Silena Lodge / noa* community of structure
Textual content description offered by the architects. Structure that spans the historical past of a number of generations has at all times had a sure attract to it—like that of the historic ‘Moarhof’, at this time often called Lodge Silena. Situated on the far finish of Valler Tal, the lodge has lately marked a brand new chapter in its historical past that bears the signature of noa*.
In 2017 the household that owns Lodge Silena determined to make a putting architectural change based mostly on a daring and weird determination. The 2022 transformation is the second the home has undergone and completes an idea that started 5 years in the past, additionally carried out by noa* studio. The construction has been enriched with a brand new entrance, six new suites, and an adults’ wellness space, thus bringing the unique idea to fruition.
Throughout a protracted journey by Asia, the homeowners developed a ardour for the customs and rituals noticed alongside their journey, which they selected to combine as central parts of the lodge design and idea. It was apparent to combine traditional parts and ambiances related to the Asian world much more so than within the preliminary intervention. The whole idea of the inside attracts on this imagery, each when it comes to materials and coloration composition.
This already begins within the newly designed entrance, the place visitors move by a spherical picket portal crafted in line with an Asian approach that captures the purity of conventional woodworking. The piece is just constructed of horizontal and vertical trusses, interlocked to 1 one other on the joints. To put additional significance on the welcome, the partitions of the entryway have been painted black utilizing a tough trowel approach with a mineral end: thus reworking the doorway right into a type of tunnel and intensifying the passage that punctuates the start of the vacation.
A Passageway to Asia. Specific emphasis has been positioned on the second of arrival: guests are welcomed into an open area, and the attention is free to meander alongside the axis that stretches from the northern entrance towards the indoor backyard to the south. This enjoyable environment invitations visitors to take a second to relaxation and have a drink upon arrival. The stone fountain, newly designed fire space, and comfy seating alcoves damper the rigidity of a traditional check-in. This intention is emphasised by the position of the reception desk to the aspect. Echoes of Asia are refined but omnipresent and reveal themselves within the type of darkish wooden paired with shades of blue and gray, delicate pine bonsai timber in ceramic pottery, vertical boulders of native stone, and discrete lantern-shaped lights. A complete wall is devoted to Tibetan prayer wheels: picket cylinders that with the contact of a passer-by’s hand are set right into a perpetual spin. Crisp traces create a harmonious environment and provides a powerful calmness and depth to the whole lot. Like an annex to this surroundings lies the traditional Tyrolean Stube — the very coronary heart of the unique Moarhof — its historical past, rustic model, and unique wooden is additional highlighted by its direct proximity to the brand new bar space that includes minimalist tea ceremony platforms.
One with the land. Darkish oak acts as a reference materials and fil rouge all through the constructing. The encompassing bathroom panorama that gave the unique farmhouse its identify (Moar means “marsh” within the native dialect) permeates all through the constructing and is echoed in its colours and supplies. All customized furnishings was made utilizing oak, and it’s oak that’s used for the flooring of the lodge’s six new suites. Regardless of belonging to a few distinct classes with dimensions and furnishings that subtly range between them, all of the suites are certain collectively by a unifying room design and idea. A strong sense of connection to the bottom is current in each room, with particular person areas delimited by the podiums they every sit on, such because the mattress, the meditation nook, and the ceremonial tea desk, which could be lowered into the ground and out of sight. This association attracts on the Japanese custom of making small, well-defined areas. The Asian room theme continues out onto the person terraces, conceived as out of doors rooms: every suite incorporates a small out of doors backyard outfitted with a bath, small flower beds, and curtains, evoking symbolic parts of the tradition’s wealthy origins.
Shifting Boundaries. The 30 to 55-square-meter suites are characterised by an alluring interaction of sunshine and shadow, of visibility and intimacy. The geometrically patterned picket room partitions contribute considerably to this, perpetuating the vigorous play of sunshine that enters by the patterned aluminum panels of the façade. The separation between the sleeping space and toilet is intriguing and even illusory at occasions: impressed by Japanese rice paper partitions, noa* created a partition composed partly of opaque glass panels, partly semi-transparent glass, and in some locations of open panels, to take care of a relationship between the 2 areas and evoke move within the ambiance. Two ceramic, tulip-silhouetted sinks are mirrored within the vainness’s glass countertop and underlaid wallpaper. Whereas the vainness is situated away from the window within the toilet, the bathe is positioned proper up in opposition to the window, favoring a direct relationship with the open air. The constructing’s façade ensures privateness, reworking the terraces right into a semi-private area. Visitors expertise a pleasing feeling of seclusion and on the similar time a magical view of the encompassing panorama.
Ceremonial wellness. Within the new wellness space on the highest ground, noa* has designed a retreat and wellness zone reserved for adults and impressed by Japanese Onsen springs. Right here there’s a rest space, showers for conventional purification rituals, and an open-air pool maintained at a continuing 40 levels. The pool’s design, with uncovered black concrete steps paying homage to volcanic stone, creates a putting textured mise-en-scène. The water that flows over the infinity edge and ripples throughout the tough concrete floor creates unexpected reflections and turns into a part of the ever-present meditative ceremony at Silena.
How far can one go with out breaking previous traditions whereas concurrently introducing new impetus to an unfolding story? With this venture, noa* has answered this query in an unconventional method. Types had been taken up, materiality continued, and the brand new juxtaposed with the present. In a historically alpine place, the place the paranormal and the enchanting invite contemplation: it’s right here the place structure tells the story of two distant cultures that harmoniously intercept and full each other.
