Architecture and design practice Snøhetta has completed Lech Mountain Mirror, a landscape installation on the roof of the Zugerbergbahn mountain station in Lech, Austria.
A shallow water basin reflects the surrounding mountains, sky and changing weather, while stepping stones lead across the water to a natural rock rising from its surface. The rock serves as an exposed lookout point in the middle of the basin.
The installation has been open since August and was designed around more than the reflecting pool’s appearance. Snøhetta also considered how people would move through the space and engage with the mountain landscape around them.
Water and weather change the view
Conditions on the mountain continually alter what visitors see. On clear, still days, the water produces a precise reflection of the surrounding landscape. Wind breaks up the image with ripples, while changes in light and cloud cover produce different reflections across the basin.
People moving through the installation are reflected alongside the mountains, sky and clouds.
“The Lech Mountain Mirror transforms an infrastructure facility into a place for sensory experience,” said Patrick Lüth, Snøhetta partner and managing director of Snøhetta Studio Innsbruck. “It captures the magic of the mountains for visitors in an unusual way and offers opportunities to admire the mountain world from a different perspective.”
Around the basin are planted areas, seating, larch-wood lounging areas and natural stone boulders.
Mountain station roof takes on a new role
The Zugerbergbahn mountain station was built several years before Lech Mountain Mirror and has also operated during the summer since 2024.
The installation is part of a longer-term strategy to increase the region’s appeal during summer and establish Lech as a year-round destination. Other art projects associated with the strategy include Antony Gormley’s Horizon Field and James Turrell’s Sky Space Lech.
Lech Mountain Mirror was completed in 2026 for Lech Bergbahnen.
Photos: Christian Flatscher
