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DIE WATCHTER / THE GUARDIAN

Alpine Flora Conservation & Education Centre 
Alpine Study Tour

 

The increase in demand for food and health care as a result of Austria’s WWII involvement brought pressure on smaller settlements to utilize their surrounding land for food production in sustaining the war efforts. The small town of Scharnitz emerged as a facilitator for such demands and looked to increase their horticulture production in the immediate land available for cultivation. DIE WACHTER project is a response towards the conservation efforts of the local horticulture and heritage seeds in the town that is readily a victim of extreme weather conditions. As an additional function, the facility provides an interactive educational purpose for the local community and tourists that are expected to visit the town.  

 

This project intends to exhibit selected Alpine Flora to showcase the horticultural and heritage seed value of the mountainous environment and stimulate a visitor’s interest in the required treatment and process for the plantings. The architectural composition of spaces encourages a journey to achieve a heightened state of awareness towards future farming, and conservation in the horticultural industry, as well as, other fields associated with planting. 

Upon arriving at the building, the dramatic three-story height of the form remind one of the growth of a tree as it emerges from the ground. The monolithic street facing facade emphasises the volume giving a sense of earthy, deep rooted permanence and cohesion. Sensorial engagement with the materials on the building’s exterior look at familiarising the visitor with spaces that are to be experienced internally. The design takes inspiration from distinct local architecture in the Tyrolean region. 

 

The immediate surrounding buildings inform the scale and submissive design elements relating to the existing religious and civic architecture on the site. Although the form and scale are expressive of growth, further emphasis is given to deriving a sense of protection and enclosure. The encompassing plan of the building looks at creating a volume of “protected space” in the central cavity or courtyard of the building, for micro climates within the building and the reserves of seeds in the seed bank below. 

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DIE WACHTER incorporates the design hierarchy of the church but remains subsidiary to it, remaining respectful to the context.