Hotel Lofer

The Hotel Lofer is the first “premium common good resort” of its kind and encompasses a hotel complex, café, villa, staff hotel and premium residence area, as well as a community-oriented enterprise.
The design of the complex in Lofer near Salzburg (Austria) was awarded first prize in an open competition in which the local population were invited to participate in the judging.

GRAFT’s design preserves the historical façades while integrating cutting-edge architecture. The innovative new additions draw on the larch cladding of local vernacular timber buildings and apply it to a prismatic, sculptural form. Each of the buildings responds in different ways to the genius loci, the roof forms adjusting to fit into the surrounding context of the village.

Environmental sustainability was a central concern of the design: together with the international engineering firm Buro Happold, a complex was designed that meets the needs of a modern hotel without polluting soil, air or water. Energy and water consumption is minimized through a “lean-mean-green” strategy using a combination of modern, energy-efficient technology and renewable energy sources. In addition to harnessing natural resources such as rain, snow and sun, the façade and building meet stringent sustainability criteria.