Page 112 - AIT0521_E-Paper

ÖFFENTLICHE BAUTEN • PUBLIC BUILDINGS INNERE WERTE • INNER VALUES

Workshopraum unter historischem Tonnengewölbe • Workshop underneath historical barrel vault

Frei eingehängter Besprechungsraum im Dachgeschoss • Freely suspended meeting room on the attic floor Lounge mit Luftraum und Handstrichziegeln im Mälzereiturm • Lounge in the malting tower

T he small architectural monument with just 173 square metres of usable space is lo- red to achieve an adequate ceiling height for contemporary use, and a glazed opening
reveals the uses in the basement. The vaulted cellar can be accessed separately from
cated opposite the St. Michael Church and the town hall of Lauterhofen, a market
town in the Upper Palatinate, and is a beacon project for other regional redevelopment the north side and is finished with hard-wearing tiles and sanded screed for work-
projects. With the restoration and conversion, an urban landmark in the historical cen- shops, painting and handicraft courses. Part of the ceiling between the ground floor
tre and thus a piece of contemporary history was preserved. The simple utility building and the upper floor and the entire ceiling to the attic were removed, thus allowing a
from the 16th/17th century was used as a malthouse and was completely renovated late view from the ground floor up to the imposing, exposed roof truss. All built-in units,
last year to become a venue for cultural community life. Berschneider + Berschneider such as the toilet box, stairs and railings, are made of black steel and thus reveal them-
Architekten + Innenarchitekten preserved the building’s utilitarian character by using selves as new additions. The ground and upper floors and the suspended gallery can
raw materials, exposing as much of the history as possible, removing layers of plaster be used for seminars, lectures, readings, cabaret and receptions. The venue is thus
and exposing beams in order to keep the room structures recognisable. Inside and out, open to a variety of user groups: associations, artists, youth groups, private individuals,
walls are not accurate, surfaces are uneven or even curved, and beams run irregularly. companies or even as a co-working space. A lounge in the former malting tower offers
All this was deliberately not hidden, but even emphasised by only few built-in units. space for small groups. About six people can sit in this furnished “booth”, which is se-
New elements such as the suspended WC box made of hot-rolled black steel, the stairs parated from the main room. Here, the historic hand-made bricks have been preserved
made of corrugated sheet metal or the new gallery level under the roof were designed and are complemented by new tiles in the same format. A special feature is hidden at
so that they can easily be dismantled at a later date to repurpose the malthouse. the very top of the tower: in the former malting chimney, an openable skylight was in-
stalled, through which daylight reaches the ground floor. Due to a lack of space, the
Various possible uses in a historical setting burner of the gas boiler was integrated into the dome of the malting tower after con-
sultation with the chimney sweep. Structural component tempering keeps the historical
Facing the street and the church forecourt, the Alte Mälze is an unobtrusive one-and-a- walls dry throughout the building and provides cosy warmth. The conversion project
half storey building; the narrow entrance door is both protected and accentuated by a cost approximately 1.3 million euros, with the modernisation being supported by the
curved steel plate. Behind it, on the ground floor, is the function room, which now par- European Fund for Regional Development and the Bavarian State Foundation. Defini-
tially extends to the roof truss and can seat up to 36 people. Here, the floor was lowe- tely a very sensible urban development, preservation and socio-political investment.

112 • AIT 5.2021