In der Mellen, Mellau

At the foot of the striking Kanisfluh mountain range, Mellau confidently blends into the scenic, economic and cultural fabric of the Bregenzerwald. The village, which is characterised by tourism, offers a balanced infrastructure and a wide range of local recreation opportunities for locals and visitors.

In a quiet, easily accessible location north of the village centre, a building ensemble has been realised that strengthens the regional business location by holistically combining residential, office and commercial uses.

The three freestanding buildings are built to the passive house standard and are on a shared basement that integrates parking, storage and technical rooms. An elongated volume develops parallel to the main road, which houses the bright sales and exhibition areas of a sports shop on the ground floor; offices and staff apartments are located on the two floors above.

Towards the west, two slightly offset, three-storey structures extend, which are designed as solely residential buildings. The cleverly designed 2- to 4-room units are impressive, with their high-quality furnishings, including parquet floors, triple-glazed windows and comfortably designed loggias, which offer sheltered living areas even on cooler days. Lifts, generously dimensioned corridors and doorways, ensure fully accessible in the entire facility.

The high groundwater level required the basement to be constructed in waterproof reinforced concrete; reinforced, cantilevered floor slabs and solid walls secure the property against uplift. The floors above were constructed using a hybrid method, with reinforced concrete ceilings and highly insulated wooden panels on the façades.

Ring trench collectors, which feed a heat pump, supplemented by an exergy machine and a thermal solar system, complete the tailor-made solution of innovative passive house technology.