Community Centre in St Gerold

For nearly ten years now, the Walser valley has been a UNESCO biosphere reserve. For the community centre in St Gerold, therefore, sustainability and ecological considerations were central criteria. Timber, a much favoured building material in the region, has been systematically used in this development. The wood surfaces were left untreated. Time and costs were also saved by prefabricating nearly all elements. The facade is di-vided into two layers, one of which consists of load-bearing timber panels, the other of external insulating elements. With triple glazing and heating-energy needs of 14 kWh/m2a, the building easily complies with the standard for passive-energy structures. A heat pump with two geothermal borings and brine circulation also forms part of the energy concept, as do the use of waste heat from the cooling plant for the shop and the ventilation for the hot-water installation.