Originally, a classic single-family home was to be built, but in the course of the planning it developed into a flexibly usable building with several residential units. Rather by chance, many similarities to the traditional building typology of a Bregenzerwald house emerged. Proportion and size are comparable. As with the traditional Wälderhaus, the basement is only half embedded in the ground to allow natural light. The eaves height of 5 m with an upstream "Schopf" also results in the transition between open space and building, as in the traditional building type. And the development is carried out via a central development, supplemented by a "rear building" with a garage and employee apartment are comparable.
During the construction and planning of the building, great importance was attached to a continuous value chain. The starting point for this was the owner's own forest, who is also a renowned carpenter, supplemented by an architect with an affinity for timber construction and a regional sawmill.
The wood, from spruce trees grown on the slope on the north side, was cut with only a few cross-sections. The best wood was used for the visible beam cross-sections and planks. The rest was used to make diagonal formwork, battens, etc. Every cubic centimetre of the tree was used. With the exception of a very few three-layer panels, everything was designed glue-free.
For the wood for the carpentry furniture in the interior, local beech wood was used in addition to the spruce.
[Source: Johannes Kaufmann und Partner GmbH] (https://www.poolarch.ch/projekte/2014/0320-primarschule-suhr)
Photos: Bruno Klomfar
