Architecture / Urban planning
Lahr work group
Client
Franz Bregger, Hotel Bregger Schwanen, Bernau
Completion date
2011
Awards
Bauwerk Schwarzwald e.V. Architecture Route 2022, "Exemplary Building Waldshut 2017" award, "New Building in the Black Forest 2016" award
Design
The 300-year-old hotel in Bernau's high valley was given 25 additional rooms, a bar and a wellness area. Integration into the existing building was not possible. The result was an independent extension that picks up on traditional Black Forest building forms and typologies and reinterprets them in a contemporary way.
By utilising the hipped roof shape, suites with exceptional views were created while at the same time reducing the building mass as far as possible. As with old Black Forest farmhouses, the room wing, built entirely from softwood, rests on a solid base storey. In terms of the external appearance, the architectural integration into the landscape is thus successful. The viewer associates the image of the "Black Forest" without any folkloristic, home-style elements that belittle the architecture. The extension and the main building stand independently next to each other and are only connected by a low connecting wing. The rooms and wellness area have a direct connection to the landscape and are staged by it. Balconies are positioned in front of the rooms across the entire façade, allowing guests to experience nature directly. The layer of vertical timber in front lends depth to the façade, acting as a kind of "filter" and at the same time structuring the building envelope.
Material / construction
The new building picks up on the materiality of the old Black Forest farmhouses; the roof and façades are made of wooden shingles and the entire timber construction is made of softwood. Silver fir, a traditional Black Forest tree, was used for the windows and interior fittings. The fine knot-free grain is predestined for the high-quality furniture design, which was produced here by local craftsmen according to the architects' designs.
In the interior, with its excitingly designed sections in the wellness area, silver fir elements create a cosy, feel-good atmosphere. The sauna area, the swimming pool and the relaxation rooms are positioned in such a way that guests have the changing landscapes right before their eyes. Several treatment rooms allow customised treatments in a private atmosphere - always with a view of the outdoors. Architectural clarity and craftsmanship in the details complete the picture of a restrained aesthetic of warmth, security and tranquillity in wood.
The bottom line
The unique and site-specific language of the architecture should be emphasised: elements of traditional regional building, such as the single-roof construction with long ridges and deep eaves, the shingling and the timber construction define the building as characteristic of this cultural landscape.
The exciting proportions, details and the interplay of open and closed surfaces, as well as views in and out, place this solitary building in the present, and at a high architectural level.
