Texel group nature Park visitor centre Naturno
Thematic Framework
The architecture competition focused on designing a new visitor centre for the Texel Group Nature Park in Naturno. The goal was to create suitable spaces for the centre. Established in 1976, the park spans approximately 31,391 hectares across several municipalities. It features landscapes shaped by glaciers and water, showcasing valleys, cirques, and typical glacial structures.
The visitor centre's theme is "FROM WATER AND LIGHT," featuring permanent and temporary exhibitions. The permanent exhibition covers topics such as the seven South Tyrol Nature Parks, Texel Group Nature Park, geology, fauna, flora, agricultural and alpine use, glaciers, and the UNESCO cultural heritage of transhumance. The centre also hosts up to four special exhibitions annually.
Architectural Concept
Inspired by the surrounding mountains' rocks, shaped by water and ice, the building's free form creates a sequence of exhibition spaces. The spiral shape accommodates current street alignments and harmonizes with neighboring buildings, varying in height to match the surrounding structures. The eastern outdoor areas include biotopes and natural spaces integrated into the exhibition, enhancing the visitor experience through the building's glazed façade.
Outdoor Spaces
The design emphasizes a strong indoor-outdoor connection, particularly on the ground floor, directing movement and gaze towards outdoor areas. The touring exhibition hall connects with the outdoor exhibition space, allowing for flexible configurations and a robust relationship between interior and exterior. Water basins in the outdoor area evoke "Waalwege," and the outdoor spaces extend indoor activities, supporting nature experiences like school excursions.
Basic Layout of the Interior Spaces
The transparent entrance atrium opens southwards, integrating access routes from the east and west. The ground floor's large glazed opening invites visitors inside, connecting the interior with the biotope and village center. The atrium and special exhibition room serve as reference points, marking the beginning and end of the exhibition route. The upper floor's open, but separable room, accommodates children's activities, accessible directly from the atrium.
The exhibition route spans different levels, offering diverse visual perspectives and surprising direction changes, showcasing the surrounding landscape and interior spaces. The design uses natural lighting to evoke the atmosphere of mountains, valleys, rocks, caves, peaks, forests, water, and light, creating an experiential landscape. The play of light and shadow enhances the thematic atmosphere, with façade openings providing targeted views corresponding to exhibition topics, blending virtual and real-world elements.
Arrangement of Functional Sectors and Functional Interconnections
The design balances articulated functional demands and a clear, flexible exhibition route. The atrium and special exhibition hall can combine or separate as needed. Similarly, the audio-visual sector/conference room can open towards the exhibition route for extensions or conferences, or be closed off for film performances.
