arlberg.well.com, St. Anton (AT)

The relocation of the Arlberg railway line provided a unique opportunity for the development of the health resort. On the newly reclaimed area between the ski slopes and the village, the spacious complex with its multi-purpose hall, wellness bath and gastronomy is the first step in the right direction. Where once the railway tracks embodied a stringent separation, an open promenade has developed.
The wide volume reaches deep into the rising terrain behind it, so that the bottom of a nearby ski slope stretches onto the snow-covered green roof and there still remains a generous, promenade-like open space in front of the building. A connecting space is located along the front of the entire building, which serves as a covered forecourt or lobby. A wide foyer in front of the multi-purpose hall absorbs the wavelike streams of visitors. Two seminar rooms that are suspended from the upper floor of the tall space are accessible via glazed footbridges.
The spa is located surrounding the open courtyard in the southwest. It can be accessed via a long ramp, which leads from the darker ground floor to the light flooded upper floor. Lounge areas surround the lower pools on three sides, thus providing a perfect view. The broad patio of the generously spaced restaurant area extends towards the promenade. The building is so smoothly integrated into the Alpine landscape that the roof, seen from the sloping hill, appears as a tangible work of spatial art.

Client: Arlberg Bergbahnen AG, Gemeinde und Tourismusverband St. Anton
Location: A-6580 St. Anton, Hannes-Schneider Weg 1
Architecture: Dietrich | Untertrifaller
Project management: Susanne Gaudl
Competition: 1998
Construction: 1999-2001
Area: 5.400 m²

Awards
2002 National Award Tourism + Architecture, 2003 IOC/IAKS Award

Partner
site management: Edelhofer, Untertrifaller sen., Bregenz / structural engineering: Mader & Flatz, Bregenz / building services: Team GMI, Dornbirn / ventilation: Tschernig, Rankweil / electronics: Hecht, Rankweil / acoustics: Brüstle, Dornbirn /// photos: © Bruno Klomfar