Humble Barn Hides New Ultra-Luxurious Hotel

A humble-looking barn hides an ultra-luxurious new hotel.

The Gfell hotel, in the picturesque South Tyrol in northeast Italy, sits on top of a slope that provides views over unspoiled forests and meadows. But the traditional wooden structure belies the interior surprise that is a 3-star superior accommodation.

The owner sought to transform a traditional South Tyrolean restaurant into a larger hospitality space, without altering the charming, beautiful landscape with new levels.

Architects and interior design company 'noa* network of architecture' were tasked with coordinating this restoration project with top quality accommodation, building new spaces able to enhance the distinctiveness of the location.

The hotel offers a restaurant and 17 new rooms, complemented by a wellness area with a sauna and relaxation area accessed by a staircase from the barn.

noa* explain: "It is meaningful that access to the new spaces takes place through an old barn which sits by the restaurant. The outside of the building has preserved its traditional look thanks to careful restoration works, but the inside holds a surprise for visitors: it has been fully converted to host the hotel's reception, a lounge and breakfast hall within one large open space area."

"We could have added an extra level," explains the architect Andreas Profanter, a partner at noa*'s studio. "But in line with the contractors, we opted for a less invasive and more environmentally friendly solution, placing the new section inside the hill. So it's an earth shelter construction that reduces the impact of the operation without taking any views away from the restaurant, whilst in actual fact, providing all the guests at the new hotel with a spectacular panorama. And not only that, but an old barn on site has been refurbished as an additional space for the new hotel."

Credit: Alex Filz/noa*/Cover-Images.com.