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r Mrs Kluge and Mr Gössel, you run a joint architectural office and have been
part-time farmers for some years. For one and a half years you converted the
Kienzlerhansenhof farm in Schönwald in the Black Forest. What moved you to
take this step and what does this activity do for you?
We have been pursuing this activity since 2014, prompted on the one hand by the pre-
servation and rescue of architecture and building culture in the context of their sur-
roundings, and on the other hand by the authentic function of such a farm in close
connection with its spaces and the areas surrounding it. At the same time, we want to
contribute to environmental protection and nature conservation by preserving animal
and plant species that have become rare in a kind of small reserve or nature park.

r What condition did you find the more than 450-year-old building fabric in?
What challenges did the renovation, for which you received the 2016 Monument
Protection Award, present, and what was particularly important to you?
150 years ago, the farm came into the possession of the municipality due to a lack of
family offspring and has since been leased. When the costs became too high for the
municipality, the property was put up for sale. A final emergency conservation mea-
sure taken by the municipality in 1971 only partially secured the farm’s existence. The Foto: Zehnder
entire building technology had to be renewed, along with the disposal of pollutants
and much more. Fortunately, we found much of the original building fabric underne- Für die denkmalgerechte Sanierung des Kienzlerhansenhofs ... • For the restoration of the Kienzlerhansenhof …
ath asbestos shingles and in the interiors under plasterboard cladding. With exten-
sive building research and in cooperation with the heritage conservation authority,
we restored the farm true to the original in a professional and well-founded manner.
The energy concepts, the healthy living climate and the use of renewable raw mate-
rials – current topics of our time – are groundbreaking.

r You also breed cattle on the farm. Did you have any previous knowledge? And
what did you have to or could you learn?
We had already gained knowledge in animal husbandry before, but then learned
a lot here with our new tasks. The interior of the farm is used for animal husbandry
largely as it was at the time of its construction. We keep endangered animal species
such as Hinterwald cattle and White Polled Heath – a rarer breed of sheep – as well
as Black Forest goats. We learned about the behaviour and peculiarities of our
animals just as intensively as how to handle the different types of land around the
farm. We do mountain farming at an altitude of 1,000 metres. How to treat the land,
when and how to mow, in which order the different fields are cultivated throughout
Foto: Claus Morgenstern
the year, all these are subtleties that you can only learn through intensive work and
analysis.

r The topic of landscape conservation also plays a role in this...
Yes, with our extensive agriculture and the animal species that have been adapted ... erthielten Anja Kluge und Ingolf Gössel ... • ... Anja Kluge and Ingolf Gössel were awarded …
to this region and have lived here for a long time, we have a positive influence on
“cultural nature”. And we are bringing back and cultivating many plant and animal ... den Denkmalschutzpreis 2016. • ... the 2016 Monument Conservation Prize.
species that no longer exist here, or only rarely. In the meantime, the meadows have
become more species-rich, thanks to arnica, globeflower, orchid species, marsh he-
artleaf and rampion, to name but a few. This hopefully also creates a better habitat
for wild bees, insects and songbirds. We do not use artificial fertilisers, pay attention
to flowering periods during the hay harvest, replant autochthonous plants and also
avoid trampling damage through targeted pasture grazing. Cattle, sheep and goats
kept in open stables also help us do this – each animal in its own way.

r What does this project, in which you have invested so much blood, sweat and
tears, knowledge and responsibility, give you in concrete terms? And how do you
divide the work between your architectural office and the Kienzlerhansenhof?
It’s a change of scenery between the office and nature. We really love the Black
Forest, which surrounds us there. Friendships have developed. Working with the ani-
mals, their well-being, working on the fields around the farm and experiencing the
progress – all this means an incredible amount to us. The farm is also our project of-
fice for commissions in the Freiburg, Baden-Baden or Villingen-Schwenningen area.
And it is also a workshop and ideas centre for our employees. We combine our ac-
tivities so that we are here for a large part of the week, we have our residence re-
spectively our secondary residence on the farm. Helpers assist us with the daily ani- Foto: Zehnder
mal care or haymaking.

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