design et al are delighted to announce that noa* – network of architecture have been shortlisted for Spa Hotel Award in The International Hotel and Property Awards 2018.

The Hotel Hubertus is located in Valdaora, at the foot of the famous ski and hiking area Kronplatz in the Puster Valley at an altitude of about 1350 m. The family establishment was generously enhanced and enlarged by noa* network of architecture with 16 new suites, a new kitchen with restaurants and “Stuben”, an entrance area with lobby, reception and wine cellar and a fitness and a relaxation room with panoramic terraces. The new 25-metre-long sky pool, functioning as a connector between old and new, is the highlight of this project and underlines the essence of this comprehensive renovation and renewal project.

The position of the sky pool, which floats 12 metres above the ground, at its extreme edge, gives the swimmer the feeling of floating – weightlessly between heaven and earth. This impression is further reinforced by the glass front and a glazed window on the bottom of the pool. The new pool, which imposingly rests in-between the two accommodation wings, seems like a floating rock, come to rest at the site, overlooking the valley. Without any visible boarders, a width of 5 metres, a length of 25 metres and a depth of 1,30 metres the over 17 m cantilevering pool can be seen as completely unique.

The new rooms in the annexe with their glazed front and east facing-balcony allow for natural lighting. Contemporary stoves introduced in the guest rooms create a living room style atmosphere, while debarked wooden room dividers create a link to the exterior and its facade. The curves of the balcony follow the main theme of the fluid gesture, which through the conversion and new construction stands in a strong connection to the surrounding landscape. By creating an unified, rhythmically alternating façade with native larch tree trunks noa* network of architecture connects “old and new” in a consistent manner. The homogeneous appearance, following the natural topography of the area, creates the theatrical base for the design of the new, cantilevering pool, which thrones between the old and new accommodation wings, floating between heaven and earth…

noa* – network of architecture