Visitor centre in Naturns

Material continuity inside and out

Area Architetti designed a new visitor centre for the Texel Group Nature Park, which covers 31 hectares of South Tyrol. The free form of the building was inspired by the rocks formed and deformed by the action of ice and water in the mountains surrounding the site, which also influenced its materiality, texture, and colouring.

The shape of a snail shell made of stone provided the inspiration for the materiality, which was to be continuous and consistent in both the interior and exterior spaces. This was achieved by bringing together various Sto systems working in perfect harmony.

Inside, it was all about reducing noise to create pleasing room acoustics – but without compromising material continuity. The StoSilent acoustic system enabled materiality to remain consistent in the interior and optimised the acoustics at the same time.