolzano, Italy text: athena waligore photography: alex filz 128
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For centuries, residents of the northern Italian city of Bolzano have sought refuge from the summer heat by retreating to the Dolomites. The construction of a cog railway in 1907 gave ready access to the nearby Alpine village of Soprabolzano, where members of Bolzano’s upper crust established warm-weather estates. In their gardens they built gloriettes, small guest houses, one of the most known being the 18th-century pavilion on the grounds of Vienna’s Schönbrunn Palace. That arcaded belvedere, along with its local descendants and the villas they serve, many in the art nouveau style, informed the design of Gloriette Guesthouse, a new 25-room boutique hotel by NOA* Network of Architecture that reinterprets Soprabolzano’s leisured past for the 21st century. Naturally, NOA founder Lukas Rungger begins all his and cofounding partner Stefan Rier’s projects with consideration of site and context. But stringent municipal regulations heavily influenced Gloriette’s size, form, and materials. “I took them not as limitations, but as inspirations,” says Rungger, who demolished the sloping property’s existing hotel and replaced it with a compact six-story building. One of its facades reads as three stories topped by a mansard roof; on another, the land falls away to reveal an additional 130
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Previous spread: In Soprabolzano, Italy, the rooftop infinity pool at the Gloriette Guesthouse by NOA* Network of Architecture looks out over the Dolomites. Opposite top: Flooring in the bar area is resin. Opposite bottom: Maple trees and porphyry pavers define the garden. Top: Bronzed glass forms the end wall of the pool’s entry portal. Bottom: European oak extends from floor to ceiling in a guest room.
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For centuries, residents of the northern Italian city of Bolzano have sought refuge from the summer heat by retreating to the Dolomites. The construction of a cog railway in 1907 gave ready access to the nearby Alpine village of Soprabolzano, where members of Bolzano’s upper crust established warm-weather estates. In their gardens they built gloriettes, small guest houses, one of the most known being the 18th-century pavilion on the grounds of Vienna’s Schönbrunn Palace. That arcaded belvedere, along with its local descendants and the villas they serve, many in the art nouveau style, informed the design of Gloriette Guesthouse, a new 25-room boutique hotel by NOA* Network of Architecture that reinterprets Soprabolzano’s leisured past for the 21st century. Naturally, NOA founder Lukas Rungger begins all his and cofounding partner Stefan Rier’s projects with consideration of site and context. But stringent municipal regulations heavily influenced Gloriette’s size, form, and materials. “I took them not as limitations, but as inspirations,” says Rungger, who demolished the sloping property’s existing hotel and replaced it with a compact six-story building. One of its facades reads as three stories topped by a mansard roof; on another, the land falls away to reveal an additional 130
INTERIOR DESIGN
FEB.19
Previous spread: In Soprabolzano, Italy, the rooftop infinity pool at the Gloriette Guesthouse by NOA* Network of Architecture looks out over the Dolomites. Opposite top: Flooring in the bar area is resin. Opposite bottom: Maple trees and porphyry pavers define the garden. Top: Bronzed glass forms the end wall of the pool’s entry portal. Bottom: European oak extends from floor to ceiling in a guest room.
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Opposite: Padded outdoor fabric upholsters the walls and ceiling of a corner in the spa. Top: Bronzed aluminum panels clad the pool’s 7-foot cantilever. Center: Aluminum rods crisscross overhead. Bottom: The custom platform is resin.
