ÖTZAL RESEARCH CENTER

Ötztal Alps, Austria

Spring 2021, Smilja Milovanovic's Advanced Studio

Completed with: Caroline Jones, and Hugo Siaudzionis

Ötztal Research Center

Resilient Design in an Extreme Climate

The Ötztal Research Center is a climate, geological, and archaeological research facility designed to house scientists in the extreme environment of the Tyrol Alps, near the site of Ötzi the Iceman’s discovery. Accessed only by hiking or helicopter, the center is engineered for resilience, sustainability, and practicality in harsh alpine conditions. Its design integrates passive systems, renewable energy, vertical farming, and modular construction methods to ensure long-term operation.

The Otzal Alps

Otzal Alps during the winter

View from Lake Vernago

The Ötztal Archaeological and Geological Research Center sits just southwest of Ötzi the Iceman’s discovery site in South Tyrol, on the Italian side of the Austrian–Italian border at an elevation of 3,000 meters. Surrounded by Mount Similaun, Hotel Grawand, and Maso Corto, the center includes research labs, communal spaces, and living quarters dedicated to geological and archaeological study.

Access to the center is primarily by car and on foot. Travelers can drive from the south to the parking area near Hotel Grawand, then continue on foot along the marked trail leading to the research center.

Building in Extreme Climates

Located in the harsh climate of the Tyrolean Alps, this project responds to extreme conditions of permafrost, high winds, heavy snow, and freeze–thaw cycles. With limited access and no nearby infrastructure, the design of the Ötztal Research Center draws from precedents in architecture for severe climates to ensure resilience and constructability.

Traditional Chalet

Switzerland

Princess Elisabeth Research Center

Antarctica

Exterior, Monte Rosa Hut

Zermatt, Switzerland

Interior, Monte Rosa Hut

Zermatt, Switzerland

A-Frame Form

The triangular A-frame form, inspired by traditional alpine chalets, efficiently resists wind and snow loads. Each mass is oriented toward significant surrounding landmarks, with their intersections echoing the region’s geological formations. Deeply anchored piers elevate the structure, reducing permafrost melt, while façades are oriented to capture southern light and frame views of Mount Similaun and Ötzi’s discovery site.

Form Generation Animation

Research Center Layout

Central Atrium Section

Circulation Diagram

Research Spaces

Geology Lab

Geology Lab Section

Mass Timber Construction

All building materials must be flown to the site by helicopter, making mass timber an ideal choice for its light weight, prefabrication potential, local sourcing, sustainability, and biophilic properties.

Construction Sequence Animation

Self Sustaining Systems

For a research center isolated from infrastructure and where transporting resources is extremely difficult, it was important to operate as self-sufficiently as possible. A series of sustainable systems work together, each supporting the other. Solar panels generate the energy needed to run the station, and from snow and sunlight, electricity, water, and heat are produced and recycled throughout the center.

The tops of both A-frame spaces contain vertical farming greenhouses that grow food to sustain the scientists, researchers, and visitors. Gaps in the floor plates allow warm air to rise, passively heating the greenhouses, while composting toilets produce fertilizer for growing.

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