Loft Panzerhalle in Salzburg, Austria by Smartvoll Architects

There is no question Smartvoll Architects’ design of this loft in the Salzburg’s historic Panzerhalle, is breathtakingly beautiful. It’s the sort of space you’d give your right arm to live in. Or your left arm. Or frankly any limb capable of negotiating the transaction. Part of what makes this loft so exquisite is its infused sense of drama. Whilst it is easy to make bold statements in architecture – and let’s be clear, there is nothing timid about this one – it is far harder to make one that is as layered, textured and elegant as this.

To start with, there’s the engineering prowess involved in bringing this 350-square-metre, 2 storey loft to life. The sweeping T-section staircase, which no doubt steals the architectural show, is a concrete engineering feat. It is both sculptural and pragmatic, not to mention wistfully beautiful, delicate, refined and effortlessly strong.

“The stairs are an architecture within the architecture. Concreted in-house, the engineering is being exhausted in all respects. A tender object with minimal dimensions, but with tremendous spatial impact,” said the architects.

The staircase, or the sculpture, as the architects refer to it, creates a roof over the kitchen, the epicentre of the room that’s a 7-meter-long block. The sculpture divides the rooms and allows the interior space to be seen and observed from everywhere.

In order to ensure consistent brightness everywhere, Smartvoll decided to forgo typical galleries and to basically leave the upper ribbon window free. Bedroom, bathroom and guestroom are distributed throughout the space, as separate bodies.

The elements to love just keep revealing themselves. The exposed glass shower, which protrudes from the fully glazed bathing block at a height of five metres. The wellness area. The integrated furniture. The white curtain that billows out from the mezzanine bedroom… It is all very Bond. James Bond. All that’s missing are the martinis.