SDA 2022 Entries

• Commercial Building - Buildings that are used for commercial purposes, and include retail, hospitality, workplaces, factories and warehouses and buildings where commercial services are provided. At least 50 percent of the buildings’ floor space will be used for commercial activities. 

Peter Pichler Architecture won an invited competition in 2019 to design a new hotel in northern Italy.
The new Hotel Milla Montis was inaugurated in October 2020.

The hotel is located in Maranza, in the Italian region of South Tyrol. Meadows and fields surround the well-shaped mountain of the small Alpine village, just above Puster Valley, a tourist destination well known for its marvelous hiking routes. The project location is characterized by its unique scenery and impressive panoramic views of the Dolomites Mountains.

The new hotel structure is fragmented into four shifted volumes to break down the scale of the entire structure while at the same time respecting the scale of the surrounding buildings.
The composition is inspired by the vernacular architecture of the region and the classic wooden barn reinventing a contemporary reinterpretation of this typology.

The curved shape of the exoskeleton façade is inspired by the pitchfork used by local farmers. Maranza is a small village in South Tyrol with a significate agricultural background.

The interiors are simple and functional, a timeless Alpine style. Ashwood is combined with typical green loden textiles, adding a dash of color giving continuity to the natural palette of the surrounding landscape.
Wood is the main protagonist of the project, both outside and inside, creating contrast with the exterior blackened wood and the interior lightwood.

Hotel Milla Montis encloses an aesthetic rigor and virtuous detailing in its use of materials. The standout material of the project is the use of wood, in its different variations. Blackened larch for the large curved cut-outs in the façade and light ash wood for the interior as in the ribbed ceiling and wood-tailored panels.
Indoors also other materials pay homage to the local tradition like local stones and green loden textiles.

Hotel Milla Montis achieves the most important local sustainable certificate called Casa Clima accomplishing the “A” category, being the highest one.
Another important feature of the project is the use of wood which brings obvious benefits in terms of sustainability. The entire façade is made of wood plus the last floor is a timber structure.
At PPA we find many benefits when building with wood: great benefits, its high performance, and because, in many cases, it identifies a building culture of the project location. Fortunately, the region of South Tyrol has a vast tradition and expertise in wood construction, so we were able to collaborate with highly specialized companies.

The main challenge was to stick to the scheduled construction plan and of course, the lockdown during 2020 appeared as an obstacle that in the end, we could overcome thanks to great teamwork performances. For sure working with local companies was very helpful in terms of organization and logistics in such an uncertain time.