Anyone who knows Moar Gut knows this: architecture here is more than design – it is a feeling. Whether in the Hochgartl, at the Nature Children’s Farm, or in the Nature Spa, every space tells its own story. Together with LP Architektur from Altenmarkt, we create places that engage all the senses. In today’s blog, we turn our attention to a very special detail in the Nature Spa: the staircase.
The concept
Tom Lechner, architect and owner of LP Architektur, designs Moar Gut together with us. He is known far beyond the region for his exceptional ideas and visions. With great sensitivity, he succeeds in bringing nature indoors and creating incomparable architectural elements. In addition to the Hochgartl, the Aktivgartl, and many other areas of our resort, the Nature Spa also originates from his design. We have captured Mr. Lechner’s thoughts and visions here:
The staircase is conceived as a spatial sculpture, like a piece of furniture within the room that commands presence—particularly through the entrance platform at the lower level. At the bottom, darkness prevails, and it is precisely here that a consciously designed path begins. This lower zone functions as an intermediate space—a transition zone that offers time to arrive, to ground oneself, and to prepare inwardly. It is a place of calm, a phase of “soul time,” before continuing onward. From here, the path leads step by step upward into the light.
The bush-hammered concrete or stone symbolizes heaviness, protection, and the sheltering qualities of the ground and of nature. From this solid, earthbound atmosphere, the path evolves toward lightness—toward the light and the timber construction of the upper level. The choice of materials consciously and emotionally supports this transition.
In its design, the architecture deliberately holds back. It is not decorative, but reduced and clear. There are no distractions, nothing superfluous. A small number of materials creates a calm atmosphere that helps one distance oneself from stress and find inner peace. The stone reinforces the association with the intermediate zone and emotionally prepares one for what follows above. This zone is intentionally positioned between the subterranean and the above-ground.
Outdoors as well, the flooring initially continues until the point at which one enters this intermediate zone. From here, walking changes: steps become more deliberate, slower, more focused. One takes time to prepare for what is to come. At the same time, this conscious step is taken up and carried forward by the dynamism of the staircase—a harmonious interplay of mindfulness and movement.
The realization