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Architectural tourism tends to cater to the ostentatious. Make it shiny, colorful, or thrilling, and tourists will flock to it, phone in hand.
High above the town of Innsbruck, Austria, a new kind of architectural tourism has taken shape thanks to Snøhetta. The firm recently completed a series of landscape installations along a 1.7 mile hiking trail in the Nordkette mountains. The “Path of Perspectives,” includes 10 “architectural interventions” that are designed to encourage hikers to take a breather and absorb their surroundings.
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Snøhetta’s designs include wide-stepped timber terraces that cut into the terrain and a steel box that juts out from a hiking trail. Most are made from wood and metal and are designed to blend in with their surroundings.
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The installations dot the trail, turning the already picturesque landscape into an art walk of sorts. Hikers are rewarded for their efforts when they end up at a metal pathway that dramatically cantilevers over the side of the mountain—a photo worthy moment if there ever was one.