Architecture / Urban planning
Michael Welle Architektur GmbH, Offenburg
Client
Astrid and Gerold Weber
Completion date
2022
Awards
Bauwerk Schwarzwald e.V. Architecture Route 2024, Hugo Häring Award 2023
Design
The aim of the planning was to integrate all functions under one roof. The indoor riding arena will become a large market hall, offering space for a café, an unpackaged shop, a florist, a bookshop and an exhibition space. There is also space for living and office space.
The market hall serves as a distributor. The various uses can be accessed from here and both residents and external visitors to the complex meet here. Access to the building is deliberately only via a shared entrance in order to strengthen social interaction and promote identity among the users.
The inserted cubes in the hall are subordinate to the existing building according to the "house within a house" principle. The different uses - living, working and leisure - also promote the building's mix and contribute to a lively and popular building complex.
While the façade remains largely intact, the interior is structured by inserted cubes made of regional timber. This creates an interplay between large open areas and simple fixtures that provide space for the new uses. The loft-like flats at the rear are spread over two floors and are flooded with light despite the minor changes to the façade.
Construction / materials
Old elements were carefully restored. New fixtures were built and added by regional craftsmen and companies using ecological construction methods. The old brickwork of the original riding arena radiates a warm atmosphere, which is complemented by the new, inserted cubes made of regional wood. New and old components are clearly recognisable and separated from each other.
The conversion was achieved with few, reduced means. This is reflected in the choice of materials, which is limited to a small number of materials - stone, concrete and wood. The materials are mostly natural or "raw". The visible concrete floor is both a load-bearing and wear layer in one component. No elaborate panelling was installed.
Energy concept / sustainability
Two 60 metre long and two metre high solar strips are embedded in the huge north and south surfaces of the roof, which are newly covered with the historic tiles. They consist of PV modules with a total output of 26 kilowatt peak. Solar thermal collectors for heating support and hot water preparation are located in the centre and are barely visible.
The height of the modules corresponds exactly to the grid of the roof construction. At the same time, the semi-transparent modules ensure that daylight can also reach the interior of the hall. A large part of the ground floor is now used as a market hall. A pellet silo and pellet boiler, a combined heat and power unit and a buffer storage tank with pipework are visibly displayed at a central location.
Half-height walls create smaller zones and units in the spacious hall. Flats and offices were integrated into the upper storey level as inserted wooden cubes. To ensure ventilation, lighting and escape routes, these units were inevitably linked to a façade surface. Only in these utilisation areas was the façade made of concrete skeleton and brick insulated from the inside.
Bottom line
The project is characterised by a great appreciation of the architectural achievements of past eras. The energy required to produce the existing materials has been largely preserved. The existing building is and remains the main protagonist. The indoor riding arena will become a large market hall that is open to the public. The project responds to the existing building and avoids major interventions, making intelligent use of the existing structure. The design of the outdoor area contributes significantly to the redesign and upgrading of the site. This is divided into private retreat areas for the flats, access zones and a public beer garden.
This project is exemplary for a historic building from the Black Forest that has been brought back to life through a diverse and attractive planning and utilisation concept.
