Redefining tradition- Apfelhotel Torgglerhof's transformation

"The apple never falls far from the tree," says the proverb. With the new young generation, the Apfelhotel in Saltusio in South Tyrol is blazing new trails, but without completely abandoning the old paths. It is a project that reflects the spirit and passion of an entire family, whose goal is to make people feel truly at home in a special place characterized by "an architecture rich in sensitivity, which does not take its space from nature, but draws on it to create a unique entity" (noa* network of architecture)

Expansion and Redefinition

In 2014 NOA won the competition to expand the existing structure of Apfelhotel Torgglerhof. In 2016, the old barn next to the main building and restaurant received a major redevelopment and conversion. Behind the original façade we find, on the lower floor, the production of characteristic delicacies, also made from local apples, which were imported at the time of the Roman Empire from Kazakhstan and became a typical South Tyrolean fruit, and on the upper floor the guest rooms

A Harmonious Blend of Tradition and Modernity

At the same time, the apple sauna was created, the first part of an extensive wellness and relaxation space, which was later further expanded. Eighteen new guest suites were built in 2020, fitting perfectly into the structure of the farmhouse and displaying a rural style. Special care was taken not to destroy the overall character of the structure and to maintain its proportions. As an antithesis to this rural development, the green and modern architecture of the wellness space garden in the center of the entire area stands out, a kind of "green heart" that blends seamlessly and completely into the landscape

Integration with Nature

The newly opened wellness area, the new centerpiece of the entire facility, has no built facade on the north side. This new wellness area is accessed through a kind of semi-curved shell made of exposed concrete. While on one side, toward the natural slope, no building is visible, the wellness space opens to the south, where the glass and steel facade dissolves behind a green filter. The "Brunnenhaus" - the name of the new wellness area - thus hides under a hill and becomes an integral part of the landscape

Modern Comfort in Rural Settings

To the east of the complex are the new garden suites, three independent buildings with a total of 18 rooms arranged on three floors. The saddle roofs express the architectural language of the surroundings, and through the design of the facade, tradition and modernity are combined. The exterior cladding of the building has been purposely kept dark to recall the tradition of the characteristic barns, but the pattern of the rhombus wood cladding - a kind of transformation of the classic wooden mullions - gives the three buildings an unmistakable modern character

Fusion of Old and New

Passing the barn and the majestic weeping willow, one arrives at the main building, where it all began. In the most recent phase of expansion, the existing hotel and restaurant have been enhanced with new pavilions that seem to encroach into the garden. The concept of the restaurant extension is based on the principle of three box rooms of different heights. The décor recalls the appearance of a modern winter garden. The ceiling reflects this atmosphere and forms the basis of a so-called "horizontal shelf" on which both plants and lighting can be used in a flexible. The open space is divided by full-height transparent shelves, which serve not only as dividers but also as a library. An old carpenter's bench invites tasting, freely available water flows from a fountain, and in a booth a specially designed piece of furniture composed of fixed and movable elements offers hot and cold dishes

Gallery

PEOPLE

NOA* Network of Architecture

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