architek[tour] tirol – guide to architecture in tyrol

On the Tyrolean side, the Steinplatten lift provides access to the Steinplatte Waidring skiing area situated on the high plateau at the Tyrol-Salzburg-Bavaria triangle. A characteristic element of the valley station planned by Peter Thurner, is the wave shaped roof under which various rooms and areas of activity can be found. Long and sweeping, it is suspended above the massive base areas forming a large covered open space area.

The technical challenge of building one station for two cable lifts was solved by the winner of the Fisser mountain lift contest – two buildings placed to form an angle and affixed by a single sheet steel roof. Due to the drop in the level of the ground, it was possible to keep the volume of the double station quite low, hence, integrating it with the overall appearance of the community of Fiss.

Situated at the entrance to Obergurgl, running up to the Festkogel alpine hut, – the location of the valley station was also influenced by the architects – is one of the first new generation cable lifts. To express the architectural topical excitement between technology and nature, Peter Thurner and Antonius Lanzinger developed an autonomous sculpture as a massive exposed concrete base with a glass and sheet metal roof placed on top.