Peter Pichler's mirror-clad guesthouses are designed to be visible to birds
Mirrors create a reflective facade on this pair of holiday homes in the South Tyrolean Dolomites, but have been coated with a glare-reducing film to help prevent bird collisions (+ slideshow).
![Mirror Houses by Peter Pichler](https://static.dezeen.com/uploads/2014/12/Mirror-Houses-by-Peter-Pichler_dezeen_468_18.jpg)
Designed by Italian architect Peter Pichler, the Mirror Houses are two adjoining guesthouses for short-term rent on a farm outside the city of Bolzano, north-east Italy.
![Mirror Houses by Peter Pichler](https://static.dezeen.com/uploads/2014/12/Mirror-Houses-by-Peter-Pichler_dezeen_468_19.jpg)
Pichler chose to clad the west facades of the two blocks with mirrors so that they reflect the surrounding mountains. It also makes them less visible from the client's residence – a neighbouring 1960s farmhouse.
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"The client asked us for maximum privacy and wanted the visual impact of the structure to be kept to a minimum," Pichler told Dezeen.
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To deter birds from mistaking the reflections for open space and accidentally flying into the surfaces, the mirror-wall is coated with a specially designed film that reduces UV light and glare.
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"The mirrored glass is laminated with an UV coating, preventing bird collisions," explained Pichler, whose past projects include a converted 14th-century farmhouse featuring perforated shutters.
![Mirror Houses by Peter Pichler](https://static.dezeen.com/uploads/2014/12/Mirror-Houses-by-Peter-Pichler_dezeen_468_20.jpg)
"From certain views of the client's garden the old existing farmhouse is mirrored in the new contemporary architecture and is literally blending into it rather then competing against."
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The two blocks are slightly staggered in height and alignment to visually separate them.
![Mirror Houses by Peter Pichler](https://static.dezeen.com/uploads/2014/12/Mirror-Houses-by-Peter-Pichler_dezeen_468_13.jpg)
Both feature floor-to-ceiling glazing on their eastern facades so that guests can take in panoramic views of the sunrise.
![Mirror Houses by Peter Pichler](https://static.dezeen.com/uploads/2014/12/Mirror-Houses-by-Peter-Pichler_dezeen_468_0.jpg)
Combined living and dining spaces are positioned directly behind the glass. They open out to small terraces that are slightly raised above the landscape.
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"Guests have their small autonomous apartment and can fully enjoy the experience of living in the middle of nature," added the architect.
![Mirror Houses by Peter Pichler](https://static.dezeen.com/uploads/2014/12/Mirror-Houses-by-Peter-Pichler_dezeen_468_15.jpg)
Cantilevered roof canopies shelter the terraces, with smooth profiles that curve down to form a divider between unusually shaped window sections and the black aluminium-clad sidewalls.
![Mirror Houses by Peter Pichler](https://static.dezeen.com/uploads/2014/12/Mirror-Houses-by-Peter-Pichler_dezeen_468_16.jpg)
A bedroom and bathroom sit behind the living room of each unit, illuminated by skylights, and temporary storage areas are provided by small basements.
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Photography is by Oskar Da Riz.
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