ETB studio

Auge, 2024

The design for the new Multifunctional Hub stems from a long and elaborate analysis of the local traditional architecture, and in particular of the rural vernacular buildings characteristic of Sappada and, more broadly, of the eastern Dolomites. A study of the morpho-typological research by Eduardo Gellner revealed recurring traits, which have guided the design strategy from the very first ideas: the compact and sober volume of the traditional wooden houses, organized under a single unitary double-pitched canopy; the stone base at ground level that corresponds to the barn and protects the wooden structure from contact with the snow; the slatted shutters in spruce wood, typical of barns, that form complex moth-eaten compositions on the façade; the loggias, terraces, stairs and external circulation systems that establish a rich relationship between the domestic and public spheres. These elements were absorbed and synthesized by the new building, configured as a simple two-storey volume, embedded in a natural concavity of the topography.

The plan is elongated, following the orographic lines it appears to derive from; the roof is double pitched, sloping so that its two extremities almost touch the floor, anchoring the building to the ground. The building fixes itself to the ground through a concrete base that protects the upper volume from contact with the snow and follows, to the south, the slope of the terrain; this peculiarity allows the southern front to capture a maximum amount of natural light and carry it to the lower floors. The internal space is denoted by the duality between the upper civic staircase, a timber and metal structure resting on the ground that faces both the river to the South and the historic center to the North, and the spaces on the lower floors, particularly the large polyvalent hall that was conceived as a cave excavated from the concrete plinth of the retaining wall. A double ramp-staircase system parallel to the external facades connects the two spheres and accompanies the visitor along an immersive experience within the “warm belly” of the building.

At twilight and in the evening, the architecture becomes a “lantern in the landscape”, waiting to welcome its visitors. Northwards, the reduced height makes the building a discrete presence, camouflaged between the existing mountain cabins.

ETB is an architectural firm founded in 2009 based in Treviso (Italy) and Seville (Spain) and led by Alessandro Tessari and German Pro Lozano. ETB is particularly interested in the interaction between the abstract idea of Architecture and its tonalities. ETB has won numerous prizes in international competitions in Spain, Italy, Germany and Slovenia, among them the first prize for the Multipurpose Center in Sappada (Italy), for the Archaeological Museum in Punta Umbria (Spain), for the Senior City in Cortina D’Ampezzo (Italy) and for the Urban Center regeneration of Sappada (Italy). ETB has supported lectures in the main universities of Architecture, such as AMM of Mendrisio, ETSAM of Madrid, FAU-UFRJ of Rio de Janeiro, Escola da Cidade of São Paulo and PUJ of Bogotà and in several cultural institutions in Europe such as the Maison de l'Architecture of Geneve. Its works have been published in a wide range of specialist literature and it has been featured at different exhibitions including the 14th, 15th and 16th Biennale of Architecture of Venice. ETB won several international awards and citations for design excellence including the AGATV 2010, the NIB 2010 and the YIA 2012.

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