Solid Timber in Dialogue with Built Heritage
Traversing the historic centre of Dornbirn, Riedgasse forms one of the town’s traditional connecting routes. It still reflects a pre-industrial settlement pattern in which residential life and small-scale artisanal production were closely interwoven. The property on the corner of Klostergasse is first recorded in the Bavarian land tax register of 1808 and regarded as the birthplace of the Vorarlberg textile pioneer Franz Martin Hämmerle.
A carefully calibrated refurbishment reveals the substance of the building without concealing its historical identity. On the ground floor, the natural stone vault has been preserved as an atmospheric resonance space, forming the structural foundation of the transformation. Above it, a newly inserted reinforced concrete slab is introduced to support the building’s vertical development.
With ceilings composed of cross-laminated timber (CLT) elements, the upper storeys articulate a clearly legible solid timber construction that both complements and extends the existing fabric. The roof structure has been structurally reinforced and adapted to contemporary requirements, while a compact circulation core links the different storeys. The ground floor accommodates an elegant wine bar, with six individually designed apartments above and a maisonette set within the roof space.
