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The pillar barn was built around 1900 and belongs to the type of agricultural buildings with brick lattices, which are a special feature of folk architecture in Austria. The building task was to accommodate a dental practice in the existing barn by treating the existing structure with respect and making the essence of the building visible and tangible. To achieve barrier-free access, a vaulted section of the ground floor was removed and a staircase and an elevator were implemented. On the upper floor, a timber construction was used to create an interior space separate from the exterior façade, which houses the dental practice rooms. The interior was consistently glazed in the areas of the barn windows. In addition, overhead glazing was used to give a view on the roof construction.
The building is located in the center of Maria Saal a small village in Carinthia with an exceptional church cathedral. Since the 15th century, this village has been an important pilgrimage destination with a large number of visitors each year and a lively village life. In recent decades, however, the village center has been slowly dying off due to the departure of various infrastructural buildings, as well as the closure of various inns and cafés. The converted barn, a relic of a former farm, stood empty for years and was only used for storage. The decision to convert it into a dental practice enlivens the surroundings and blends in perfectly with the adjacent general practice. By retaining the historic fassade, the barn blends harmoniously into the townscape.
By preserving the existing building, the project was very ressource-efficient and a lot of gray energy was saved. The foundations, roof and suspended ceiling were already in place and only a lightweight timber construction was installed. Furthermore, the building is perfectly developed in terms of infrastructure - there is an existing parking lot in front of the building and it can be accessed from food from the center of the village.
The intelligent and authentic treatment of the barn and the use of modern materials such as concrete, glass and steel give rise to a new interpretation of Alpine architecture. The color concept supports the architectural concept of generating material-reduced, flowing and calm spaces. The colors chosen are based on the exterior color of the existing building. No clear, hard white, but a creamy shade that covers the floor, walls and ceilings, creating a continuous, homogeneous interior that is peeled from the existing building. The reduced color scheme calms the space and reinforces the tension between the new interior and the existing exterior. The reduced interior reinforces the elements of the pillared barn that are visible inside: the red bricks of the barn windows, the timber construction of the towering roof structure, the space between old and new. The wooden windows made of light oiled spruce correspond well with the light oiled oak, which was also used for the main furniture elements such as the reception desk and room divider. Colorful accents were created with the seating elements. Great attention was paid to the possible multiple use of the seating furniture. Meetings, lectures, events, etc. can also be held in the waiting room by simply moving the furniture. The atmosphere of the room has a calming effect. The various visual references to the old building arouse curiosity.
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spado architects is an architectural office in Klagenfurt am Wörthersee (Carinthia, Austria). Our curiosity is about the connection between people and space and the effect of space on people.
Our architecture arises significantly from the questioning and comprehension of the task, from the intensive occupation with the site and from the exploratory examination of the past and the future.
