Noa – one of the leading mountain architecture firms – has few rivals when it comes to giving expression to different spirits and intentions. Its architects have once again achieved this with ease – and in this case perhaps with a touch of fun – when renovating the well known Falkensteiner Family Resort Lido at Casteldarne, in the Puster Valley, which specialises in accommodating families with children. The owners, who manage 30 hospitality locations in six adjoining towns, asked the firm to enlarge the facility and add new functions, while maintaining its specific vocation.
The Noa team set out to make the dreams of young guests come true, starting by revolutionising the appearance and function of the roof. No longer just a top for the building, it was transformed into an incredible reinforced concrete structure shaped in a wave sloping down at the sides, one side becoming a ski slope, a playground or just a pathway and the other providing a bobby car track and a small high-level adventure playground. This highly original, inventive, playful architectural idea also “lets nature climb onto the roof”, confirming the strong focus on the landscape.
To provide unity between the old and new architectural features, just one color was used for the masonry with geometrical patterns in bare wood to evoke traditional Alpine hay-barns.
The design of the interiors, conceived to ensure fun for kids and relaxation for their parents, has a similar unity. The concept is clear right from reception, with decorated pillars that evoke the surrounding woodland, roundabouts and swings. The 36 new rooms, added to the 82 existing ones, adopt a new, communicating model, with separate zones for parents and children.
Of course, this meticulous design approach also extends to the selection of the materials used, starting from the floor coverings, because as we all know the floor is small kids’ favourite playground.
The Ragno collections are the perfect response to the aesthetic, safety and maintenance criteria imposed by the architecture firm: “We’ve established a long-standing partnership with Ragno; we often choose their brand, which adds value to our projects. With their wide range of collections and vast selection of colors, their products can be used in projects of the most widely varying kinds. For Falkensteiner Family Resort Lido, a family-focused hotel designed bearing in mind what makes children happy, Ragno finishes were exactly what we needed.”
The color combinations of the ceramic surfaces in the various rooms also help to create the required mood of calm in the interiors and generate a feeling of wellbeing for guests. The stoneware used in the restaurant zone – expanded and complete with terrace with play area, designed on three levels to provide everyone with a view of the lake and with furnishings inspired by the natural surroundings – is taken from various collections, emphasising the versatility, multiplicity and practicality of Ragno’s solutions.
As flooring, Eterna Arena was chosen not only for its natural stone effect but also because it incorporates the CleanOut Antibacterial Protection treatment, the Ragno antibacterial technology that guarantees hygiene and health through the addition of silver ions during the production process. The tables zone is defined by the concrete effect with a slightly uneven, matt texture of Stratford porcelain stoneware in a reassuring Blue color (60x60 cm).
The countertops in the buffet zone – which comprises service stations with drawers and wheeled trolleys of different heights to be accessible to children – are in the Tempera series, Trape 3D structure, in the warm Crema finish (30x90 cm), attractively matched with the small three-dimensional tiles of Gleeze in Eye structure on the walls, chosen in Beige color (7.5x20 cm), with a Glossy surface that generates intriguing interplays of light, patterning and constant variation within the room.
Given this resort’s high degree of attention to its guests’ needs, it of course includes a large, unusual Spa, designed with pillars/trees that evoke the idea of woodland and nest-like seats that hang from the ceiling, with obvious references to the surrounding natural environment. Here the Ragno materials’ antibacterial and anti-slip properties and durability are fundamental. The Eterna stone-effect series is widely used in the many texture variants (Arena, Mix Beige, Mix Gris and Mosaic) with continuity between indoors and outdoors.
The zone around the large heated pool which extends outdoors – making this area particularly attractive in the winter months – is finished with natural Realstone_Navigli, a stone-effect stoneware (30x60 cm) with a high-tech surface featuring a very pleasant texture combined with impeccably anti-slip properties, while its outdoor area is defined by the warm, neutral shade of the Realstone_Jerusalem XT20 Noce variant in 50x100 cm size and 20 mm thickness. Also outdoors, the communal relaxation areas are paved with the elegant, understated, frostproof Season porcelain stoneware.
Ph Alex Filz
