Architecture in South Tyrol: between memory and innovation
South Tyrol is one of the European regions in which the dialogue between past and future architecture manifests itself most intensively. Amidst valleys, villages and Dolomite peaks, the historical heritage coexists harmoniously with contemporary design research of the highest quality. The city of Bozen, with its urban fabric that alternates between Renaissance arcades and rationalist architecture, is a good example of this.
Museion in Bozen - museum for modern art
Tourismusverein Bozen Bolzano - OthmarSeehauserIn recent decades, alongside the rich historical heritage, a new architectural season has transformed South Tyrol into a laboratory for sustainable experimentation and dialogue with the landscape. In addition to the famous wine cellars - which have become the symbol of refined 'oenological' architecture - the area is home to an astonishing variety of public and private projects: museums, libraries, tourist infrastructures, cultural spaces and industrial redevelopments. These works, signed by internationally renowned architects and by local studios of great sensitivity, share a common focus on natural materials, light and landscaping.
We would like to present four examples of modern architecture, among the many that you can admire in South Tyrol, that are sure to catch your attention and that you might happen to see photographed in magazines.
🏔️ 1. Messner Mountain Museum Corones – Kronplatz
Architect: Zaha Hadid Architects
Embedded in the rock at an altitude of over 2,000 metres at Kronplatz, the Messner Mountain Museum Corones is one of six museums of Reinhold Messner's dedicated to relationship between man and mountain. The building emerges as a futuristic concrete and glass sculpture that merges with the mountain, opening up galleries and breathtaking panoramic terraces. The fluid, sculpted forms recall the geological movement of the Dolomites, making it an icon of contemporary Alpine architecture.
Key features:
- Mimetic integration into the rocky landscape.
- Exposed reinforced concrete and glass surfaces.
- Interior exhibition routes culminating in a suspended belvedere.
The MMM Corones against a Dolomite backdrop.
Skirama Kronplatz
Three window fronts, one with viewing platform, take the South Tyrolean mountians inside the museum, making them part of the exhibition.
Internet Consulting - Isabel Gräber
By the MMM Corones, the hiking and skiing area of Mt. Kronplatz got a further attraction, and offers a cultural highlight along the variegated offer for sports activities.
Internet Consulting - Isabel Gräber🏙️ 2. Museion – Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art - Bozen
Architects: KSV Krüger Schuberth Vandreike
The Museion is a transparent glass shrine that connects the historic centre of Bozen with the city's most modern district. The two main glass façades, which also serve as multimedia screens, open symbolically towards the city centre. Inside, large flexible exhibition spaces and a central suspension bridge create a strong visual interaction between art, the public and the urban landscape.
Key features:
- Transparent facades and interactive 'media façade'.
- Bridge connecting two parts of the city.
- Flexible and minimal exhibition spaces.
Museum of contemporary art
Verkehrsamt Bozen - Sergio Buono
By bike along Museion in Bozen
AST-VA BZ - Luca Guadagnini🏭 3. NOI Techpark – “Black Monolith” – Bozen
Architects: Chapman Taylor + CL&AA (Claudio Lucchin & Architetti Associati)
Built on the former Alumix industrial area, the NOI Techpark is now a centre for technological innovation and sustainable research. The redevelopment merges historic rationalist buildings with a new shiny black volume, the 'Black Monolith', which becomes a symbol of the dialogue between past and future. The interior spaces house laboratories, offices and public areas bathed in natural light.
Key features:
- Sustainable industrial regeneration.
- Contrast between historical and modern architecture.
- Innovation hub for companies and universities.
The NOI Techpark in Bozen is an innovation hub that brings together companies, start-ups, researchers and students to develop sustainable technologies.
Fiorentino
NOI Techpark is a meeting point between science and economics, created to promote the growth of South Tyrol as a smart and green region.
ivo corra' fotografo
Exterior of the NOI Techpark in Bozen, built in 2017 on the site of the former Alumix factory.
NOI Techpark🌳 4. TreeHugger - Tourist Information Office - Brixen
Architects: MoDus Architects (Sandy Attia & Matteo Scagnol)
The 'TreeHugger' is a pavilion made of polished concrete that develops around a 100-year-old plane tree, becoming an organic architecture-sculpture. The curved, plastic forms embrace the tree as a gesture of respect for nature, while the interior houses bright, open spaces for tourists. It is a symbol of balance between human intervention and the natural landscape.
Key features:
- Concrete sculpted around an existing tree.
- Organic and fluid design inspired by nature.
- Public architecture as an environmental and urban gesture.
The Treehugger in Brixen envelops a large tree with fluid, luminous shapes made of wood and metal.
Oskar Da Riz
The building that houses the Tourist Office symbolises harmony between nature and architecture, inviting visitors to reflect on the connection between humans and the environment.
Oskar Da Riz www.dariz.comArchitecture Foundation South Tyrol
Museum of modern and contemporary art in Bozen
Othmar Seehauser - Museion BozenThe South Tyrol Architecture Prize, promoted by the South Tyrol Architecture Foundation, is a four-yearly award that since 2011 has celebrated the quality and innovation of architecture realised in the province. The aim is to valorise works capable of establishing a sensitive dialogue with the Alpine landscape, the cultural context and contemporary social needs, rewarding interventions that combine aesthetics, sustainability and respect for local tradition.
The winners of the most recent editions include projects such as the Messner Mountain Museum Corones by Zaha Hadid Architects, the Hotel Bühelwirt by Pedevilla Architects, which reinterprets the rural language in a contemporary key, or the Public Library in Brixen designed by Carlana Mezzalira Pentimalli, a virtuous example of a welcoming and innovative public space.
The award-winning works range across several categories - Public, Residential, Tourism and Work, Open Spaces/Landscape/Infrastructures, Interior, Redevelopment of Existing Buildings and Young Architecture - all sharing a deep concern for the environment, building quality and territorial identity. The 11th edition of the Prize will be held in 2026, continuing this tradition of excellence. Prizes will be awarded in the same categories by a jury consisting of architects Anna Popelka, Katharina Volgger and Matteo Motti.
In South Tyrol, architectural evolution tells of a constant search for harmony between innovation and tradition. The new buildings we have described do not dominate the landscape, but enhance its essence, interweaving contemporary forms with materials that speak the language of the land. Wood, stone, glass and steel dialogue in balance, creating an aesthetic that preserves the memory of the origins and at the same time opens its gaze towards the future.
