The Professional Hotel School  "Savoy“
Renè Riller

The Professional Hotel School "Savoy“

Stifter + Bachmann as Project & Direction

The design for an extension building for the Professional Hotel School in Meran was the winning entry in an open EU-wide planning competition. Also known as the “Savoy“, the school is situated in an historically significant urban context characterized by the main school building, which is a protected monument, many art nouveau mansions with typical mansard roofs, pleasant green parks, and the covered promenade along the Passer river. The school’s old building, erected in 1895, was originally a guesthouse that was converted into a hotel in 1900. It later passed into state ownership and became the seat of the Hotel and Catering School. The architects’ brief required an extension adjacent to the intricate old building, sharing the same, relatively small site. This challenge was met by creating a formally simple volume that leans away from the old “Savoy”. The only visible link between the two is a light, transparent bridge on the second floor. The sloping façades offer a modern interpretation of the surrounding mansions’ mansard roofs and relieve the block structure dictated by the urban context. The building seems to subtly alter its form as one walks around it, an impression created by the sloping façades and the changing angles of light. Its tapering shape makes it seem smaller than it really is while allowing plenty of daylight to penetrate the interior and visually widens the rather narrow spaces between the new structure and the adjacent buildings. The new building’s angled façades also mean that the prominent front of the historic Savoy building remains well visible from all sides. Around the lower part of the new building, the façades lean slightly outwards, lending the entrance to the underground car park a discreet air while at the same time opening up a generous space around the main entrance to the building. The site will be car-free; the courtyard that currently serves as parking space will be converted into a park in order to enhance the urban ensemble. The building’s shell consists of a monolithic façade of cast-in-place concrete with a granulated finish.


The urban character of the building is also reflected in the open, transparent, and fluent spatial sequences of its interior. Light wells, galleries, and atriums create visual links between the individual floors with classrooms, training kitchens, and dining rooms. The design and material used for the roof show that it was interpreted as a fifth façade.

Project Credits
Product Spec Sheet

ElementBrand
Project & DirectionStifter + Bachmann
Product Spec Sheet
Project & Direction
Project Spotlight
Product Spotlight
News
Nokha Village Community Centre by Sanjay Puri Architects is an architectural oasis in the desert
18 Mar 2024 News
Nokha Village Community Centre by Sanjay Puri Architects is an architectural oasis in the desert

Mumbai-based Sanjay Puri Architects has completed the Nokha Village Community Centre, an architectur... More

Square and Tourist Office: Emerging finalist in Mies van der Rohe Awards 2024
15 Mar 2024 News
Square and Tourist Office: Emerging finalist in Mies van der Rohe Awards 2024

In this Archello series, we look at each of the seven nominated projects (five architecture finalist... More

25 best mosaic wall tile manufacturers
15 Mar 2024 Specification
25 best mosaic wall tile manufacturers

Mosaic wall tiles are produced in an enormous range of colors, shapes and finishes, and from a varie... More

Introducing Partner Motion Facades
15 Mar 2024 Partner News
Introducing Partner Motion Facades

Motion Facades specializes in supplying advanced facade systems for luxury real estate projects. Its... More

Bergendy Cooke, Grégoire Du Pasquier, Ruth Baleiko and Mathew Albores join Archello Awards 2024 jury panel
15 Mar 2024 Archello Awards
Bergendy Cooke, Grégoire Du Pasquier, Ruth Baleiko and Mathew Albores join Archello Awards 2024 jury panel

Architects Bergendy Cooke, Grégoire Du Pasquier, Ruth Baleiko and Mathew Albores have been an... More

JSWD completes new office complex in Bonn unified by triangular facade elements
14 Mar 2024 News
JSWD completes new office complex in Bonn unified by triangular facade elements

International architectural firm JSWD has completed the Neuer Kanzlerplatz office complex in the cit... More

Archello Awards 2024 expands with 'Firm Awards'
14 Mar 2024 Archello Awards
Archello Awards 2024 expands with 'Firm Awards'

Today Archello introduces a new set of Firm Awards categories to widen the scope of the Archello Awa... More

Studio Egret West develops plans for new Passivhaus homes
13 Mar 2024 News
Studio Egret West develops plans for new Passivhaus homes

London-based multidisciplinary architecture and design practice Studio Egret West has developed plan... More