Tyrol Alpine Ibex Centre in Pitztal
- Peter Popp
One of the largest ibex herds of the Eastern Alps can be found in the Pitztal valley in Tyrol. The municipality of Sankt Leonhard dedicated an exhibition and education centre to these majestic beasts, not far from their natural environment. Next to the listed historic building of the Schrofenhof, one of the oldest farm structures in the valley, a tower made of concrete was created that is visible from afar, ascending from a clearing encircled by dense forests. Rainer Köberl and Daniela Kröss translated the topographic conditions into a vertically oriented succession of spaces that feature precisely set openings offering views of the alpine landscape. Functions are distributed across altogether four levels based on an irregular, pentagonal floor plan: The bottom level contains a café with a view of the valley. The entrance level including foyer and shop is set above it. The upper levels feature two museum areas. A collection of regional photographic works from the 19th century is on display, while the topmost floor is reserved to an exhibition on ibex biology, its extinction and it subsequent reintroduction to the region. A single flight staircase and an elevator connect the levels, each of which comprise one single space. Auxiliary rooms on the ground floor are set beneath the sloping landscape. Only the kitchen and the barnyard in front of it emerge from the slope, joined to the side of the tower.