story housing seven suites, each with a private terrace opening onto the garden. Overall square footage is 21,500 square feet. The neoclassical arches of Vienna’s Gloriette are echoed in the sinuous curves and rounded windows of Soprabolzano’s art nouveau buildings. Respecting that tradition, Rungger has made the semicircular arch a defining architectural element of this hotel, inside and out. “New building techniques allowed us to twist and mirror the form,” the architect says, referring to its most prominent exterior use: a rooftop infinity pool that cantilevers 7 feet from the mansard roof, making it visible from the hotel grounds and further afar. A massive horizontal half-cylinder, whose inverted “U” cross-section Rungger likens to a smile, the aerial structure is clad in bronzed panels and, above the pool, sports a canopy of crisscrossing aluminum rods that casts geometric patterns on the surface of the water. Entry to the pool is via sliding glass doors set in a large cylindrical portal reminiscent of an airlock on a space station. Accessed by a monumental resin platform, it’s a sleek, sculptural object that dominates one end of the top-floor spa, defining the atticlike volume as strongly as the angles of the mansard roof overhead. “The spa is organized as one floating space surrounded by more intimate niches,” Rungger explains, acknowledging the need to create moments of enclosure in the face of the omni present mountain views. Custom beds, for example, are pushed against low peripheral walls paneled in herringbone oak that serve as anchoring headboards, and upholstery-padded alcoves are outfitted with mattresses on oak platforms, like a luxury take on a mountain grotto. The spa’s more private spaces include a steam bath and a sauna. Rungger weaves the arch form into the six additional suites and 12 guest rooms occupying the three floors below the spa. All have a balcony framed by a semicircular arch in the hotel’s facade. In some rooms, the inverted “U” reappears as a sort of partition between the sleeping area and the bathroom. On the bathroom side, it’s mirrored and set above the vanity and sink. Beds, desks, built-ins, and paneling are all in European oak. Wood is an essential part of the regional vernacular, after all, but the architect was sure the interiors didn’t read as what he calls “Alpine rustic.” So, wherever the material appears, it’s silky smooth with knots and imperfections minimized. “We used a lot of timber, but with clean lines and surfaces,” Rungger explains. In a nod to the geometric forms mixed in with the curves and arches, Rungger has given some suites cuboid bays that project
“Rungger has made the arch a defining architectural element, inside and out” 132
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FEB.19
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133
Opposite: Padded outdoor fabric upholsters the walls and ceiling of a corner in the spa. Top: Bronzed aluminum panels clad the pool’s 7-foot cantilever. Center: Aluminum rods crisscross overhead. Bottom: The custom platform is resin.
story housing seven suites, each with a private terrace opening onto the garden. Overall square footage is 21,500 square feet. The neoclassical arches of Vienna’s Gloriette are echoed in the sinuous curves and rounded windows of Soprabolzano’s art nouveau buildings. Respecting that tradition, Rungger has made the semicircular arch a defining architectural element of this hotel, inside and out. “New building techniques allowed us to twist and mirror the form,” the architect says, referring to its most prominent exterior use: a rooftop infinity pool that cantilevers 7 feet from the mansard roof, making it visible from the hotel grounds and further afar. A massive horizontal half-cylinder, whose inverted “U” cross-section Rungger likens to a smile, the aerial structure is clad in bronzed panels and, above the pool, sports a canopy of crisscrossing aluminum rods that casts geometric patterns on the surface of the water. Entry to the pool is via sliding glass doors set in a large cylindrical portal reminiscent of an airlock on a space station. Accessed by a monumental resin platform, it’s a sleek, sculptural object that dominates one end of the top-floor spa, defining the atticlike volume as strongly as