Residential and Seminar Building Bundwerkstadel, Tuntenhausen, Germany

The term 'Stadel' is used in the Bavarian/Austrian language for an agricultural building that serves as a warehouse or for storing equipment. 'Bundwerk' is a term from the art of carpentry and rural building culture from the same area, next to block building and half-timbered houses. This 'Bundwerkstadel' dates back to 1773 and was stored in hundreds of individual parts for more than 40 years. It has now been rebuilt in a new location in painstaking detail.

The original interior was a room volume without partition walls or ceilings. In the 'Bundwerk', planks mounted inside served only as weather protection, not as a thermal shell. Daylight in the interior was not needed. This beautiful shell was to be converted into a residential and seminar house, but still retains the essence of the craftsmanship. Comfortable, healthy living at any time of the year with minimal energy consumption and reduced CO2 emissions were the challenging requirements.

The energy and climate concept developed for this purpose makes extensive use of passive measures. In summer, roof overhangs or external sun protection reduce solar gain in the building and it can be completely naturally ventilated. Effective night ventilation in combination with thermal mass through architecturally integrated Fermacell gypsum fibre boards leads to pleasant room temperatures even at higher outside temperatures.

In winter, the controlled living space ventilation provides the building with sufficient draught-free fresh air and works with efficient heat recovery. Heating is provided by underfloor heating, pleasant radiant heat at low flow temperatures. The heat is provided by a pellet boiler in the adjacent barn. The renewable material wood stands for sustainability and generates the lowest possible CO2 emissions in this project.