architek[tour] tirol – guide to architecture in tyrol

As part of the restructuring and densification of the Südtiroler Siedlung "Pradler Saggen”, Silvia Body offers a contemporary reinterpretation of the original concept. Despite a doubling of the residential density, the distinctive quality of life associated with the original development—characterized by generous green and recreational spaces—has been preserved. To achieve this, approximately 250 apartments were distributed across low-rise, meander-shaped linear buildings and strategically placed, tower-like point blocks.

Based on a study of the qualities of a historic city centre, the architect planned three buildings with 55 apartments, space for various service providers and a café, which fit into the existing structure in shape and size. The result is a lively area with a network of alleyways, a varied appearance and clear references to the city's identity-shaping buildings.

A supermarket divided into several structures was converted and extended with a glass pavilion. The challenge consisted in molding the heterogeneous existing structure and the extension into a new entity, which was achieved primarily through continuous flooring featuring ornamental tiles. The tendril pattern partly turns up again on the walls and ceilings, lending the market its very unique atmosphere.

In the rural context of the widely spread out community of Weerberg, an MPREIS supermarket was erected on a green meadow as a low budget project. The supermarket with a café consists of a plain structure with folded out corners that owe their effect to the raw charm of the materials used: industrial composite lumber for the roof, a steel construction braced with reinforced concrete slabs and a translucent polycarbonate that changes from smooth to gleaming, depending on the weather and light conditions, and lets the structure appear to be diversely pervious.