Studio and Dwelling near Bruneck
- Frank Kaltenbach
On top of this workshop building with residence, Stifter + Bachmann have added two light, transparent storeys far more economically than a completely new structure would have been. Instead of the original walls and saddle roof, a perspex skin now unites old and new to form a homogeneous cube. Dating from the 1980s, the building was upgraded not only in terms of energy, but above all architecturally. Despite doubling the former net effective floor area, it was possible to reduce heating-energy needs to a third of what they were before. They now lie around 20 kWh/m²a. In terms of building regulations, the change in height and roof form was not a problem, since the house stands in a commercial zone where a mixture with service accommodation is expressly desired and no design barriers exist. Structural calculations for the load-bearing outer walls, consisting of 38 cm hollow clay blockwork, had to be increased on two faces where the upper storey projects by 60 cm. This was done by adding reinforced concrete pillars set immediately in front of the plastered walls. To avoid unnecessary loading, the two additional floors of the maisonette dwelling were executed in a lightweight form of construction. The new housing storey, with filigree steel columns that support a laminated-timber bearing grid, affords a panoramic view of the adjoining fields. The bedroom storey above this at the top with a roof terrace is screened from overlooking by laminated timber-panel walls.
