Snøhetta Turns Austrian Cable-Car Station Roof Into a Mountain Mirror

Since August, visitors to the Zugerbergbahn mountain station in Lech, Austria, can walk across a shallow water basin on the station's roof and stand on a natural rock surrounded by reflected peaks. Snøhetta designed the installation, called the Lech Mountain Mirror, as a landscape intervention that doubles the cable-car infrastructure as a public artwork.

The surrounding mountain and cloud panorama reflects in the rooftop basin, shifting with the weather. On clear days, the mirror shows a precise reflection. Wind blurs the image, and ripples on the water surface produce what the architects describe as a new natural experience. The reflections of mountains, sky, clouds and people merge into an image that changes with every gust and every shift in light.

"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."

How does the installation work for visitors?

Stepping stones lead across the water to an exposed rock lookout at the center of the basin. According to the architects, this vantage point invites visitors to pause amid a play of light and reflections, offering what they call a moment of tranquility and closeness to nature.

Snøhetta states that the design focused less on appearance than on influencing visitor behavior — encouraging people to engage and interact with their surroundings, and to experience the mountain landscape in a new way.

The basin's edges add everyday amenities:

• A green area with various seating options
• Lounging areas built from larch wood and natural stone boulders
• A viewing stone that functions as an photo spot

Access is free of charge.

Why is Lech building art on its cable-car roofs?

The Zugerbergbahn mountain station was built several years ago and has operated in summer since 2024. The Lech Mountain Mirror, dated 2026, forms part of a long-term regional strategy to raise Lech's appeal in the warmer months and establish the town as a year-round destination.

The installation joins a series of art initiatives in the region that engage with the mountain landscape and target new visitor groups. Earlier projects under the same strategy include Antony Gormley's "Horizon Field" and James Turrell's "Sky Space Lech."

With the mirror in place, Lech now operates a summer program that pairs lift infrastructure with works by Snøhetta, Gormley and Turrell — a model the region can extend as it pushes to shift its economy beyond the winter season.