Icaro Hotel in Italy Welcomes Guests to Revamped Alpine Destination

At the foothills of the Dolomite Mountains and nestled within a web of ski slopes and hiking trails, the Icaro Hotel in Italy has been revamped by project team MoDusArchitects and general contractor Mahlknechtbau AB GmbH.

Positioned on the Alpe di Siusi plateau at 1.900 meters above sea level and set within South Tyrol’s Dolomites UNESCO World Heritage site, the hotel’s humble origins date back to a simple 1930’s mountain lodge. Granddaughter to the founder of the original Icaro lodge, Angelika Sattler commissioned the structure’s renovations to reimagine its identity.

The various interventions include an underground parking extension, separate staff quarters, guest room addition, reorganization of all of the common spaces including pool area, and the sweeping, giant-order colonnade of wood along the main façade that intercepts the breathtaking mountain views.

The new addition mirrors the existing west wing along the axis of the original lodge. On the outside, the thickened saw-toothed larch-wood skin, together with the large-pitched wooden roof and the timber columns, constitute an ordering system that subsumes the myriad past modifications into a cohesive architectural body.

The 13 branching wood columns, 7.5 meters high, march down the 55 meter length of the south-facing facade and span over the two upper floors to tie the roof into place. The first-floor terrace draws a straight line across the two far corners of the building to define an airy, double-height loggia that extends the interior spaces of the guest rooms outwards.

At the ground level, down the length of the building, a clearly defined throughway unravels a succession of common areas: entry, reception, shop, lounge, bar and dining hall. At the lower level, the swimming pool area makes the most of the change in grade and is entirely reconfigured to accommodate a new pool in direct connection with the outdoor spaces.

An eclectic and lively place, Icaro Hotel is an alchemy of contemporary architecture, design, hospitality, tradition, art, craftsmanship and heritage.