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The Ursulinen school building was build at the start of the twentieth century by the Ursulin Tower on the main street. Next to the large, three-story building with its vertical plastered structure stands a significantly smaller new building with steel and glass facades emphasizing a horizontal effect, which not only seems much smaller than the old building − yet with more usable space! − it also reflects the listed facades opposite it. The glass cube in the new entrance to the school gives you a preview of the structure of the new building even before you have walked along the glass corridors to reach it. This successfully combines the different styles of architecture. The artist Manfred Alois Mayr put together a cheerful color palette for the interior of the new building, which sits in vibrant harmony next to white plaster and the grey exposed concrete.

The modern architecture of this free-standing building integrates well into the landscape. The three-part extension breaks up the mass of the building, creating a well-balanced link to the connecting older buildings. Between the seemingly closed office blocks with their wooden facades lies the glazed middle section of the three-part complex, which houses a spacious central entrance hall. The public service function of the building is thus emphasized, and the different departments are well connected by an extravagant stairway. Natural wood is the main material, which is deliberately set against color and white plaster.

In terms of design, responding to Angiolo Mazzoni's imposing train station building (1928), on the opposite side of the street, was no easy task. This has been achieved to the point that the new building, like the train station, goes beyond architecture and is now an urban structure. Its undulated form, which is divided into individual houses, is determined by the surrounding urban spaces: by the semicircular station square on the front, by the rectangular Magnagoplatz, and by the Laurin- and Rittner Straße at the rear. The building itself is crossed by three radial passageways from the station square and has two inner courtyards. The facades on the ground and mezzanine floors are clad in white marble, the four upper floors in reddish porphyry. The interior spaces of the building are well illuminated; the design of the office departments is varied.

Situated in the Dolomites amongst the protected Viles (Ladin hamlets), this residential home stands at 1,200 meters above sea level. The house, divided into a home and a separate holiday apartment, has borrowed the wooden-clad building style of the traditional Paarhöfe (pairs of residential and farming buildings) and was carefully built on the steep meadow. The concrete construction remains visible in the interior of the building, smoothed and painted white, and the exterior is covered in darkly varnished wood. Hand-fashion, untreated, matured pine wood from the local area was used for the interior. The house is completely self-sufficient in terms of energy: it has its own source of water, geothermal power, and uses solar energy collected by solar panels integrated into the roof. The chalet has been awarded many prizes.

This hotel atop Mount San Vigilio, which replaced the traditional old building in 2004, is accessible only via cable car. An elongated two-story building that attains a lean dynamic through its curved facades, was erected on a Y-shaped ground plan. This leanness is further reinforced by the advanced wooden-slat design. The rooms behind the terraces are shaded by a wooden structure and glazed from floor to ceiling; they are also decorated and heated according to the tenets of construction biology. The appearance of the elegant restaurant is like the wooden structure of a barn, but with glass facades instead of wooden sheathing. The internal access corridor to the suites obtains bright zenith light through a band of skylights. It leads to the spa area, the swimming pool, which offers spectacular views over the Adige/Etsch Valley, and a sun terrace where you seem to float above the landscape.

The former Realgymnasium high school which lies in the center of the old town was converted and extended for use as a satellite Brunico campus of the Free University of Bolzano focusing on tourism management, sport and events management. The large, angular old building was also carefully renovated. The smaller wing of the building received a new stairwell built from concrete, the inscription of which has become well known in the city. This welcoming inscription tablet, alongside two new sections of building, form a peaceful square that provides a welcome open space in the narrow old town. A new, large underground auditorium, which can also be used as a room for public events, is situated underneath. The structure of the old building is recognizable in the interior design to which modern details have been tastefully added. The teaching rooms are situated on the top floor.

The parsonage was built contemporaneously with the late Gothic church in Prettau and was subsequently operated as a farm, with stable and barn. It was to undergo a conversion into a private house. Special sensitivity was required in the conversion due to the restrictions related to it being a heritage-listed building. The architects managed to clearly identify the historical building’s structure yet simultaneously reflect our contemporary era through the spare use of modern details. This is especially true for the newly timbered barn: it was elegantly redesigned for residential purposes, with an open fireplace, skylights and untreated wood floors, it yet retained its old atmosphere despite this repurposing. In the old building both the stairs and the brick arches in the cellar were conserved, as was the sooty former Selchkuchl (smokehouse), which took on a new function as a work space.

In Brunico’s school quarter, the UFO Youth Center was built in order to meet the needs of the young people who use it, including its unconventional architectural language. The roof structure, which is encased in titanium plates and glass, can also be reached via a seemingly weightless exterior steel staircase and effectively gives the impression that an unidentified flying object has landed on the four-story building. The underlying plastered solid structure, with its “skewed” two-story, steel-and-glass entrance building, evokes the curiosity to enter. The full-height window walls and bright spaces are meant to make teenagers feel at home inside the building. The covered terrace and the tiered seating directly in front are further invitations to settle in and stay awhile. Definitely a refreshingly relaxed architecture.

