New Fire Station and Community Hall Redefines Mötz Center

In the Tyrolean village of Mötz, a newly completed fire station and community hall designed by Imgang Architekten is emerging as a compact civic landmark, combining emergency services, culture and everyday gathering spaces under one steeply pitched roof.

A Riverside Site Transformed Into a Civic Anchor

The new fire station and community hall in Mötz occupies the site of the former municipal building between the Klammbach stream and the River Inn, a location that had long lacked a clear architectural focus. Publicly available information shows that the project was conceived to consolidate several dispersed functions into one addressable landmark while respecting the small-scale fabric of the surrounding village.

The building is configured as a compact volume that adapts to the changing topography along the riverbank. Reports indicate that the massing steps with the slope and orients major spaces toward the Inn, turning a previously residual edge into an active front for community life. Generous openings along this side frame views toward the water and mountains, tying the interior activity to the wider landscape that draws visitors to the Tyrolean region.

Urban design descriptions of the project highlight that the structure aligns with neighboring roofs and gables, translating the traditional village profile into a contemporary civic form. The result is a recognisable silhouette that still fits the local grain, an approach that supports the wider strategy in Mötz of reinforcing the existing center rather than expanding outward.

Under One Roof: Fire Services and Village Life

According to project data, the building brings together the volunteer fire brigade, a public library, a district archive, club rooms and a multipurpose hall for around 100 people. Four vehicle bays occupy a tall ground floor hall that rises through two levels, with the main event space stacked above and directly legible from the exterior.

Imgang Architekten have organized the program as interlocking volumes around a shared foyer. Information published by the practice describes this foyer as a three storey circulation and meeting space, visually connecting the various uses and providing an internal promenade with views across all levels. A shared kitchen adjacent to the hall is conceived as a point of overlap where different user groups can cross paths, from firefighters during exercises to local associations preparing events.

The brief for the municipality sought flexible rooms that could accommodate rehearsals, assemblies, small exhibitions and informal gatherings. The resulting plan allows the fire service to function independently when required, while still maintaining close spatial and visual ties to the wider community facilities, an aspect that observers note as central to the project’s social ambition.

Timber Construction and a Protective Roofscape

The architecture of the fire station and community hall is defined by a long, projecting gabled roof that shelters the entrance forecourt. Architectural reports describe this roof as a key figure in the design, offering weather protection for mustering, loading and outdoor events, and visually binding together the operational fire service zone with the more civic functions along the street.

Structurally, the project combines a robust concrete base with timber superstructures. The lower levels and highly stressed areas, including the vehicle hall and technical rooms, are formed in exposed reinforced concrete, while the upper floors are built with cross laminated timber walls in silver fir. The choice of materials reflects a clear hierarchy of robustness at ground level and warmth in the occupied spaces above.

Interior descriptions point to a restrained palette that pairs fair faced concrete with white fir linings, ash industrial parquet flooring and carefully placed accents in a bright yellow tone. This combination is intended to signal a public character without resorting to decorative excess, creating durable surfaces suited to intensive community use.

Energy Performance and klimaaktiv Gold Standard

Energy performance data released through national building programs indicate that the Mötz fire station and community hall has been certified to the Austrian klimaaktiv Gold standard. The certification is based on a compact building form, a mixed construction method with significant timber content and an efficient technical concept built around heat pumps and controlled ventilation with heat recovery.

Figures from the klimaaktiv listing show a calculated heating demand of around 29 kilowatt hours per square metre annually and a primary energy demand in the low 70s, values that position the building comfortably within high performance municipal benchmarks. A photovoltaic system on the roof contributes a substantial share of electricity, with reported yields in the tens of thousands of kilowatt hours per year, underlining the project’s role as an energy conscious public facility.

The focus on airtightness, low emissions from interior finishes and ongoing energy monitoring has been documented as part of the certification process. For a small community that relies on volunteer engagement, these technical measures also serve an educational role, demonstrating how contemporary civic buildings in alpine regions can balance comfort, resilience and resource efficiency.

A Model for Small-Scale Alpine Community Hubs

The project originated from a 2023 architectural competition, where the proposal by Imgang Architekten, working in association with other planning partners, was awarded first prize. Jury summaries made public at the time describe the design as a clear, confident house for the village, notable for how it orchestrates different room heights and uses into a legible whole.

Regional coverage portrays the completed building as a future everyday hub for Mötz, where emergency response, reading, archiving and club activities converge in a single address on Flößerweg. The location near the confluence of stream and river strengthens its role as a gateway to local walking routes, potentially broadening its appeal beyond residents to visitors exploring the Inn valley.

Observers in Tyrol’s architectural community have also pointed to the project as part of a wider shift toward timber based, low energy civic buildings in alpine settlements. For travelers and design enthusiasts, the new fire station and community hall in Mötz offers a concise snapshot of how contemporary architecture, sustainability targets and village-scale life are being woven together in Austria’s smaller communities.