Hotel Weisses Kreuz
Old house, new splendour. The Altstadthotel Weisses Kreuz in Innsbruck’s city centre invites its guests to indulge in a refreshing and colourful journey through time with 48 new rooms and suites, where noa* has created the perfect setting.
No right angles in sight here: the venerable house in Herzog-Friedrich-Straße, which dates from the 1460s, is a building in Innsbruck’s historic streets whose architecture is inflected with architectural elements from a wide range of historical eras, having undergone constant transformation. Yet the distinct features of each period coalesce in timeless fashion to form a symbiosis of urbanism. In keeping with the rhythm of change over the centuries, the Hotel Weisses Kreuz fits into this pattern, providing a uniquely appealing architectural challenge for noa*.
A Virtual Journey Through Time
Guests are invited to begin their journey through time on the ground floor: the lift is accessed via a long corridor punctuated by two “mirror locks”. Guests see themselves reflected, but at the same time any boundaries are dissolved by the mirrored walls and ceiling and the architecture ceases to exist. From the entrance itself, guests are transported away from their own sense of time. The lift takes them straight to the brand new sixth floor, where a warm welcome awaits. There, the first thing they will notice is a dominant piece of furniture in the long room: a 13-metre-long, custom-made brass table with baroque ornamentation. The table is a multifunctional reception, breakfast buffet, bar, and convivial meeting place in the evening, which is open to non hotel guests as well.
The blue loft, with its bay windows, glass alcoves and breath-taking views, is the opposite of “a cold atmosphere”. Various seating areas with unusual armchairs and Gatsby-style lighting offer an eclectic ambience, where charming accents in light pink and ochre yellow tie in with opulent brass. Elements from a wide variety of stylistic periods conspire to blur any sense of time. The project’s by-line – “Baroque Chic Shock“ – is evident by its varied and peculiar characteristics. Minimalism and white spaces are anathema here: everything has been colour-coordinated, right down to the technical details. This lively spirit is reflected in every nuance and evokes the building’s dynamic history, of which a new chapter is now being written.
Off to the Bedroom
The new rooms and suites – or “chambers”, as the owners affectionately call them – are located on the floors below. Despite the architectural irregularity of these existing floors, with their gothic ceilings, arches and varying room heights, noa* has succeeded in bringing some kind of calm to the madness. The guest rooms facing the street allow you to engage in the hustle and bustle of Innsbruck’s old town just by looking out of the window, while those facing the inner courtyard delight with an internal patio or balcony creating a secluded idyll. For the windowless central part of the building, noa* has devised a particularly ingenious way to make use of the space here while allowing these rooms to receive natural light. They are lit via an internal courtyard between the first and sixth floors and have a small private, landscaped terrace.
Rock Me, Amadeus
The first floor, which has been extended into the courtyard by six rooms, create a unique impact. All the rooms have an overhead glazed terrace and a spacious outdoor area. The highlight of this floor is the “Superpatio” room with its green jungle decor, a small green oasis with antique furniture and an unusual bed. Up one floor, on the second floor, is the “Mozart Suite”, a spacious retreat where Mozart once lay to rest. Here, grandiose elements abound in red and gold. As a tribute to the famous composer, who was a keen gambler, a billiard table graces the room.
Design: noa* network of architecture
Photography: Alex Filz