On the edge of the slope ending at Rodeneck Castle over the Rienz river, lies a white cubic building visible from afar. The three-story building houses a youth and workroom on the ground floor, and is accessed from the outside by a vast ramp. The entrance hall has a stunning view over the valley. The canteen is on this level and the classrooms are situated on the upper floors. The building, made of concrete, is roughly plastered on the outside and has evenly spaced large windows, their smooth, white frames calmly decorate the facade. Even the interior spaces have been kept purely white; only the red rubber flooring and the yellow tiled bathrooms add color to the school, which also has a self-contained kindergarten.

A new structure for a kindergarten, library and cafeteria was built to replace the dilapidated kindergarten. The compact, plastered masonry fits in with the character of a small village in terms of scale, volumes, roof shape and materials used. Deep recesses and an array of window shapes, with offsetting, show that good modern architecture can be created out of conservative structures. Box windows in various sizes illuminate the interiors. In the kindergarten area, the windows are designed in such a way that their deep embrasures can be used by children as benches to relax and play inside the building. This architecture is convincing in its simplicity, with carefully considered modern details.

The City and University Library in Brunico stands on an awkward construction site between single-family homes and the backs of buildings, and is also separated from the new town hall square – a subordinate position within the urban fabric for a culturally significant building. Between the heavy buildings, however, the architects have managed to insert some architectural freshness: open, transparent, timeless, modern without trendy flourishes, and with variable internal surfaces for variable use. The result is a visually light concrete structure that seems to float on its slender columns above the covered vestibule. The building features floor-to-ceiling glass facades and a shed roof above the uppermost terrace, in front of the meeting rooms. Inside there is only one solid core, while the rest of the floor plan are free surfaces that can be separated with shelves, glass walls and movable dividers. The color scheme is fresh, providing for a lively atmosphere.

On the renovated cable car, which is an important means of transportation for the permanently inhabited mountain village at the old pilgrimage church, you can ride from Laces/Latsch (630 m) up the summit station (1,740 m) in just a few minutes. The chapel, which leans on a steep hillside, was not supposed to have any structural competition with an eye-catching cable car. In order not to interfere with the visual presence of the chapel, the summit station was built behind a high stone wall that set it apart from delightful surroundings. In order for it to stay as low as possible, the cable car mechanics are situated outdoors. As a result, you can watch its technical components functioning out of the glass cube into which the red gondola glides. Access to the ticket counter and waiting room is at the rear of the building, where there is also an adjoining café with magnificent views.

The architects analyzed the surroundings carefully. Many of the structural elements of the local conditions  ̶ the course of the road, the volumes of the surrounding houses all the way up to Schenna Castle, which can be seen from here  ̶  merge again in this building, but with a modern twist. The residential building, sheathed with bright Eternit slabs, floats like a crystal on the blue-gray, stone-clad semi-basement, where the shops are located. A glass-clad gap between the stone-clad basement and the residential building brings light between the two components, into the goldsmith shop. It provides upscale, almost indirect illumination of the white wall partitions and ceilings, while the dark walnut wood paneling conveys solidity.

Burgeis had managed to maintain its village-like character up to the present day. The traditional Weisses Kreuz Hotel lies centrally on a very small piece of land. The extensions and conversions, including its spacious spa area and new suites, have been admirably incorporated as part of the hotel, they sensitively take into account the survival of historical aspects. Zum Löwen, situated opposite, also belongs to the hotel and was renovated and reconstructed. The building was skillfully extended, the new extension now being home to a bistro and shop. This transformed the square with its fountain into a real village center. The listed facades of both houses were kept, as were the beautifully paneled rooms in the Löwen: all new buildings show the fitting of a modern hotel and are designed to be the best in modern architecture by the use of sustainable materials.

On the outskirts of Schlanders the garden of the kindergarten encroaches on the stone terraces of Sonnenberg Mountain with its beautiful trees. In front of the group rooms it provides a sheltered open space, which includes many terraces and trees. This unique situation is ideal for a modern child's education, which includes nature and the environment. A covered space at the front leads to the two-story building, which is at an angle here. The architecture should provide the children with a tactile means to discover natural and sustainable materials both inside and outside, so it was built from wood in vertical slats. Large glass panes let light into the group rooms and an additional glass cube situated on the roof allows a comfortable amount of light into the central part of the building and provides a view to the west.

