Wraping public space with sinuous curves. TreeHugger by MoDusArchitects
13/02/2020.
[Bressanone - Bolzano] Italy
metalocus, JOAN MARSET
metalocus, JOAN MARSET
Italian architecture firm MoDusArchitects completed TreeHugger, the new Tourist Information Office building of the city of Bressanone, a city, north of the Italian city of Bolzano, as a result of the international competition held in 2016.
The Tourist Information Office, as well dubbed as the “TreeHugger” by MoDus Architects, is located just outside the historical centre of Bressanone.
The Tourist Information Office, as well dubbed as the “TreeHugger” by MoDus Architects, is located just outside the historical centre of Bressanone.
Tourist Information Office. TreeHugger by MoDusArchitects. Photograph by Oskar Da Riz
Tourist Information Office. TreeHugger by MoDusArchitects. Photograph by Oskar Da Riz
Tourist Information Office. TreeHugger by MoDusArchitects. Photograph by Oskar Da Riz
Tourist Information Office. TreeHugger by MoDusArchitects. Photograph by Oskar Da Riz
Tourist Information Office. TreeHugger by MoDusArchitects. Photograph by Oskar Da Riz
Tourist Information Office. TreeHugger by MoDusArchitects. Photograph by Oskar Da Riz
Tourist Information Office. TreeHugger by MoDusArchitects. Photograph by Oskar Da Riz
Tourist Information Office. TreeHugger by MoDusArchitects. Photograph by Oskar Da Riz
Tourist Information Office. TreeHugger by MoDusArchitects. Photograph by Oskar Da Riz
Tourist Information Office. TreeHugger by MoDusArchitects. Photograph by Oskar Da Riz
Tourist Information Office. TreeHugger by MoDusArchitects. Photograph by Oskar Da Riz
Tourist Information Office. TreeHugger by MoDusArchitects. Photograph by Oskar Da Riz
Tourist Information Office. TreeHugger by MoDusArchitects. Photograph by Oskar Da Riz
Tourist Information Office. TreeHugger by MoDusArchitects. Photograph by Oskar Da Riz
Tourist Information Office. TreeHugger by MoDusArchitects. Photograph by Oskar Da Riz
Tourist Information Office. TreeHugger by MoDusArchitects. Photograph by Oskar Da Riz
Tourist Information Office. TreeHugger by MoDusArchitects. Photograph by Oskar Da Riz
Tourist Information Office. TreeHugger by MoDusArchitects. Photograph by Oskar Da Riz
Tourist Information Office. TreeHugger by MoDusArchitects. Photograph by Oskar Da Riz
Tourist Information Office. TreeHugger by MoDusArchitects. Photograph by Oskar Da Riz
Tourist Information Office. TreeHugger by MoDusArchitects. Photograph by Oskar Da Riz
Tourist Information Office. TreeHugger by MoDusArchitects. Photograph by Oskar Da Riz
Tourist Information Office. TreeHugger by MoDusArchitects. Photograph by Oskar Da Riz
Tourist Information Office. TreeHugger by MoDusArchitects. Photograph by Oskar Da Riz
Tourist Information Office. TreeHugger by MoDusArchitects. Photograph by Oskar Da Riz
Tourist Information Office. TreeHugger by MoDusArchitects. Photograph by Oskar Da Riz
Tourist Information Office. TreeHugger by MoDusArchitects. Photograph by Oskar Da Riz
Tourist Information Office. TreeHugger by MoDusArchitects. Photograph by Oskar Da Riz
Urban plan. Tourist Information Office. TreeHugger by MoDusArchitects.
Site plan. Tourist Information Office. TreeHugger by MoDusArchitects.
Site plan. Tourist Information Office. TreeHugger by MoDusArchitects.
Ground floor plan. Tourist Information Office. TreeHugger by MoDusArchitects.
First floor plan. Tourist Information Office. TreeHugger by MoDusArchitects.
Basement plan. Tourist Information Office. TreeHugger by MoDusArchitects.
Cross section. Tourist Information Office. TreeHugger by MoDusArchitects.
Longitudinal section. Tourist Information Office. TreeHugger by MoDusArchitects.
Connections. Tourist Information Office. TreeHugger by MoDusArchitects.
Curves. Tourist Information Office. TreeHugger by MoDusArchitects.
East elevation Tourist Information Office. TreeHugger by MoDusArchitects.
North elevation Tourist Information Office. TreeHugger by MoDusArchitects.
South elevation Tourist Information Office. TreeHugger by MoDusArchitects.
West elevation Tourist Information Office. TreeHugger by MoDusArchitects.
The project designed by MoDusArchitects is a concrete building characterised with sinuous curves, wraping around an existing tree, sharp corners, and a large overhang that cantilevers out toward the new public square.
According the architects the body of the building made new visual connections, to the main building of the Bishop’s Palace, and also to the ancillary Chinese and Japanese pavilions that mark the corners of the Palace gardens. The volume is complemented with the visual and tactile qualities of the roughhewn walls of the bush-hammered concrete and the scaly bark of the plane-tree in their juxtaposition.
