A hotel under the barn. Its roots are underground, yet it boasts an amazing view: the hotel designed by noa* in Fiè allo Sciliar was extended by embedding it in the terrain, offering guests a spectacular view and the feeling of being emerged in nature.Photography by Alex Filz.

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Transform a traditional South Tyrolean restaurant into a larger ospitality space, without altering the charming, beautiful landscape with new levels. This was noa*’s goal with its project in Fiè, within the wonderful Dolomite scenery of the Sciliar and the Catinaccio.

The Gfell hotel, which is adjacent to the pre-existing Schönblick restaurant, sits alone

just a stone’s throw from the village of Fiè allo Sciliar, on top of a slope that provides views over unspoiled forests and meadows. The owner was aiming to coordinate this restoration project with top quality accommodation, building new spaces able to enhance the distinctiveness of the location.
“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 spe...