Hub of Huts, Hotel Hubertus

By Editorial Staff - 4 September 2023
Manni Group has participated in the project

The upside-down Hotel Hubertus, designed by noa and built in Valdaora, in the province of Bolzano, is a delightful blend of engineering and art. The structural challenges of building Hub of Huts are evident to all, as this platform suspended 15 m above the ground houses a spa and wellness area. The success of the project owed much to the perfect coordination among all the parties involved: the practice to which the client entrusted the work, the carpentry firm Sparer, which, in addition to assembling the structure, also did some of the finishing work in the workshop with the support of IPM’s structural engineers, and finally Manni Sipre, which supplied the metalwork.

Hub of Huts, hotel Hubertus

Hub of Huts gently overlooks the surrounding landscape, supported by pillars clad in larch wood. The design delves into the dualism between nature and artifice, upright and inverted, tradition and innovation, to produce a thrilling, emotional result whose concept was inspired by the reflections of the Dolomite peaks in the infinity pool at Hotel Hubertus, an earlier project completed by noa. In the project, for which the owner gave the architects free rein, natural materials and metal coexist and dialog in perfect harmony. The structure appears to float in a vacuum, supported by two Manni Sipre steel girders, each composed of three segments, whose design included oversized profiles: 60 mm thick, 500 mm wide and up to 1.7 m high. During the final drilling and on-site assembly, 125 tons of steel were handled.

Hub of Huts, hotel Hubertus

To ensure static stability and uniform water flow in the pools, it was essential to analyze not only the deformations caused by the platform weight, but also those due to the presence of the pools. Meeting the tight timelines that increasingly characterize the hospitality industry was also critical. With ample inventory, Manni Sipre was instrumental in ensuring short lead times and delivering the material needed to complete the job in just three months. By actively working with the installer and offering
off-site solutions, the company was able to minimize on-site working time. The ability to assemble and machine the beams directly in the factory made it possible to carry out each step with extreme precision, reducing interference and avoiding unexpected hitches during assembly, for a flawless final result.