[ Pedevilla Architekten ] Lorenz

Architect: Pedevilla Architekten
Location: St. Lorenzen, Italy
Project Team: Armin Pedevilla, Kurt Egger
Project type: Town Hall
Client: Community of St. Lorenzen
Constructed Volume: 8,500 m³
Budget: US $3.7 M
Project Year: 2007
Energy Consumption: 5,5 kWh/m²a
Photographs: Armin Pedevilla, Günter Wett

St. Lorenzen is a small community in South Tyrol, an area of the Italian Alps that lies near the Austrian border. The newly constructed Town Hall of St. Lorenzen is located in its historical church square, which forms the heart of the village. This positioning of the Town Hall has resulted in the creation of two separate spaces: on the one hand, a large public square fronted by most of the village’s commercial buildings; on the other, a private school yard reserved solely for the use of the adjacent elementary school.

The new Town Hall appears as an impressively large structure which accords perfectly with the proportions of the surrounding buildings. The contemporary architecture, with its clear style and clean lines, avoids any historical imitation, whilst the use of mineral plaster is pleasantly reminiscent of traditional Alpine buildings. The building itself incorporates both the Town Hall and the Public Library of St. Lorenzen. The entrance to both facilities is centrally located in the old church square. The library is situated on the ground floor and the children’s books section has been assigned to the nearby school. Keeping the factor of playground noise in mind, the offices of the Town Hall have been established on the first and second floors, where workers can enjoy calm and quiet.

from  archdaily