Leogang
Year
2023
HIRT kinetics®
- SF XL polygonal
Architect
Project partner
- Kollegger Metallbau GmbH
An innovative way of building for a special kind of relaxation
The ATMOSPHERE is a truly extraordinary project. An international architectural competition was held especially for the purpose of finding the perfect design, and the winning entry by world-renowned architect Hadi Teherani, who grew up in Hamburg, convinced everybody. It emphasises relaxation and deceleration via a reduced colour palette, a purist design, and organic forms that underline the unique genius loci of Leogang. Teherani himself says of his approach that the architecture is always already there; you just have to recognise it. In Leogang, he created an architectural gem that, as a building, subordinates itself to nature without hiding in it. Instead, it takes up the surrounding landscape, incorporating and integrating it and the four classical elements.
Organic & inspiring: Wellness goes future
- Earth & Stone: Like a cocoon, the widely curved and walkable roof provides a feeling of shelter and hominess. At the same time, it allows for a spectacular view of the Leogang Mountains and the Steinernes Meer.
- Water: The 50-metre-long infinity pool, which is embedded right in the middle of a natural bathing lake, lets guests enjoy a grandiose feeling of weightlessness. At the same time, it is a reflection of the infinity of being and underlines the vastness of the landscape.
- Fire: In the evening, the large glass fronts reflect the magical play of colours of the setting sun – becoming the canvas for a panorama that no artist could hope to capture any better.
- Air: When the HIRT kinetics® retractable fronts silently descend, clear and soothing mountain air reaches every corner. The last boundaries between nature and building are erased, and a perfect symbiosis is created.
At the ATMOSPHERE, visitors will search in vain for clear edges and hard lines, but will instead find lots of elegance, great harmony, and inner balance. Everything here is round and curved, allowing one’s thoughts to flow freely and to help stimulate processes of transformation and regeneration. The architecture itself is meant to be an inspiration, helping guests achieve greater mindfulness in their everyday life through a conscious time-out. The interior design is therefore based a on modern, bright minimalism. The materials used – wood, exposed concrete, and stone – are regionally sourced and explicitly restrained so as not to compete with the view, but rather to emphasise it all the more.
The café and lounge area’s glass façade can be lowered into the ground without leaving a threshold, letting the inside and outside become one.
Thanks to the lowered glass fronts’ cap exactly matching the material and texture of the floor, the transitions are barely perceptible and 100 percent barrier-free.
Outside and inside merge together: A surprising continuum thanks to HIRT kinetics®
The heart of the ATMOSPHERE is the spacious, bright, and friendly hospitality area located on its western side with a direct view of the lake. This is also where the building’s real highlight is hidden: Thanks to HIRT kinetics® retractable fronts, the glass façade can disappear completely into ground at a length of more than 22 meters. Interior and exterior become one at the touch of a button. In fact, this illusion is so perfect that even the cable car going up the Leogang Mountains on the far side of the lake seems to be just within reach.
Thus, the lakeside café invites guests and holidaymakers to enjoy a unique break and to recharge their batteries. Here, water and mountains, nature and humanity, indoors and outdoors create a breathtaking continuum. For a moment, time seems to stand still and yet, everything remains in constant flux. Anyone who has ever experienced a sense of boundless freedom knows the positive effect it has on one’s body and mind. Even though HIRT moving architecture® is only one of many components, the sophistication of its technical solution contributes considerably to the gorgeous overall impression.
Weather permitting, the massive glass façades descend almost weightlessly – creating a magic that never ceases to amaze.
One of the spa ensemble’s centrepieces is the spectacular 50-meter infinity pool right in the middle of a natural bathing lake.
Utter perfection & utmost sustainability
The issue of sustainability is one of HIRT’s core themes. Our work and development are geared towards it, as our engineers see it as their mission to make it possible for people to once again experience nature with all their senses.
In order to implement this idea at the ATMOSPHERE, the façade elements in the gastronomy and lounge areas were to be opened up over a large area. This is where HIRT kinetics® retractable fronts displayed their full potential: The entire façade consists of only three HIRT kinetics SF XL polygonal glass fronts. In addition, structural glazing was chosen in order to achieve a homogenous building shell, as the glass joints are profile-less and thus almost invisible.
Equally impressive are the dimensions of the retractable fronts: Each element is 7.5 meters high and 2.6 meters wide and weighs 1.6 tons. And yet, thanks to perfectly balanced counterweights, each can be moved by a small and nearly silent motor. Thus, the massive glass fronts “disappear” with surprising grace and lightness. Experiencing this spectacle live for the first time, one cannot help but be amazed.
HIRT moving architecture® realises projects all over the world – each one unique, perfectly crafted down to the last detail and highly durable. For instance, HIRT kinetics® can easily withstand extreme climatic conditions, and their sophisticated pneumatic seals give draughts no chance. Additionally, HIRT kinetics® are absolutely safe to operate thanks to CE conformity. In short: HIRT moving architecture® is Swiss engineering and thus, precision in perfection.
Are you interested and would like to know more? It would be our pleasure! The HIRT planners are always available to answer all your questions. Simply book an appointment for a consultation today and let us introduce you to the possibilities of dynamic architecture. Soon, you too can experience the extraordinary charm of vertically opening glass fronts in your planned project. HIRT moving architecture® guarantees you: The fascination won’t be diminished but will be rekindled every day.
