Menhir

Architectural reinterpretation.
Traditional hotel translated into modernity.

The concept describes the conversion of the oldest part of a traditional hotel in Vorarlberg.

The client’s wish was to establish an in-house wine cellar including a sales area. In addition, the hotel was to be adapted to the bicycle tourism of the area and offer apartments for “self-catering” in addition to the classic hotel operation.

The future wine cellar and the outdoor dining area form the foundation of the design. Based on this, a “tower-like” building, which will be set apart from the rest of the building by an incision in the building structure, will be created. The new hotel entrance is also placed in this incision.

In order to calm the original main entrance, it is shielded from the street by a greened wooden slat wall. These slats also form a stylistic link to the newly designed part of the hotel.

The staircase of the “tower”, which was increased by two floors, becomes a highlight through the generous glazing and elegant lighting, that already attracts attention from the street.

The converted hotel area is accessible via the first floor. Here are the parlors located, for which the client wanted a more flexible use. Thus, the four small parlors have been combined into two large rooms. These can be connected or separated by a sliding door.
The staircase leading into the cellar serves as a spatial element in the design and thus combines the parlor character with the atmosphere of the wine cellar. Since the existing cellar has very low ceilings the floor gets lowered. Therefore room height is gained and also the outdoor dining area is better shielded from the street by a wall and pergolas. The outdoor dining area is arranged on two levels and is accessible from both the wine cellar and the parlors on the floor above. Since the old chestnut trees in the guest garden are particularly dear to the client, they act as cardinal points for the new concept.

On each of the 1st and 2nd floor, two of the newly created apartments are located. On the top floor, there will be an event location with a roof terrace that can be used for a variety of purposes.

The building is completed by a special roof construction, which was created in reference to the shape of a crown. The dark roof cladding made of specially shaped roof tiles acts as a contrast to the plaster facade with a broom finish.

By bringing out the positive features of the existing building, in combination with modern elements, a new interpretation of the hotel’s architecture is created without losing its original character.