The new Strata wing of the conservative Königswarte Residence creates a conscious contrast with its modern architecture and design. The building was developed with the high outlines of the sunny slopes overlooking the Dolomites in mind. Horizontal lines created by larch wood slats on the balconies of the facade characterize this building, creating a continuation of the topography and connecting the construction mass as closely as possible to the landscape with this layering.  Hidden behind, there is a spacious, glazed concrete construction that houses the roomy suites. Natural materials such as loden, leather, larch wood and Dolomite stone are used in these well-proportioned rooms. The architecture won the Piper's Award and the Next Generation Award in 2008 as well as the Alpine Interior Award in 2011.

The sunniest and most sought-after cross-country skiing trail within the Ortler Ski Arena alliance, is located between Schlinig and Schliniger Alm, and offers 15 kilometers of trails and a vertical drop of 150 meters. The village of Schlinig built a service center for it, with a ski-waxing facility, changing rooms, toilets and equipment rentals. This single-story building matches the development of the village in both size and materials used. Covered entirely with vertical wood sheathing, the wagon looks like a cog railway into which you enter sideways. The incline of the roof and shape of the building take up the slope gradient. The entrances to the five functional units open onto a covered vestibule on the valley side, while the opposite side is provided with suitably tiered horizontal windows – as a result, the entire complex is integrated into the hillside in an ideal way.

Meadows surround the freestanding detached family house on the outskirts of Laatsch, a stones throw away from Mals. This unusual, singular building simply needs a certain amount of empty space around it, in order to allow a full appreciation of it. The view of both of the church towers in Laatsch heightens the contrast with the village. The mainly enclosed upper floor houses the bedrooms in a square layout, which encompasses the living rooms below with glass facades. With its far-reaching white glow, the “box” made from concrete seems to sway over everything and projects upwards from the slender supports. In order to provide the glass ground floor with some privacy freestanding stone walls typical for the area were built a short distance away from the house. Such a house makes one self-conscious of one’s living conditions.

It was Mussolini’s idea to establish a memorial to the fallen soldiers of the First World War on the site where a monument to the Kaiserjäger had already been commenced. A collection of donations throughout the whole of Italy financed the new monument. However, the architect designed a victory monument in the style of Roman triumphal arches as apologia for the conquest-hungry fascists with its insignia and an inscription, which refers to the martial tradition of the Roman Empire. It was seen as a grave insult to German-speaking South Tyroleans. After lengthy negotiations between the province of South Tyrol and the Italian cultural ministry, the high-fenced-in monument opened, in the catacombs of the building, a permanent exhibition in 2014 about events that unfolded under two dictatorships from 1918-1945, in order to improve understanding and communication.

Behind the monastery garden rises the light facade of the Kapuzin Monastery, next to which the disguised new school building built in a grey sandstone sits unnoticed. A section of wall was added onto the old east-facing facade, behind which there is a corridor with classrooms that look onto the intimate monastery courtyard. The majority of the rooms had to be built underground due to the extremely limited space available. Illumination in these rooms has been created through skylights in the garden and sophisticated guided shafts of light. This directed lighting removes any trace of a cellar-like feeling, and allows for a highly concentrated learning environment. An elegant set of steel steps leads from the entrance hall to all of the floors; all of the corridors are colorfully decorated. An aesthetic symbiosis between the old and the new has been found for this place of teaching and learning.

From an architectural standpoint, the climbing and bouldering arena in Brunico/Bruneck was designed to fit in with various existing, largely heterogeneous buildings. With a powerful and independent architectural language, the arena stands in contrast to the natural and already existing environment as constructed. The large variation in height and room depth as well as the arrangement of the inner courtyard and the outdoor climbing area result in high-quality outdoor spaces, which nevertheless appear as a coherent, interconnected building formation. The back of the building has no openings, while the facades facing the inner courtyard are glazed to the height of the building, as if opening themselves up to the visitor. The indoor climbing hall is highly recognisable and, despite its rocky structure, blends in well with nature and the landscape. The overall design is minimalist: sparse details and clear lines of concrete and local limestone.

This beverage company, which has been existence since 1919, is a return to the old town of Brunico/Bruneck. The historical building, which has Gothic elements, is listed. The facades have therefore been carefully renovated yet it has gained a new, distinct character through the addition of glass to the ground floor arches and the illumination at dusk. From the outside one can already sense the atmosphere inside, and the sales counter conveys a slight corner-shop feel to the place; the interior is however divided stylistically. In the front section there are bright shelves, while the section towards the back has a hint of luxury about it, with its antique furniture. The Harpf private drinking cavern, situated in the cellar and independent of the shop, has been superbly designed by the architects Ged Bergmeister and Michaela Wolf.

This energy-efficient residence was built alongside four holiday flats between the forest, meadows and vineyards. The larch wood used in the construction and shell as well as on the balconies of the upper floors, comes from stocks owned by the construction manager. The balconies are equipped with mobile sunshades, thus giving a unified, yet changing exterior appearance. The basement is partially built into the slope behind, in the style of massive construction. The front of the top floor is made entirely of glass panels in order to make the most of the splendid view. The conventional shape of the house, which blends well into the landscape, is an unusually elegant building with a lightweight feel to it, well thought out details and tasteful furnishings.