the angles of the mansard roof overhead. “The spa is organized as one floating space surrounded by more intimate niches,” Rungger explains, acknowledging the need to create moments of enclosure in the face of the omni present mountain views. Custom beds, for example, are pushed against low peripheral walls paneled in herringbone oak that serve as anchoring headboards, and upholstery-padded alcoves are outfitted with mattresses on oak platforms, like a luxury take on a mountain grotto. The spa’s more private spaces include a steam bath and a sauna. Rungger weaves the arch form into the six additional suites and 12 guest rooms occupying the three floors below the spa. All have a balcony framed by a semicircular arch in the hotel’s facade. In some rooms, the inverted “U” reappears as a sort of partition between the sleeping area and the bathroom. On the bathroom side, it’s mirrored and set above the vanity and sink. Beds, desks, built-ins, and paneling are all in European oak. Wood is an essential part of the regional vernacular, after all, but the architect was sure the interiors didn’t read as what he calls “Alpine rustic.” So, wherever the material appears, it’s silky smooth with knots and imperfections minimized. “We used a lot of timber, but with clean lines and surfaces,” Rungger explains. In a nod to the geometric forms mixed in with the curves and arches, Rungger has given some suites cuboid bays that project
“Rungger has made the arch a defining architectural element, inside and out” 132
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FEB.19
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from the hotel’s facade. Fitted with arched windows and built-in daybeds, these nooks feature walls and ceilings upholstered in cotton in a deep blue, a reference to the signature color at the client’s restaurant, Vögele, in Bolzano. Each suite’s lounge area is furnished with comfortable sofas, adding to the sense of warmth and welcome; one, appropriately named the Chimney suite, has an enormous blackened-steel fireplace. Arched and rounded elements repeat on the ground floor, where reception and the lounge, restaurant, and bar areas are located. “There’s not a single door,” Rungger notes of the mostly open plan. The fireplace near the entry is circular, while the shiny black bar is a semicircle. Extra-wide arched windows give access to the dining terrace. Angularity figures in through some of the lighting, particularly the bronzed pendant fixtures that bend out and downward, like peaks of a mountain. These areas are peppered with salvaged treasures, antique cupboards and tables from the previous hotel that Rungger refinished and mixed with new furnishings. That touch is representative of the way he blends past with present to create a contemporary environment—an effect he calls “a journey through time.”
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Opposite top: The Chimney suite’s blackened-steel gas fireplace is custom. Opposite bottom: A mansard roof in powder-coated aluminum tops the 25-room stucco hotel. Top: Cotton upholsters another suite’s niche and daybed. Bottom: A custom mirrored partition separates bathroom from bed in a guest room.
PROJECT TEAM CHRISTIAN ROTTENSTEINER; MARINA GOUSIA; BARBARA RUNGGATSCHER; LEA MITTEL BERGER: NOA* NETWORK OF ARCHITECTURE. TSCHIGG-GARDEN: LANDSCAPING CONSULTANT. LED-TEC: LIGHTING CONSULTANT. ING. STEFANO BRUNETTI: STRUCTURAL, CIVIL ENGINEER. KTB-GROUP ENGINEERING DESIGN: MEP. PECHLANER NIKOLAUS & URBAN: WOODWORK. METALL RITTEN: METALWORK. RAMOSER: GENERAL CONTRACTOR. PRODUCT SOURCES FROM FRONT SUPERGRES: BORDER TILES (POOL). ALUCOBOND: PANELING. TISCHLEREI PRAST: CUSTOM BENCH, CUSTOM TABLES (BAR). MONTBEL: CHAIRS. MAIR GERT: FLOORING. UNICUM: CUSTOM ARMCHAIR (POOL). GLASERI RASOM URBANO: CUSTOM END WINDOW. SIMONAZZI: CUSTOM PLATFORM. ROSSETTO: ARMCHAIR (GUEST ROOM). BILLIANI: ROCKING CHAIR (CHIM NEY SUITE). PÖHL CALORE ESTETICO: CUSTOM FIREPLACE. STUDIO P CARPETS: RUG. SMEG: REFRIGERATOR (SUITE). BLOOMINGVILLE: SIDE TABLE. SCARABEO CERAMICHE: SINK (BATH ROOM). CRISTINA RUBINETTERIE: SINK FITTINGS. THROUGHOUT WOLF FENSTER: CUSTOM WINDOWS. RUBNER: CUSTOM DOORS. FISCHNALLER; RIER: CUSTOM FURNITURE. LOBIS BÖDEN: WOOD FLOORING. JAB ANSTOETZ GROUP; SOLEIL BLEU: UPHOLSTERY FABRIC.
