Kulturzentrum Ischgl / Parc Architekten

Curated by ArchDaily

Architects: Parc Architekten
Area: 1200 m²
Year: 2013
Photographs:David Schreyer, Karl Heinz
Manufacturers: Akustik plus, EWO Lighting, Lenz-Nenning
Structural Consultant: Baucon ZT GmbH, Zell am See, Hans-Georg Leitner

Text description provided by the architects. Ischgl is one of the most important winter tourist destinations.

During the last 30 years this small village has grown into a big collection of Hotels. In the high-season the 1600 inhabitants face 2000 guest-workers and 11000 tourists! But still the village retains a social scence, possibly as a reaction to the overpowering, there are more than 30 clubs very active. People are getting together and as a result, places, wich are not utilized by the tourism busines are becoming increasingly important. 2012 the community made the decision to create such a place in the last remaining green area in the villagecenter, a meadow for grazing cows. The community wanted a building to define the village identity whilst conforming with the modern Ischgl. The new buildings main user is the musicband whilst the old rectory provides rooms for culture clubs. Bellow the meadow runs a tunnel, wich allows access for tourists between hotels and ski lifts. On top of the culture center there is the entrance for the elevators accessing this tunnel. The new center had to be build around this un-moveable structure.

The terrain of the hillside is covering much of the new building. Single elements of the building break through the green surface to bring daylight inside. At the bottom of the meadow the new village square is anchored. Passing over the top of the center is a small footpath, which connects the village square with the upper part of the village.

This square is the central focus of the arrangement. It is bounded by the music pavillon faced by the outside seating area and the glass facade of the building.

The band practice room is heart of the building. Internally defined as a wooden box it is burried into the hillside. It‘s walls are angled relative to each other to support and enhance the accoustic quality of the room. External to this room the wooden latice structure, conveys a strong sense of triangular fields. These fields are mirrored inside by the 500 wodden accoustic panels which are precisely angled to allow for optimal acoustic tuning of the room. Panels that are in front of window sufaces are angled out more to let daylight pass into the room.

The boundary of the village square to the south is the external music pavillion. Along the back side of the stage are vertical wooden panels to enhance the acoustics of this space.

Opposite to the music pavillion is a rising ramp in form of an outside seating area. The connection to the rectory is via an underground corridor from the new center.

Along with building the culture center was a complete restoration of the old rectory from 1763. While cleaning and exposing walls and ceilings back to their original surfaces, very rare wall papers from the baroque period were discovered. To enhance the floors of the old building new staircase and elevator were build.This new structure is intended to merge with the original building through discrete choice of it´s materials.