01.04.2026 · Journal

Architecture that lasts

We do not understand architecture as an isolated object, but as part of a larger spatial, social and cultural context. Stadt:Labor – Architekten, based in Innsbruck, works mainly in the Alpine region and accompanies projects as a whole – from the first idea through to completion. At the centre of our work are sustainable architecture, a sensitive approach to the existing fabric and community-oriented planning and design processes. This attitude runs equally through our work on housing, public spaces, heritage projects and neighbourhood developments. (Stadt:Labor – Architekten)

Today in particular, this attitude is not only a design necessity but a social one. The buildings and construction sector accounts for a substantial share of global energy demand and CO₂ emissions. At the same time, the European Commission stresses the importance of the circular economy for resource conservation, biodiversity and climate neutrality. The New European Bauhaus, in turn, strengthens an understanding of the built environment that thinks sustainability, inclusion and beauty together. For us this means: architecture must not only work technically, but must make sense in the long term, be robust, create identity and remain comprehensible to people. (UNEP – UN Environment Programme)

A substantial part of our work therefore begins not with new construction, but with a careful reading of what is already there. For us, the existing fabric is not a constraint but a resource – spatially, culturally and materially. On our website we describe this approach as a combination of sustainable architecture, transformation of the existing fabric and cooperative processes; at the same time, the idea of the circular economy plays an important role for us. Wherever possible, materials, structures and spatial qualities are to be carried forward rather than hastily replaced. (Stadt:Labor – Architekten)

Several projects show what this can look like in practice. At the Frühmesshof in Untermieming, the historic building is being restored and preserved in its essential spatial structures; relevant internal partitions, window openings and doorways remain, while only later or structurally inadequate components are selectively renewed. At the Wanner Hof in Inzing, the farm wing with stable and threshing floor retains its original function, original plaster layers and timber structures are preserved, and individual fittings are reused. In the listed Pfleghaus in Anras, the revitalisation combines the preservation of a building of cultural and historical significance with new uses for the municipality, housing, a café, exhibitions and events. The result is not a museum-like standstill, but cultural life that continues to be built on within the existing fabric. (Stadt:Labor – Architekten)

We do not understand sustainability as an additional layer, but as a design principle. At practice level, we formulate the ambition to design buildings that are environmentally conscious and resource-efficient while placing people’s well-being at the centre. This attitude is evident, for example, in the project Sustainable solid timber construction for contemporary holiday apartments, where timber as the primary building material, energy efficiency, building-physics quality and integration into local building traditions come together. It is equally evident in public projects such as the “Vertikale” climbing hall in Brixen, where a sophisticated climate concept with a multi-layered façade, thermal mass, natural ventilation and solar energy is intended to make mechanical cooling unnecessary. Here, sustainability arises from the choice of materials, the spatial concept, the climate strategy and durability in use. (Stadt:Labor – Architekten)

A third core of our work lies in community-oriented planning processes. Architecture is not created single-handedly. On our website we describe the shared path as the basis of good projects: through actively involving the clients, through understanding local goals and through combining expertise with the requirements of a specific place. This attitude becomes particularly visible in neighbourhood development. In the project Schenoni military site, Brixen, a former military area is being developed into a modern, sustainable and liveable neighbourhood with housing, commercial uses and community facilities – in close cooperation with local authorities and community groups. In the neighbourhood development of the village centre of Niederau – Wildschönau, too, the participation process is central: starting from a citizens‘ round table, the potential of the village centre was developed as the basis for further decisions. (Stadt:Labor – Architekten)

That community-oriented architecture works not only at the large scale but also in public space is shown by the redesign of the village square and music pavilion in Innichen. There, history, materiality and everyday life are interwoven: stone, water and the historic lines of the place structure the square; at the same time, a meeting zone is created with infrastructure for markets, events, lingering and temporary uses. Architecture here becomes the spatial translation of a collective memory into a contemporary public place. Another example is the renovation of the Astra Kino in Brixen, where a former cinema was transformed into a cultural centre through conversion, clearing of spaces, new exhibition areas, adapted lighting technology and an added lift. Such projects show that social and cultural sustainability is closely linked to spatial openness, accessibility and adaptability to new uses. (Stadt:Labor – Architekten)

In the Alpine region, architecture for us therefore always also means working with topography, history, climate, material culture and social context. Good solutions arise not from repetition, but from precision in dealing with the place. Sometimes the preservation of a historic fabric is in the foreground, sometimes the development of a new neighbourhood, sometimes the transformation of a public building or the creation of a resource-efficient new build. What connects these projects is the attempt to understand architecture as a long-term cultural achievement – robust, open to change and close to the people who use it. (Stadt:Labor – Architekten)

For Stadt:Labor, sustainable architecture is therefore more than energy efficiency and more than formal restraint. It arises where the existing is understood, resources are used wisely, spaces are carefully built on and processes are carried jointly. Architecture that lasts grows out of this combination of attitude, place and responsibility. (Stadt:Labor – Architekten)

Architecture that lasts

Selected project references

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