Hofsteigstraße, Schwarzach

Running from the church to the communitycentre, Hofsteigstraße forms the centre of Schwarzach in Vorarlberg, Austria. The property located in this area was available for redevelopment after a fire, and it was decided to have the buildings reused as a residential area for young families. The elongated area is enclosed on the north side by a steep slope and on the south side by the Schwarzach itself. The six multi-family dwellings are all oriented to the south and line up along the bank of a flowing stream.

The largest building is located directly on Hofsteigstrasse. Due to its prominent position opposite the church and cemetery, the beginning of the road section is marked and defined. In this main house there is a shop and a doctor’s office, as well as 21 subsidised apartments, all achieving Passive House certification. The five smaller residential buildings each contain 5-7 condominiums. These buildings are heated by geothermal energy and are also equipped with climate control ventilation. In addition, all buildings have a thermal solar system. While the main building was designed to be in keeping with the the nearby community centre, with a four-storey shingled facade and wooden wall elements, the rear five buildings are built in conventional solid construction with an aluminium facade.