Design: Built at an altitude of around 2 000 meters next to the Oberholz ropeway station, the new mountain hut grows out of the slope like a fallen tree, forming a symbiotic relationship with the landscape. The externally visible parts of the building are guided by elements of the local building culture, for instance the roof shape, while the complex interior reinterprets the layout of traditional Dolomite Alps mountain huts. The large glass facades of the three building segments face the three most important mountains in the vicinity, opening the view spectacularly for the guests of the restaurant.
Wood: The loadbearing and non-loadbearing timber elements, as well as the furniture, are entirely made out of wood from the Alpine region. Other than spruce for the loadbearing structure and the interior finishing, larch was used for the facade and oak for the furniture. All pieces were processed and constructed by local craftsmen.
Energy: The employment of sustainable technologies such as a geothermal heat pump helped the building to be a lowest-energy building and reach the Casa Clima class A certificate.
Commercial Use
Oberholz Mountain Hut
Obereggen, Italy
A sculpture of a mountain hut, citing the local building culture through its intense use of wood.
Basic information
Technical aspects
Site Plan
Cross Section
Year of Completion |
2016
Investor |
Obereggen AG/SpA, Deutschnofen/Nova Ponente (IT)
Architecture |
Peter Pichler in cooperation with Pavol Mikolajcak, Milan (IT)
Structural Engineering |
Wood structure: Dr. Ing. Andreas Erlacher, Bozen/Bolzano (IT)
Construction Time |
8 months
Plot size |
1 432 m²
Gross floor area |
634 m²
Awards |
The Plan Award 2017; Ristorante d’autore – Archilovers 2017; Emerging architect of the year, Dezeen Awards 2017 (Nominierung)
Technical aspects
Concept |
Wood-concrete hybrid
Woodworking |
LignoAlp, Brixen/Bressanone (IT); construction company: Pfeifer Bau Srl, Deutschnofen/Nova Ponente (IT)
Origin of Timber, Certification |
Southern Germany (DE), Austria (AT), PEFC
Traceability of Timber |
Attested by PEFC certificate
Forestry Value Chain |
Exclusively construction companies from South Tyrol (IT)
Energy Efficiency Standard |
CasaClima A
Energy Systems |
Geo-thermal heat pump
Energy Consumption |
36 kWh/m²a (heating energy demand)
U-Value Wall | Roof | Floor | Windows (W/(m²K)) |
0,14 | 0,14 | – | 0,6
Site Plan
Civil Engineering Works
- 09Hyère River Road Bridge
- 17Stuttgart Wood Bridge
- 27Avisio River Footbridge
- 44Forest Observation House
- 52Elephant House Zoo Zurich
Multistorey Buildings
- 02HoHo Wien
- 10Building Cooperative Habrico
- 28Social Housing Via Cenni
- 45Karantanika Apartments
Residential Buildings
- 03Stürcherwald House
- 11Chalet Chantemerle
- 29Jesolo Lido Pool Villa
- 46Scandinavian House
Commercial Use
- 04Ski Hut Wolf
- 12Sheep Stable
- 30Oberholz Mountain Hut
- 47Youth Hostel Punkl
Office Buildings
- 01Illwerke Zentrum Montafon
- 05Wälder Insurance
- 13Administrative Offices
- 31LignoAlp Office Building
Refurbishment and Restoration
- 06Working quarters Josef Weiss
- 22Freiburger Hof
- 32Passeggiata dei Castani
- 49Upgrading of Hotel Terme
- 50Alpine Barn Apartment
Public Buildings
- 07Civic Center
- 08Fire Station Thal
- 15Passive House School
- 33Community Center Caltron
- 51EXPANO Pavilion
- 57Théâtre Vidy Pavilion
Special Projects
- 06aLoft in the Barn
- 34Sasso Nero Mountain Hut
- 35Veidlerhof
- 36Tree of Life
- 48Wooden Interventions