Apfelhotel Torgglerhof
APFELHOTEL TORGGLERHOF
Noa* network of architecture
ARCHITECTS
noa* network of architecture
CATEGORY
Hotels, Hotels Interiors
LOCATION
Saltusio, Italy
YEAR
2020
AREA
2890 m²
Text description provided by architect.
The apple, a fruit that originated in Kazakhstan and was brought to South Tyrol by the Romans, is central to the region’s cultural landscape. The Torgglerhof lies at the mouth of the Passeier Valley, its roots run deep in classic apple cultivation culture.
Over time, it became a spot for people wanting to linger, connect, and soak up the scenic views. It's here that the Apfelhotel (eng. Applehotel) was built, and it has since become both an outing destination and an insider tip for guests looking for a holiday treat and special getaway - with scrumptious architecture.
Behind the original façade of the barn, beneath the guest rooms, you’ll find Apfelhotel’s production of various delicacies from their home-grown apples as well as other local specialties.
The Apfelsauna (eng. Applesauna) was completed as the first feature of a spacious wellness and relaxation landscape, which has now been expanded.
18 new suites were built for guests and carefully designed to fit into the farmyard’s landscape structure while complementing the rural surroundings. A special emphasis was placed on preserving the character of the farmhouse ensemble and maintaining its scale.
As the central masterpiece of this rural development, noa* designed a wellness area with architecture and greenery that resemble a modern lush garden.
A kind of “green heart” that, like the apple-shaped sauna, integrates smoothly and fully into the landscape.
The newly opened wellness facility - the hotel’s new centrepiece - has no Northside facade, instead, it blends into a natural green slope so that the building can hardly be seen. The entrance to the new spa is a curved semi-exposed concrete shell that tucks into the landscape and is designed with a stunning portal made from old wood.
Here, in the interface between the surface and subsurface, the word immersion takes on a meaning of its own. The Southside of the wellness area, on the other hand, opens up with a glass and steel facade that vanishes underneath a blanket of rooftop greenery.
The steel canopy, on which fragrant jasmine flowers will climb, protrudes upwards into the open sky, reminiscent of the holding structures used in modern apple cultivation.
Much of the Brunnenhaus, (eng. Water Well House), as the new wellness area is also called, is largely hidden from sight: the entire structure is covered with a layer of earth and plants, designed to blend naturally into the bottom of the hill and thus merge into the landscape.
The spa boasts a central drinking fountain made from natural-stone and an open fireplace in a spacious lounge area, which leads onto the showers, changing rooms, and beauty and massage rooms.
The indoor-outdoor pool stretches out to the outdoors through the overgrown green façade and is partially framed with Lucerne metamorphic gneiss rock.
The framing dissolves where the water edge meets the surrounding open space to visually connect with the landscape in an infinity edge.
The upper floor is an area for adults only - it features a sauna lounge, relaxation room, and a Finnish sauna and steam bath and an adjacent terrace where guests can refresh with an outdoor shower.
The Finnish sauna is a dream for the senses, with its horizontally curved wooden slats and generous glazed windows, it offers a scenic view of the outdoors and apple fields.
The steam bath has a cave-like character, with droplets collected in a clay pot due to the ceiling that inclines towards the room’s centre.
The relaxation room offers a spectacular view of the valley through the greenery of its facade cladding. The Apfelsauna in the garden can be reached via a curved open staircase, which is flanked by the exposed concrete shell.
The new garden suites were constructed on the hotel’s East-facing side: three independent buildings with a total of 18 guest rooms across three floors. The saddle roofs absorb the architectural language of their surroundings and the façade blends tradition with modern aesthetics.
The buildings’ outer shell has been deliberately kept dark in an ode to the traditional character of a barn house. Meanwhile, a wooden rhombus pattern - created as a transformation of classic wooden struts - gives the three buildings an unmistakably modern flair.
On the ground and the first floor, there are four spacious guest rooms and two outer laying suites, which have a separate sleeping corner for children to play and sleep in. In the suites, the large windows offer a panoramic view of the idyllic landscape and the feeling of living in and enjoying your own home.
The attic gables are perfectly utilized to accommodate a sleeping gallery. An internal staircase leads from the suites up to the galleries, where step-shaped furniture also offers storage space. In every room, a unique atmosphere is created by meticulous attention to detail in design - with elements such as the metal banister purpose-built to wonderfully combine aesthetics and function.
