Scandinavian architecture practice Snøhetta have revealed the first renderings of their proposed design for the Bolzano Museum Quarter in South Tyrol, Italy.
The cultural attraction, which – if greenlit – will be picturesquely situated atop Virgolo mountain, will also serve as a satellite facility, housing artefacts from the South Tyrol Museum of Archaeology and the Municipal Museum of Bolzano as well as exhibition spaces for Otzi the Iceman – a 5,300-year-old mummy.
The building – set to be connected to Bolzano via a modernised funicular system – will also feature a rooftop terrace and viewing platform, as well as appendant public spaces that will be developed for social events and leisure activities.
Snøhetta was initially commissioned by SIGNA Group to develop a cable car link between Bolzano and Virgolo in 2015.
The mountain and the surrounding landscape have reportedly been difficult to access since the closure of the area's Emil Strub-designed cableway in the 1970s.
"The new Museum Quarter will create a synthesis of city and nature, of history and future, of building and landscape, of culture, leisure and knowledge," commented Kjetil Trædal Thorsen, founding partner at Snøhetta.
He continued: "Visitors can meet Otzi the Iceman, one of the most important archaeological discoveries, on top of the Virgolo mountain – a place with a historic atmosphere. They will literally slip under the skin of the mountain, entering it to see the Iceman.
"In addition, the new Virgolo cable car system and the Museum Quarter will provide spaces of cultural significance and recreational value next to the city centre of Bolzano."
