The Rombo Alpine pass 2.509 metres above sea level links Italy and Austria, straddling the Passiria valley on the Italian Alto Adige side and the Ötztal valley in Austria's Tyrol. A steep mountain road full of hairpin bends winds its way up to the pass, fitting harmoniously into the landscape. Inaugurated on the Austrian side in 1959 and on the Italian side in 1968, this scenic route in part retraces ancient footpaths across the mountains that have allowed north-south communications since ancient times. Even then the road was built to fuse with its surrounds. Local materials were used such as honed stone for accessory structures like retaining walls, bollards and bridges.
The 50th anniversary of the road was an opportunity to develop a further project to enhance the mountain pass. Architect Werner Tscholl was commissioned to design five "stations" along the way that would sum up and express centuries of history amidst breathtaking natural beauty. His architectural objects stand against the horizon along the route across the mountains and national frontiers. Their geometrical forms, forged In materials that blend with the landscape, highlight their surrounds and at the same time Invite quiet reflection on the history of the place. Perched on steep ridges on either side of the frontier, these sculptural architectures are an ineffable weave of history and place. The tollgate, the "Ponticello" station, has been transformed into a striking observation point whose jutting angles provide sweeping views. The stark block of the "Contrabbandiere", or smugglers' station has an opening carved out in the form of a human figure pointing in the direction of the Austrian valley. It recalls how goods traditionally crossed the pass in woven baskets strapped to the backs of man and mule. The "Pass Museum" straddles the frontier, perched like an erratic block on a rocky spur leaning into the void. It is a concentrate of the history of the pass and the routes that have crossed it. The building houses its ancient exhibits in the manner of a sheltering grotto.
On the Italian side, the 'Telescope" station explores the Alpine environment while the "Granati", or garnet stones, hark back to geological formations common to the area. The open structure shaped like a reticulated crystal is an observation platform, whose fractal geometries light up discreetly, while the closed, compact structure is a small museum. Together the stations form a collection of emotionally charged contemporary monuments redolent with the special history and natural beauty of the area.
The same weave of geometrical forms comes together in the S house, a building set into its sloping plot. The cellar, storeroom and plant and equipment have been placed underground. The next, intermediary floor, occupied by a guestroom and sauna, partly emerges Into the open while the two aboveground levels contain the Irving and night areas. Here too materials are traditional to the area: plastered brick walls, doors and window frames in wood and aluminium. A long perimeter retaining wall running in a southerly direction recalls the traditional boundary walls of the region. The house presents a dual frontage. To the north, the linear geometry of a flat wall with few openings forms an enveloping shield. To the south, the building opens up completely to reveal the home within. The transparent walls of this inner skin are articulated at several angles, their fractured shapes creating protected spaces. At ground level the full-height glazing opens out onto a wooden-slat terrace shielded by the roof overhang, an intermediate zone between interior and exterior. The luminous living area flows effortlessly out on to the lawn, the cultivated fields beyond and the mountains beyond that. On the upper level, two loggias with glazed parapets form the interface between the night zone and the exterior.
The house is built to "passive building" standards with ground source heat pump, solar collectors and photovoltaic cells on the roof providing all the home's electricity needs.
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