WIDE-OPEN VIEWS ON THE RIDGE

By Laura Ragazzola

Photography by Alex Filz

A UNIQUE STRUCTURE, DESIGNED BY NOA*, OFFERS AN IMMERSIVE EXPERIENCE ON TOP OF THE SCHNALS VALLEY GLACIER, THE AREA WHERE THE REMAINS OF ICEMAN OTZI WERE FOUND

Abreathtaking landscape opens up to hikers and skiers who reach the top of Schnals Valley Glacier ridge. It’s a special place, which marks the divide between Italy’s and Austria’s territories. Not far from here, the remains of iceman Ötzi were found in September 1991, a discovery that brought new insight on populations living in the Alps more than 5,000 years ago. In order to enhance visitors’ experience of the beauty and history of this alpine intersection, a unique architectural structure has been designed by noa*. It’s a viewing platform with a light structure made of Corten steel, which almost floats in the air giving visitors the feeling of becoming one with the mountains. The platform, which incorporates a pre-existing summit cross, is composed by grids supported by thin beams and is surrounded throughout its perimeter by a parapet of vertical lamellas, which frame different views as one moves along the border, an invitation to discover new perspectives. Also, a sort of geometric funnel has been designed across the platform which directs viewers’ eyes towards the place where Ötzi was found, only a few meters from the Austrian border. Visitors can walk through the funnel to reach a glass parapet suspended in the air: it seems like you are walking in the sky. H

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