Situated opposite the station, the central culture house is easily accessible. But the busy federal road that runs between the two creates a significant problem in terms of pollution. A solution was found in true urban development style, with the four well-structured blocks of the building enclosing a courtyard and the highest, windowless side facing the street. This is helped by a high wall made from the typical stone from the area, which also incorporates the buildings of the former primary school with its historical architecture into the modern exposed-concrete complex. The inner courtyard is also the protected heart of it all. It can be used as an additional room for events, with tiered seating. The spacious glass rooms open up onto this courtyard and offer a beautiful transparency in contrast to the enclosed space.

From 1230 forwards the castle was home to knights and caretakers in the Gader Valley, who were appointed by the Bishop of Brixen until 1803. Farmers inhabited it from that point on, until it was converted into the Museum of Ladin History and Culture, and was expanded. The central point of the information is, amongst others, the cave bear, Ursus ladinicus, for which a branch museum in St Kassian was created. A foyer area was added onto the castle with a bar and rooms for temporary exhibitions, area constructed from wood, steel and glass, which with its flat roof goes almost unnoticed next to the superior historical building, and is a good example of a timeless modern construction. Inside, robust wooden flooring and whitewashed walls create a neutral background for various exhibitions and floor-to-ceiling glass-paneled sections of the facade look out onto a gorgeous view.

Beneath the glowing white walls of the Marienberg Abbey lies the somewhat dingier Fürstenburg, built from regional stone in 1278. A collapse of the castle’s keep in 1996 brought about the renovation, including a restructuring and extension, which was carried out in two phases. It began by securing the historical parts of the building and extending the home wing with modern fixtures made from steel and glass in order to provide the old stonewalls with more light transparency. New schoolrooms in the mountain were then constructed outside of the curtain wall to accommodate the increasing number of pupils. It appears from the outside to be a wall one story high made from the same dark stone as the castle. On the inside, the courtyard has been modernized with structural components made of glass and steel and there is a new section of building work climbing up the mountainside, covered in earth and plants. From something old was born something new.

In the center of Mals there was a plot of land for a free-standing building. Block-like brick buildings with windows cut into them and often without an overhanging roof are typical for Mals. The architect adopted this structure and designed a building in three parts with different levels. The middle part acts as an opening and is covered in larch wood boards, while the other two buildings attached to this are plastered white and have uniform, regularly spaced windows. This succinct language of form takes into account the details of the entire building. The shape of the building is clearly structured with the central entrance, so that the citizens can easily find their way inside. The community hall on the upper floor has a special entrance. The interior spaces are marked by white walls, light wood and overhead lighting in the corridors.

Sesto was completely destroyed during the First World War, and the homes in the village are therefore new, almost without exception. Architecturally speaking the most important structure is the new Drei Zinnen Hotel, which was built in 1930 in the style of Bauhaus and Italian rationalism. The building, in fact, has become an icon of modern hotel construction in the Alps. The roof ridge is arranged transversely in relation to the narrow side of the structure. The side facing the valley represents a vibrant take on the bay window motif and sits, plastered in white, on a two-story stone plinth − all elements of traditional Alpine design with a modern twist. The 2000 renovation sensitively provided the comfort demanded by the modern guest without diminishing  the hotel’s distinctive style. A noteworthy example of this success, above and beyond the consistent selection of colors and materials, is the spa in the lower level, which provides direct access to the outside area.

In a building in the old town on the biggest shopping street in Brunico/Bruneck, a glass right angle opens up allowing a view into the wide yet long, tube-like room which stirs you to enter the room. Apart from the floor, laid with square black slabs, the rest of the interior is completely white. Bright light and the back-lit walls made of white frosted glass make the small windowless room seem far larger and lighter than it actually is. The white furnishings including the counter and shelves seem inferior to the colorful things on offer here: in the front section of the shop Andreas Acherer's patisseries are on sale. These products have won awards many times in the Gambero Rosso guide. In the back section, separated for hygienic reasons, are artistic flower arrangements by Barbara Strondl.

At the foot of Churburg Castle, the historical focal point of the village, an old farmhouse has been converted into a museum where the once-meager farming life of the Vinschgau Valley is documented − a lovely counterpoint to the feudal world of the castle. In the basement and on the first floor there are spaces for special exhibitions. In keeping with this use, the structure of both farm buildings has been retained and enhanced with typical regional materials. Larch wood, traditional exterior plaster, glass and steel were used so that its contemporary use is expressed through fittingly modern details. The existing load-bearing structure was combined with today's architectural components so that a homogeneous unit reflecting both tradition and modernity could arise, which shows much of the artistic potential of the Vinschgau people in a timeless way.