Floris Hotel, Italy

For many years the cosy guest rooms of Parc Hotel Florian, situated at the foothills of the village of Siusi allo Sciliar, has been providing the perfect, year-round holiday experience. A unique feature of this property is the magnificent park with beautiful ancient trees, an idyllic pond and an outdoor pool. The complex has recently been expanded with ten brand new suites in a stand-alone building, which connects to the existing structure, providing both a sense of continuity and a fresh perspective with a distinctive architectural language. Noa* architects were commissioned for this, which meant confronting a complex building situation of preserving the unique grounds in an optimal way.

At the outset, the idea was to separate the building with the new suites from the original site in order to leave the grounds untouched and occupy as little space as possible. A building at ground level would have resulted in the loss of sizeable portion of the grounds. So an orderly grouping of intimate, self-contained tree houses were elevated on three-metre high supports, leaving the grounds fully accessible underneath. During the design process the park became the central theme of the architecture, thoroughly embedding the building within the nature.

The concept of tree houses began to take shape with two-storey structures containing the suites, with five rooms on each floor, all of which offer views over the park. The rooms are located above each other at a slight angle, creating the impression of a natural, grown structure, while preserving the views. Guests have the sensation of being ensconced in their own little house.

Inside, the suites are no less spectacular. The central living area opens out onto a sheltered balcony overlooking the magnificent mountain scenery, a benefit also afforded by the glass bedroom. Everything is confluent – rooms, functionality, exterior and interior. Only the toilet and bidet has been designed as a self-contained unit. A free-standing vanity unit with mirror, which can also be used as a console desk, provides a pivotal point. This is where the bathroom area merges into the living area, which is kitted with hybrid furniture. At the far end of the suite is the entrance to an open shower, elegantly flanked on one side by a small, private Finnish sauna. In addition to the many views and vistas, there is another highlight that makes a stay in the Green Suite irresistible – an open patio with an outdoor hot tub. The interior palette consists of a subdued green interspersed with shades of grey, adding to the tree-house ambience and helping merge the inside and outside. Smoked oak flooring is paired with fittings and bathroom units in a restrained shade of black.

An unhemmed patio provides a private retreat, as does the external terrace area where you can sink back and relax in a hammock-like mesh, allowing guests to take full advantage of the treehouse concept and the park, which has been the guiding principle for this project from the very beginning.