The new “Iceman Ötzi Peak” viewing platform on the Schnalstal Glacier, designed by the Bolzano studio noa* (network of architecture), floats like a sculpture on the mountain and offers a fantastic panorama of Alpine South Tyrol. Since late last summer, there has been a spectacular viewing platform on the Schnalstal Glacier in South Tyrol at 3,251 meters, designed by the Bolzano-based studio noa* (network […]
The new “Iceman Ötzi Peak” viewing platform on the Val Senales glacier, designed by the Bolzano studio noa* (network of architecture), floats like a sculpture on the mountain and offers a fantastic panorama of Alpine South Tyrol.
Since late last summer, there has been a spectacular viewing platform on the Val Senales Glacier in South Tyrol at 3,251 meters, designed by the Bolzano office noa* (network of architecture) on behalf of Schnalstaler Gletscherbahn AG. It is named after Ötzi, the “Iceman”. The platform floats like a sculpture on the mountain and offers a fantastic panorama of Alpine South Tyrol – a view just like the famous Stone Age man had 5,300 years ago.
In its planning, noa* incorporated the existing summit cross. The design impresses with a clear design language and a reduced choice of materials made of Corten steel and glass. The almost floating, eighty square meter construction is organically shaped and consists of a grid with slender cross beams. The sculptural intervention is lined with vertical slats that are reminiscent of the stone landscape of the local scree fields.
The highlight is the cabin with a viewing platform made of all-glass railings. The cantilever above the void plays with sensory perceptions such as infinity or the overwhelming impressions of nature – but also functions as a picture frame. This is because it directs the viewer’s gaze to the place where Ötzi was found: we are looking directly at the snowfield of the Similaun, at the foot of which the glacier mummy was found by the Simons couple from Nuremberg in 1991. While up there you can experience the immediate surroundings of the Iceman, down in the valley the archeoParc open-air museum tells you how he lived.
The route to the viewing platform at 3,251 meters above sea level begins in Kurzras, the highest village in the Schnalstal Valley. The glacier cable car takes you up to 3,212 meters. This is where the mountain station and the Glacier Hotel Grawand – the highest hotel in Europe – are located. From here, the platform can be reached safely and comfortably on foot: in ten minutes via a staircase (with handrail).
Once at the top, you can discover the Hochjochferner and the watershed that forms the national border between Austria and Italy: the water flows from up here into the Black Sea and then into the Adriatic Sea. The path of transhumance, part of UNESCO’s intangible cultural heritage, can also be seen here. This involves the transhumance of sheep to the summer pastures: Every year in mid-June, shepherds move 3,000 to 4,000 sheep more than forty kilometers across the glacier to the Ötztal valley in North Tyrol.
Iceman Ötzi Peak
Grawand mountain station
I-39020 Kurzras/Schnals
Fancy another panoramic view? Discover the highest refuge in the Zillertal Alps, the Schwarzensteinhütte, designed by architects Helmut Stifter and Angelika Bachmann.
noa* was founded in 2011 by Lukas Rungger (born 1977) and Stefan Rier (born 1979) with headquarters in Bolzano and a branch in Berlin. The young architecture and design studio stands for a collaborative work ethic and relies on an interdisciplinary design methodology. Creative teams are put together at different times. “The traditional architectural profession is changing; as a methodological consequence, it is being replaced by interdisciplinary creatives from various design disciplines: we see ourselves more and more as conductors playing in an orchestra,” explains Lukas Rungger. noa* serves as an architectural spatial laboratory: with selected specialists in the team and in the network, conventional design becomes more complex, more intensive and richer. “Ten years ago now, we settled in Bolzano and founded noa*, deliberately conceived as a ‘network’ because this reflects the spirit of our work, the way we think, feel and act,” says noa* co-founder Stefan Rier. The two met while working for architect and designer Matteo Thun in Milan, where they were involved as project managers in a number of projects in the fields of tourism, modern living and contemporary working environments.
Lukas Rungger graduated in architecture at Graz University of Technology and, after studying at ISACF Brussels, worked first in Graz with Prof. Hans Gangoly, later in London with Softroom and finally in Milan with Matteo Thun. Following his diploma in Brooklyn and his state examination at the IUAV in Venice, Lukas Rungger focused in particular on urban development projects, sustainable housing, hotel planning and the interior design of stores, bars and restaurants.
Stefan Rier
Stefan Rier graduated in Interior Design at the Centro Studi “Andrea Palladio” Verona and in Architecture at the Technical University of Ferrara. After studying in Innsbruck, he first worked as an architect and project manager with Arch. Demetz, then later in Bergamo with Prof. Massimiliano Mandarini and finally in Milan with Matteo Thun. Stefan Rier completed his state examination at the University of Genoa and worked mainly on sustainable projects in the office and hotel construction sector as well as landscape, furniture and product design.
