Seminar Hotel in Hall

The Park Hotel – originally the Turmhotel Seeber – was erected in 1930–31 by Lois Welzenbacher, a pioneer of modern architecture in Austria. Over the years, the building was marred by alterations, and in 1997, it was on the verge of being demolished to make way for a new hotel project. An architectural initiative managed to convince the town of Hall in Tyrol of the quality of the building. An international competition was then held to draw up a new overall concept. In the end, the design by the Viennese architects Dieter Henke and Marta Schreieck was imple-mented. Juxtaposed with the existing building by Welzenbacher is an eight-storey tower, the new plinth structure of which also serves to integrate an existing spa complex. The in­verted conical form of the new tower – with its transparent facade and black sunscreen louvres – is deliberately contrasted with the boldly articulated, white-rendered original ­hotel, which is only one storey lower in height. These two quite distinct structures form an excitingly balanced pair. The existing building contains 18 guest rooms, the new tower 41. The hotel hall, bar and seminar rooms are located in the plinth of the glazed tower. On each of the upper floors, six guest rooms are laid out around the central access area. Their sectorial plan form broadens towards the facade, so that views of the Inn valley dominate in each space. In the Welzenbacher tower, there were originally five little rooms on each floor fitted solely with washbasins. This layout has now been converted into four units with bathrooms. The new spaces are distinguished by their clear, modern design and bright sur­faces. The facade, staircase, balconies and roof terrace were carefully reconstructed. In this way, one of the few surviving hotels from the period of classical modernism has been sensitively brought up to date, while retaining its original character. The ensemble now comprises the existing structure, the new tower and the spa complex, where guests have direct access to the sauna and vapour bath. It is a convincing example of the integration of historical hotel buildings into a modern development.