noa* – network of architecture designed a new skypool for Hotel Hubertus in Valdaora which rests in-between the two accommodation wings and connects “old and new” in a consistent manner.
-text by the authors
Hotel Hubertus is located in Valdaora, at the foot of the famous ski and hiking area Kronplatz in the Puster Valley at an altitude of about 1350 m. The family establishment was generously enhanced and enlarged with 16 new suites, a new kitchen with restaurants and “Stuben”, an entrance area with lobby, reception and wine cellar and a fitness and a relaxation room with panoramic terraces.
The new 25 m long pool, functioning as a connector between old and new, underlines the essence of this comprehensive renovation and renewal project.
By creating an unified, rhythmically alternating façade with native larch tree trunks noa* connects “old and new” in a consistent manner.
The homogeneous appearance, following the natural topography of the area, creates the theatrical base for the design of the new, cantilevering pool, which thrones between the old and new accommodation wings, floating between heaven and earth.
The new pool, which imposingly rests in-between the two accommodation wings, seems like a floating rock, come to rest at the site, overlooking the valley.
The hidden edges of the pool, kept in anthracite-coloured stone, abolish the gap between pool and landscape, creating the impression of the water flowing into nothing, disappearing between pool and landscape.
The pool metaphorically reminds of a mountain lake, nestled into the astonishing mountainscape of the UNESCO World Heritage site, the Dolomites.
Without any visible boarders, a width of 5 m, a length of 25 m and a depth of 1,30 m the over 17 m cantilevering pool can be seen as completely unique.
The position of the pool, which floats 12 m above the ground, at its extreme edge, gives the swimmer the feeling of floating – weightlessly between heaven and earth. This impression is further reinforces by the glass front and a glazed window on the bottom of the pool.
Plans
Facts & Credits
Project title Hubertus
Typology Hotel
Location Valdaora (I)
Architecture and Design noa* – network of architecture
Date May 2016 – completed
Photography Alex Filz
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