HYDROELECTRIC POWER STATION ‘WINNEBACH’

In the Pustertal valley in the municipality of Vintl stands the “Winnebach” hydroelectric power plant, supplied by the watercourse bearing the same name. The project blends harmoniously into the alpine context and creates the impression of eternal permanence. Like a boulder pushed deep into the valley by glacial masses thousands of years ago, the power plant is located in the middle of nature, surrounded by green forests.

Angular, segmented surfaces made of water-impermeable concrete and the reduced use of materials reinforce the resemblance to a large boulder. Like small water channels by day and sparkling gold veins by night, narrow bands of windows cut through the rock and provide small glimpses into the building’s interior. In order to keep the interference with nature as low as possible, parts of the plant were built into the hillside. The visible surface is thus reduced to a minimum. The interior consists of two storeys. The lower floor houses the cable room, a control basin and the storage room. The upper floor contains the machine and transformer room, the medium-voltage system as well as the control room.