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from the hotel’s facade. Fitted with arched windows and built-in daybeds, these nooks feature walls and ceilings upholstered in cotton in a deep blue, a reference to the signature color at the client’s restaurant, Vögele, in Bolzano. Each suite’s lounge area is furnished with comfortable sofas, adding to the sense of warmth and welcome; one, appropriately named the Chimney suite, has an enormous blackened-steel fireplace. Arched and rounded elements repeat on the ground floor, where reception and the lounge, restaurant, and bar areas are located. “There’s not a single door,” Rungger notes of the mostly open plan. The fireplace near the entry is circular, while the shiny black bar is a semicircle. Extra-wide arched windows give access to the dining terrace. Angularity figures in through some of the lighting, particularly the bronzed pendant fixtures that bend out and downward, like peaks of a mountain. These areas are peppered with salvaged treasures, antique cupboards and tables from the previous hotel that Rungger refinished and mixed with new furnishings. That touch is representative of the way he blends past with present to create a contemporary environment—an effect he calls “a journey through time.”
134
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Opposite top: The Chimney suite’s blackened-steel gas fireplace is custom. Opposite bottom: A mansard roof in powder-coated aluminum tops the 25-room stucco hotel. Top: Cotton upholsters another suite’s niche and daybed. Bottom: A custom mirrored partition separates bathroom from bed in a guest room.
PROJECT TEAM CHRISTIAN ROTTENSTEINER; MARINA GOUSIA; BARBARA RUNGGATSCHER; LEA MITTEL BERGER: NOA* NETWORK OF ARCHITECTURE. TSCHIGG-GARDEN: LANDSCAPING CONSULTANT. LED-TEC: LIGHTING CONSULTANT. ING. STEFANO BRUNETTI: STRUCTURAL, CIVIL ENGINEER. KTB-GROUP ENGINEERING DESIGN: MEP. PECHLANER NIKOLAUS & URBAN: WOODWORK. METALL RITTEN: METALWORK. RAMOSER: GENERAL CONTRACTOR. PRODUCT SOURCES FROM FRONT SUPERGRES: BORDER TILES (POOL). ALUCOBOND: PANELING. TISCHLEREI PRAST: CUSTOM BENCH, CUSTOM TABLES (BAR). MONTBEL: CHAIRS. MAIR GERT: FLOORING. UNICUM: CUSTOM ARMCHAIR (POOL). GLASERI RASOM URBANO: CUSTOM END WINDOW. SIMONAZZI: CUSTOM PLATFORM. ROSSETTO: ARMCHAIR (GUEST ROOM). BILLIANI: ROCKING CHAIR (CHIM NEY SUITE). PÖHL CALORE ESTETICO: CUSTOM FIREPLACE. STUDIO P CARPETS: RUG. SMEG: REFRIGERATOR (SUITE). BLOOMINGVILLE: SIDE TABLE. SCARABEO CERAMICHE: SINK (BATH ROOM). CRISTINA RUBINETTERIE: SINK FITTINGS. THROUGHOUT WOLF FENSTER: CUSTOM WINDOWS. RUBNER: CUSTOM DOORS. FISCHNALLER; RIER: CUSTOM FURNITURE. LOBIS BÖDEN: WOOD FLOORING. JAB ANSTOETZ GROUP; SOLEIL BLEU: UPHOLSTERY FABRIC.
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h e a d l i n e rs “Our mission is to help clients find, celebrate, and unfold their design story”
co-founder: Lukas Rungger. office site: Bolzano, Italy. office size: Five designers and 12 architects. current projects: A store in Merano, Italy; a residence in Berlin. honors: AHEAD Award for Hospitality, Experience and Design; German Design Award. role model: M.C. Escher for his ability to blur boundaries between art and architecture, space and time, connecting and dividing. past: Rungger and co-founder Stefan Rier met in 2009 while working for Interior Design Hall of Fame member Matteo Thun. present: They and their respective wives have recently become parents. noa.network
NOA* Network of Architecture “Ahead of the Curve,” page 128
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