Stepping stones lead across a reflective pool of water at Lech Mountain Mirror, a viewpoint in the Austrian Alps, designed by architecture studio Snøhetta to invite a moment of pause.
Located in a village called Lech in the Vorarlberg region, the installation comprises a shallow pool of water on the roof of the Zugerbergbahn cable car station, across which visitors can walk.
Snøhetta‘s Innsbruck office designed Lech Mountain Mirror as a lookout point that simultaneously mirrors the dramatic views of the surrounding mountains and clouds, playing with visitors’ perspectives.
Free to access, it is hoped to become a popular tourist attraction that could help position Lech as a year-round destination, rather than just for winter skiing.
“The Lech Mountain Mirror transforms an infrastructure facility into a place for sensory experience,” said Snøhetta partner Patrick Lüth.
“It captures the magic of the mountains for visitors in an unusual way and offers opportunities to admire the mountain world from a different perspective.”
Lech Mountain Mirror comprises a series of striped stepping stones in the pool of water, which lead up to a rock rising from its surface.
Within the water, visitors can see a mirror image of the surrounding landscape that shifts with the weather and time of day, inviting visitors to pause and observe the ever-changing landscape.
“The weather becomes part of the experience, constantly altering one’s perception of the surroundings,” said Snøhetta.
“On sunny, clear days, you see a precise reflection.”
“When the wind blows, the reflection blurs, and the ripples on the water’s surface create a new natural experience,” the studio continued.
“The reflections of mountains and sky, clouds and people merge into an image that changes with every breath of wind and every shift in light.”
Surrounding the lookout is a green space and various seating areas made from larch wood and stone boulders.
Snøhetta said the installation is among several art initiatives under development in the area to boost summer tourism, including projects by artists Antony Gormley and James Turrell.
Snøhetta was founded by Thorsen and Craig Dykers in 1989. Nearby in the Nordkette mountain range, the Innsbruck office also created the Path of Perspectives – a series of architectural interventions for a mountain walking trail.
Other viewpoints recently featured on Dezeen include a double-helix structure for bird watching in China and a converted antenna tower in the Swiss Alps by Herzog & de Meuron.
The photography is by Christian Flatscher.
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