Forestry Station
Nova Ponente/Deutschnofen

Wood as way of being: The forestry station in the centre of Nova Ponente/Deutschnofen is a compact timber building for the local forestry office of the Autonomous Province of Bolzano/Bozen which exemplifies the responsible use of resources. Its form draws on the archetype of traditional two-storey houses with pitched roofs – reduced to its essentials. The building’s dual function of internal administration and public reference point defines the spatial organisation: service rooms in the basement, public areas on the ground floor, and a meeting room on the upper floor that can also serve as an emergency operations centre. The load-bearing structure, walls, and floors are made of cross-laminated timber panels (X-Lam). The blackened timber façade reinterprets traditional techniques in which elements in contact with the ground were charred to protect them from moisture and decay. As if pressed into the earth, the building anchors itself in the soil, grounding tradition while projecting its contemporary language into the future.