Hoch Krimml, Austria

Youthhostel Gerlos is a spacious and rustic youth hostel in Austria offering an array of leisure amenities designed by Christine Lechner of Lechner & Lechner Architects together with Lukas Player for Jugendgästehaus Gerlosplatte. 

For its all-encompassing design, Youthhostel Gerlos has recently been awarded a 2022 International Architecture Awards Honorable Mention by The Chicago Athenaeum: Museum of Architecture and Design and The European Centre for Architecture Art Design and Urban Studies.

The youth hostel, which is accessible via Hochkrimml Strasse, forms a counterpoint to the adjoining development with nondescriptive chalets. 

The timber frame, which is set parallel to the street on the slope edge, makes optimal use of the topography. 

The approach and reception area are surrounded by two ramp-like side wings, adapted to the terrain and covered with greenery, which accommodate eight dining rooms and a parlor open towards the forecourt. 

The entrance to the youth guest house, which is geared towards a young audience, is located at the front of the priority area. 

Storage rooms and a large kitchen with staff and a laundry room are also located on the ground floor. 

Fully glazed ground floor zones help flood the interior with sufficient natural light and also create lines of sight into the landscape. 

The basement floors are naturally lit by their fully glazed north side. 

This is where the sports and fun areas of the youth guest house are located, consisting of a large gym, pump track, football room, and trampolines with a schnitzel pit. 

A small disco and climbing walls complete the extensive range of leisure areas. 

The special feature of the basement is a climbing wall that extends from the second basement to the ground floor.

In the basement of the east wing service rooms as well as a storage and laundry room, were accommodated. 

The individual floors are accessed via ramps and a central lift. 

The sheet metal cladding of the ramps creates a strong contrast to the light wooden surfaces of the interior. 

Due to the central positioning of the main access, the internal typology of the building is divided into a west and east wing.

Project: Youthhostel Gerlos
Architects: Lechner & Lechner Architects
Lead Architect: Christine Lechner
Design Planner: Lukas Ployer
Structural Engineers: Ingenieurbüro Ing. Denis Gappmaier
General Contractor: Jugendgästehaus Gerlosplatte GmbH
Client: Jugendgästehaus Gerlosplatte GmbH
Photographers: Julian Höck