The building is almost entirely glazed on the ground floor, which houses the public spaces and info booths, to allow maximum transparency and permeability. The upper floor houses the administrative offices.
According the architects the body of the building made new visual connections, to the main building of the Bishop’s Palace, and also to the ancillary Chinese and Japanese pavilions that mark the corners of the Palace gardens. The volume is complemented with the visual and tactile qualities of the roughhewn walls of the bush-hammered concrete and the scaly bark of the plane-tree in their juxtaposition.
The building is almost entirely glazed on the ground floor, which houses the public spaces and info booths, to allow maximum transparency and permeability. The upper floor houses the administrative offices.
Project description by MoDusArchitects
Located just outside the historical centre of the South Tyrolean city, adjacent to the Bishop’s Palace of Bressanone, the eye-catching concrete building is the last episode in a series of “architectural homicides” dating from the 1800s up until the 1970s. TreeHugger takes on the qualities of airiness and levity in alignment with the site’s antecedent structures, which were dedicated to the welcoming of visitors, with their respective features of slender columns, deep loggias, and delicate overhangs.
The project raises its body on tiptoe and frees up the ground level to give it over to the city as a public space. New visual connections are made, not only to the main building of the Bishop’s Palace, but also to the ancillary Chinese and Japanese pavilions that mark the corners of the Palace gardens. The exotic, sinuous curves of the corner pavilions are re-interpreted in the building designed by MoDusArchitects which transforms into a new gateway for the city of Bressanone.
The site is characterized by an existing monumental tree that governs the design. TreeHugger twists and turns around the central platanus to form an inseparable connection between nature and edifice. The visual and tactile qualities of the roughhewn walls of the bush-hammered concrete and the scaly bark of the plane-tree mimic one another in their juxtaposition.
With the tree trunk as the fulcrum, five arched spans release the building from the ground, accompanying the tree upwards to draw an open frame around the tree’s crown. In order to achieve the seamless, vertical surface of the outer concrete shell, the full height of the walls was cast from one flow and in successive sections to form a continuous 9-metre-high ring, within which the concrete plates were then poured. The curvature of the walls, together with the floor slabs form a collaborative composition in which the form, the structure and the building facades become one.
The building is almost entirely glazed on the ground floor, which houses the public spaces and info booths, to allow maximum transparency and permeability. The entrance is clearly marked by the inset windows and the large overhang that cantilevers out towards the new square. The upper floor, housing the administrative offices, is closed and enigmatic in the sequence of its convex surfaces.
With its welcoming curves balanced by the decisive concrete tectonic, TreeHugger strikes up a conversation with its historical context while organically attracting passersby and visitors as a magnet devoted to the sharing of local culture.
More information
Architects
MoDusArchitects. Architects.- Sandy Attia, Matteo Scagnol.
Project Team
Irene Braito, Filippo Pesavento
Collaborators
Structural engineer.- Luca Bragagna.
Client
Bressanone Tourist Association.
Contractor
Unionbau.
Site works.- Goller Bögl.
Electrical installations.- Elektro Josef Graber.
Thermo-hydraulic installations.- Pezzei.
Site works.- Goller Bögl.
Electrical installations.- Elektro Josef Graber.
Thermo-hydraulic installations.- Pezzei.
Dates
Competition.- 2016. Design phase.- 2017—2018. Completion.- September 2019.
Area
GFA.- 430 sqm
Manufacturers
Stone and ceramic flooring.- Bernardi & Figli
Carpet flooring.- SAXL Bodenbeläge
Glass facade and windows.- Huber Hannes
Subflooring and plasterwork.- Winkler-Verputz
Drywall and painting.- Cimadom Decor.
Doors (interiors).- Aster Holzbau.
Lift.- Kronlift.
Furniture.- Jungmann, Trias.
Millwork, custom finishings and furniture.- Barth.
Interior partitions and furniture.- Tischlerei Goller - Anders Gmbh.
Sheet metal.- Stampfl Bauspenglerei.
Custom metal.- Ellecosta Metallbau.
Multimedia.- ACS.
Carpet flooring.- SAXL Bodenbeläge
Glass facade and windows.- Huber Hannes
Subflooring and plasterwork.- Winkler-Verputz
Drywall and painting.- Cimadom Decor.
Doors (interiors).- Aster Holzbau.
Lift.- Kronlift.
Furniture.- Jungmann, Trias.
Millwork, custom finishings and furniture.- Barth.
Interior partitions and furniture.- Tischlerei Goller - Anders Gmbh.
Sheet metal.- Stampfl Bauspenglerei.
Custom metal.- Ellecosta Metallbau.
Multimedia.- ACS.
Photography
Sandy Attia, Matteo Scagnol. MoDus Architects
MoDus Architects was founded by Sandy Attia (Cairo, 1974) and Matteo Scagnol (Trieste, 1968) in 2000. The studio distinguishes itself within the international architectural panorama by the bold and heterogenous body of work that intertwines the founding partners’ two different formative and cultural backgrounds.
