Architecture / Urban planning
Michael Welle Architektur GmbH, Offenburg
Completion date
2023
Awards:
Bauwerk Schwarzwald e.V. Architecture Route 2024
Design
A new parish and community centre was built on the site of the Protestant church in Zell am Harmersbach. Together with the existing church from the 1970s, a new church centre was created here for the widely dispersed Protestant parish of Zell. The main architectural focus and centre of the site is and remains the church tower, which towers above the surrounding buildings due to its hillside location and height and is visible from afar. At a respectful distance from the existing church, the new building was constructed as a solitary structure in the west of the site, offering space for the desired uses. In future, the parish hall with administrative unit and the vicarage with a retreat and space for privacy will be located under one roof. The compact design of the new building as a structure with a pitched roof is based on the neighbouring buildings and blends harmoniously into the cityscape.
The design focused on a well thought-out access concept that skilfully links the existing church, the new building and the town park with the new church square. The difficult typography of the site on the slope was particularly challenging. The interplay between public and private open spaces and utilisation units was also successful here
The parish hall was planned and organised as a semi-detached house, separated by a firewall and functioning as a single unit in terms of design. Each utilisation unit develops over two floors, which are connected internally via a staircase. The administration and the vicar's flat are accessed via two separate entrances in the basement, which can be accessed barrier-free from the street. The group rooms of the parish hall on the ground floor can also be accessed barrier-free from the church square. These open onto the square and blur the boundary between inside and outside. In future, the existing church tower will stand in the middle of the new square and mark the location of the church centre from afar. The access axis from the church square to the city park will remain undeveloped, giving visitors a fantastic panoramic view.
Material and construction
The compact design enabled the realisation of aesthetically sophisticated architecture while taking economic aspects into account. The parish and community centre are located under a common roof and are structurally separated by a firewall, which serves both fire protection and soundproofing purposes. The outwardly barely recognisable separation was cleverly solved in terms of design by rainwater downpipes flush with the façade. With the exception of the components in contact with the ground, the entire structure is made of timber. The walls of the above-ground components were prefabricated in timber frame construction and assembled on site. The timber used comes from the nearby church forest and was processed in a neighbouring sawmill. This contributed to short supply chains and fast processing.
Sustainability / energy efficiency
The new building is supplied with electricity and heat by means of heat pumps installed outside. Heat is distributed in the new building via a centrally controlled underfloor heating system. Additional towel radiators were provided in the WC facilities and in the bathroom of the vicarage. A central ventilation system was deliberately omitted. The use of natural building materials provides a high degree of storage mass to regulate the humidity. Fresh air is supplied through a sufficient number of openable windows. A photovoltaic system will be installed on the roof at a later date.
Bottom line
This project is representative of the diversity of the Black Forest. In addition to the traditional Black Forest farmsteads, the existing buildings from the 1970s belonging to the "brutalist" style are also widespread here, as is the existing Protestant church in Zell. Together with the new construction of the parish and community centre on one plot, the new church centre has been successfully integrated into the townscape. As in a Black Forest farmhouse, the new parish and community centre combines all functions such as living, working and leisure under one roof. The Black Forest farmhouse serves as a model. However, the design language of the building as a pitched roof without an overhang is orientated towards modern architectural language. Regional building materials as well as regional craftsmen from the Black Forest contributed significantly to the realisation of the building project.
