Messner insisted that the museum’s openings were aligned with certain iconic Alpine peaks. More than happy to oblige, the architects created a window that frames the silhouette of the Peitlerkofel Mountain to the southeast, a second opening that is directed at the Heiligkreuzkofel peak to the south, and a six-meter balcony that faces the Ortler and the South Tyrol to the west. 4,000 cubic meters of earth and rock were excavated to make room for the building, which were then placed on top and around it, literally embedding it into the landscape. The building’s reinforced concrete canopies and walls were cast in situ, and are between 40 and 70 cm thick in order to support the weight of the rock above them. The building’s cladding, which is perhaps ZHA’s most recognisable stylistic trait on the project, consists of panels that were either prefabricated or created on site using cast concrete; the more complex curved elements were created by spraying layers of high-performance fibre-concrete into moulds shaped after the architect’s 3D model.

{YatzerTip} The summit of Kronplats/Plan de Corones can be reached on foot after a four-hour hike from nearby villages; it can also be reached by car, cablecar and the ropeways of nearby ski trails.