Briol, Peter Zumthor Barbian Dreikirchen, Italy 2007

The Briol guesthouse in Southern Tyrol, Italy, was built in the year 1928 by the painter Hubert Lanzinger. This is a hideout for lovers of the simple "freshness of summer". The mountain guesthouse is at an altitude of 1300 meters. After climbing through forests and mountain meadows, it takes an hour from the village of Barbian to reach it on foot.

Briol is an old-style mountain hotel, intended primarily for summer occupation. Two of the parlours can be heated with wood stoves; the modest bathrooms and toilets are in the hallway. In the spacious rooms with large balconies, old-fashioned washing bowls and jugs of water are placed on wooden tables. Both owners,  Johanna and Urban von Klebelsberg, and log-term guests have no desire to change any of this. 

However, for people who wish or need to have more comfortable facilities, for families with children or for small groups, Peter Zumthor has designed five freestanding "tree houses" on stilts. Situated at the edge of the woods to the west of the old guest house, each of the small buildings consists of one main living room and a large outdoor deck that looks out over the valley with a view of the Dolomites. The combination of such a view and life among the trees is such an impressive experience that the architects have to do little more than provide a good place to be and enjoy. The pile dwellings among the trees are basically annexes of the main building, with their own bathrooms and roomy service spaces. Meals are served in the main building. In winter when there's a lot of snow and the main "Briol" is closed, it will still be possible to use one or another of the small houses because there are wood stoves in the living rooms as well as small cooking niches.

 "Galerie Gross"
Four-bed unit with separate "sleeping knapsack" and a gallery bedroom. Under the gallery facing the mountain: the vestibule and a small kitchen.

"Rucksack"
A tall, slender living room with a view and a separate bedroom suspended above, a "Rucksack" for up to four beds, with a view of the tree tops.

"Mini"
A large room with four beds and a larger balcony, surrounded on three sides by service spaces - the smallest unit, more to sleep in than to live in.

 "Gallerie Klein"
A side entrance with a small kitchen, a tall living room with an outdoor deck, two beds on the gallery and down below a double bed behind the living room.

"Türmchen"
The traditional layout of a parlour with sleeping chamber above it. A long deck in front of the living room and, once again, a U-shaped layer of service spaces acting as a buffer around the living room. 

JOHN HOPE GATEWAY

Royal Botanic Garden, Edinburgh, UK, 2007-09

Address: Arboretum Place, Edinburgh EH3 5LR, Scotland, +44 13 12 48 29 09, www.rbge.org.uk 

Area: 2762m². Client: Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh Cost: €14 milion

For this space , the architects decided to " frame a view of the garden , which appears between slate walls , crowned by the outstanding wooden deck ." On the ground floor there are exhibition areas and a shop , while on the top floor we find an educational classroom , a restaurant and offices. Given the local weather , the facility also was designed as a " climate refuge." Some walls are opened in the warmer months , although the use of glass encourages contact with the outside even during winter . 

A curved window 60m in length opens to the new biodiversity garden designed by Gross Max, which can be seen from the inside, from the above outside terraces or from the outside , going over a path created for this purpose. One of the principal aims of the design was to achieve low power consumption and minimal waste . Passive strategies were adopted , as well as a biomass furnace , solar collectors for hot water and photovoltaic panels . 

Concerning timber , architects explain this way their project: " The sturdy wooden structure was developed in collaboration with Buro Happold engineers . The coffered ceilings give a unique identity to the space, both in the restaurant and in the rest of the project ".

The site plan shows the location of the structure in the Royal Botanic Garden. The building, in harmony with its environment, alternates  wooden covered facades with large glazings.

                  

The great ceiling height, a considerable amount of natural light and the presence of vegetation make it even more obvious connection to nature.

                   

The glazed area on three of its sides, transmits users the feeling that they can be connected with nature. The sections show the slope of the land and the interior spaces of the building.