Woodworking shop and biomass power plant Mehrerau
Carpentry and Biomass Heating Plant Mehrerau
A low wooden block on the western outskirts of Břežnice does not differ from other storage and production boxes. The compact object with a facade of vertical slats does not stand out for its beauty or creativity. It does not need to attract attention but to fulfill its demanding function. To the average eye, the building goes unnoticed. We should focus all the more intently on the internal use, where wood harvested from the adjacent forests is processed without waste. Two functions are intertwined here: a carpentry shop with a saw and a power plant burning biomass. This unassuming wooden box from the Cukrowicz Nachbaur studio makes the most efficient use of renewable material, which is strategic for the entire local economy and has kept it running for centuries without the need for external interventions. The forests in Vorarlberg belong to private individuals, municipalities, or the church, which harvests the material and consumes it on-site. In a few generations, the forests will grow back, and the houses will call for renovation.
In this case, the carpentry shop with the power plant serves the territorial abbey of Wettingen-Mehrerau, the roots of which on the shores of Lake Constance date back to the 7th century. At the beginning of the 13th century, the Cistercian monastery Wettingen-Mehrerau was consecrated here, which is still not part of any ecclesiastical province but is directly subordinate to the Holy See in the Vatican. On the foundations of an early Romanesque basilica, there is now a large monastery from the mid-18th century designed by the Baroque master Franz Anton Beer. In 1923, a sanatorium utilizing a newly discovered healing spring was added to the complex. The author of this building was none other than Clemens Holzmeister, one of the most significant Austrian authors of sacred buildings in the last century. Building on a site with such significant history is a responsibility.
The minimalist wooden block by Cukrowicz Nachbaur replaced the former carpentry shop that burned down. Only the backup generators, which became part of the new design, were saved from the great fire. Besides the neighboring buildings with a long history, the design was also influenced by the landscape with expansive pastures open to the lake.
The interior layout of the building is based on the most efficient operation. Behind the robust wooden facade lies an open courtyard that occupies almost a third of the built-up area, where wood can freely dry. The waste material from the sawmill and carpentry shop is then further used for combined heat and electricity generation from biomass. This is an effective combination of two operations processing renewable sources with zero waste. The example in Mehrerau also demonstrates that industrial production does not exclude incineration near a recreational area. Across the road lies a tent camp, and a hundred meters away, the local yacht club's yachts are docked.
In this case, the carpentry shop with the power plant serves the territorial abbey of Wettingen-Mehrerau, the roots of which on the shores of Lake Constance date back to the 7th century. At the beginning of the 13th century, the Cistercian monastery Wettingen-Mehrerau was consecrated here, which is still not part of any ecclesiastical province but is directly subordinate to the Holy See in the Vatican. On the foundations of an early Romanesque basilica, there is now a large monastery from the mid-18th century designed by the Baroque master Franz Anton Beer. In 1923, a sanatorium utilizing a newly discovered healing spring was added to the complex. The author of this building was none other than Clemens Holzmeister, one of the most significant Austrian authors of sacred buildings in the last century. Building on a site with such significant history is a responsibility.
The minimalist wooden block by Cukrowicz Nachbaur replaced the former carpentry shop that burned down. Only the backup generators, which became part of the new design, were saved from the great fire. Besides the neighboring buildings with a long history, the design was also influenced by the landscape with expansive pastures open to the lake.
The interior layout of the building is based on the most efficient operation. Behind the robust wooden facade lies an open courtyard that occupies almost a third of the built-up area, where wood can freely dry. The waste material from the sawmill and carpentry shop is then further used for combined heat and electricity generation from biomass. This is an effective combination of two operations processing renewable sources with zero waste. The example in Mehrerau also demonstrates that industrial production does not exclude incineration near a recreational area. Across the road lies a tent camp, and a hundred meters away, the local yacht club's yachts are docked.
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