Steimle Architekten

Description

The guiding ideas for this design were to treat the architectural heritage with consideration and respect, and to preserve the character of the old barn in the centre of Kressbronn while transforming it – with just a few, well-considered interventions – into a modern, accessible building. The conversion of the former agricultural barn should preserve the building’s character, retain the deeply overhanging, protective roof, and also maintain the traditional division with a solid ground floor and a threshing floor above. Above the new base, delicate wooden openwork now replaces the old façade, reacting to the existing structure sensitively and altering it gently. Proceeding from the historical significance of the stable’s architecture and the emotional ties people have to it, the rather introverted storage building has become an open house without suppressing its history. The old and the new enter into an exciting dialogue. The balance of past and present becomes the building’s special quality, not only from the outside but especially from the inside. The stone-like new base is homogeneously constructed of insulating concrete with deep, generously proportioned reveals. The new openings enable the entire interior to be experienced in an entirely fresh way. The core emerges from the concrete base, connecting the two upper floors within, and its open gallery creates a tangibly different spatial experience.