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Building character
At SNOW architecture, individual project development mirrors both builder and task while still leaving enough room for architectural interpretation.
Closely connected to the arts as well as both traditional craft and modern technology, the office strives to find a unique approach to each new project. As architect Thomas Krämer explains, an object gains its unique soul during the process of being brought to life. Thus, an emotional connection can be established.
Consequently, SNOW architecture is not defined by a certain style. While the formal language is indeed recognisable in the conscientious usage of warm materials and a strong structural connection to nature, the signature handwriting is formed and developed further with each new project. Apart from the fact that the Innsbruck-based office creates a lot of objects within and for the Alpine region, it is the orientation of the buildings towards the four directions of South, North, East (Ost) and West (S,N,O,W) which lends the office its name.
In the end, explains the architect, the aesthetic aspects of a project are always influenced by the responsibility towards society, the surroundings and, last not least, the environment as the most pressing global and topical concern of our times. SNOW clients are therefore individuals with a certain sensitivity for this approach as well as a general appreciation of architecture itself. They range from private investors and families through to developers, public institutions and the hotel industry. The latter especially proves a most welcome challenge to the architects as the temporary stay of guests demands a particularly strong connection to the environment, as well as the ability to mirror basic emotions that are allowed to come to the surface during a holiday more than in everyday life. But also, family homes are to reflect a certain state of mind or perspective on life. As Krämer explains: “To create a home which essentially mirrors the family, supports the cohabitation and is tailored to the individual characters is a task that seems quite honourable to me.”
Alert to general architectural theories as well as the visual arts, it is the combined focus on detail and craft as well as topical planning technologies that will keep the office on its toes over the coming years: the essential ingredients to create sustainable, high-quality architecture.