Completed works include the Ponte di Ghiaccio Mountain Lodge, the Psychiatric Rehabilitation Centre, the School Campus in the Firmian district of Bolzano, the Bressanone-Varna Ring Road, the Kostner House and Studio, the new Damiani Holz&Ko Office Addition and the Tourist Visitor’s Center Building in Bressanone (TreeHugger).
MoDusArchitects’ work has been recognized with a number of important awards: the jury’s special prize at the Premio Architetto Italiano 2013, honourable mentions for the Gold Medal in Italian Architecture (2015, 2012), first prize for the International Piranesi Award 2013, Best Architects (2013, 2018, 2019), the German Design Council’s Iconic Award (2012, 2019) and a nomination for the Mies van der Rohe Award 2015. Several projects have been included in the Triennale di Milano in 2012 e 2015, the Venice Architecture Biennale in 2010, 2012, 2014 and 2018 within the Italian Pavilion. The Kostner House and Studio project together withthe Damiani Holz&Ko Office Building project are part of the MAXXI Museum’s permanent collection in Rome. Matteo Scagnol and Sandy Attia flank their professional work with their academic roles at Princeton University's School of Architecture (USA).
Sandy Attia was born in Cairo in 1974 and graduated in 1995 from the University of Virginia. In 2000, she earned a Master’s in Architecture from the Graduate School of Design at Harvard University and in the same year, she founded MoDusArchitects with Matteo Scagnol.
In 2002, she received the Muschenheim teaching and research fellowship at the University of Michigan (TCAUP) where Sandy Attia continued her academic endeavors until 2004. In 2013, she was nominated for the ArcVision Prize for her contribution to the field of architecture.
Her book titled Designing Schools was shortlisted for the Italian National Research Award in the field of architecture. Since 2015 she has worked closely with the Agnelli Foundation in Turin on a number of educational related projects. Sandy is also a Visiting Professor at Princeton University’s School of Architecture.
Matteo Scagnol was born in Trieste in 1968 and graduated in 1995 from the IUAV (University Institute of Architecture of Venice). In 1999, he earned a Master’s in Architecture from the Graduate School of Design at Harvard University.
In 2000, he founded MoDusArchitects with Sandy Attia. The same year, he received the Fulbright fellowship in Visual Arts for the American Academy in Rome. Matteo has also taught at the IUAV in Venice and at the University of Trento. Known for his capacity to fuse the technical and more poetic aspects of the architectural discipline, he is often invited to jury international architecture competitions and speak at conferences, both in Italy and abroad. Matteo is also a Visiting Professor at the School of Architecture of Princeton University (USA).
Completed works include the Ponte di Ghiaccio Mountain Lodge, the Psychiatric Rehabilitation Centre, the School Campus in the Firmian district of Bolzano, the Bressanone-Varna Ring Road, the Kostner House and Studio, the new Damiani Holz&Ko Office Addition and the Tourist Visitor’s Center Building in Bressanone (TreeHugger).
MoDusArchitects’ work has been recognized with a number of important awards: the jury’s special prize at the Premio Architetto Italiano 2013, honourable mentions for the Gold Medal in Italian Architecture (2015, 2012), first prize for the International Piranesi Award 2013, Best Architects (2013, 2018, 2019), the German Design Council’s Iconic Award (2012, 2019) and a nomination for the Mies van der Rohe Award 2015. Several projects have been included in the Triennale di Milano in 2012 e 2015, the Venice Architecture Biennale in 2010, 2012, 2014 and 2018 within the Italian Pavilion. The Kostner House and Studio project together withthe Damiani Holz&Ko Office Building project are part of the MAXXI Museum’s permanent collection in Rome. Matteo Scagnol and Sandy Attia flank their professional work with their academic roles at Princeton University's School of Architecture (USA).
Sandy Attia was born in Cairo in 1974 and graduated in 1995 from the University of Virginia. In 2000, she earned a Master’s in Architecture from the Graduate School of Design at Harvard University and in the same year, she founded MoDusArchitects with Matteo Scagnol.
In 2002, she received the Muschenheim teaching and research fellowship at the University of Michigan (TCAUP) where Sandy Attia continued her academic endeavors until 2004. In 2013, she was nominated for the ArcVision Prize for her contribution to the field of architecture.
Her book titled Designing Schools was shortlisted for the Italian National Research Award in the field of architecture. Since 2015 she has worked closely with the Agnelli Foundation in Turin on a number of educational related projects. Sandy is also a Visiting Professor at Princeton University’s School of Architecture.
Matteo Scagnol was born in Trieste in 1968 and graduated in 1995 from the IUAV (University Institute of Architecture of Venice). In 1999, he earned a Master’s in Architecture from the Graduate School of Design at Harvard University.
In 2000, he founded MoDusArchitects with Sandy Attia. The same year, he received the Fulbright fellowship in Visual Arts for the American Academy in Rome. Matteo has also taught at the IUAV in Venice and at the University of Trento. Known for his capacity to fuse the technical and more poetic aspects of the architectural discipline, he is often invited to jury international architecture competitions and speak at conferences, both in Italy and abroad. Matteo is also a Visiting Professor at the School of Architecture of Princeton University (USA).
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