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Talstation Schafbergbahn

Special Recognition in Architectural design

The valley station of the cogwheel railway is located at the foot of the Schafberg, directly on the shores of Lake Wolfgang. It consists of a two-story main building and a single-story annex. Together with the existing workshop buildings, they enclose the station grounds in a courtyard-like arrangement. A sawtooth roof spans the two new structures, extending to cover the platform and visually unifying the station’s overall form. The roof’s folded geometry extends vertically to form a secondary façade layer, continuing the folded-structure design motif across the elevations. The resulting fine-grained appearance disrupts the building's scale, fostering a dialogue with the surrounding small-scale architecture. Inside the main building, various public areas — including the entrance hall with ticketing, an exhibition space, a shop, a restaurant, and an event area — are arranged within a single open hall. Extensive glazing in the façades and sawtooth roof opens the space up to its surroundings, establishing a strong connection to the lake and mountains. Wood and steel play a central role in the design. The interplay between the station typology and the requirements of a tourist-oriented facility creates a compelling thematic bridge. "Industrial" materials and a technical design language anchor the building atmospherically within the station typology, while the use of wood creates a welcoming, comfortable environment for visitors.

Participant category: Small company (< 10 employees)

Company name: dunkelschwarz ZT GmbH

Country: Austria

Location: St. Wolfgang im Salzkammergut

Client: Salzburg AG Tourismus GmbH

Edition: 2026

Project status: Realised

Website: www.dunkelschwarz.com

Photo credits: Albrecht Imanuel Schnabel
Photo credits: Albrecht Imanuel Schnabel
Photo credits: Albrecht Imanuel Schnabel
Photo credits: Albrecht Imanuel Schnabel
Photo credits: Albrecht Imanuel Schnabel
Photo credits: Albrecht Imanuel Schnabel