Longhouse for the youth, St. Benedikt, Nütschau Monastery

A self-evident place

Monastery complex, in the foreground the area for the new youth centre St. Benedikt

Spatial concept: platform with three longhouses – variants of temporary configuration

Lying monkshabit, drawing, 2021

A longhouse will be realized, based on a timber construction principle, following the post-and-beam system.
This building type, with roots dating back to the European Neolithic, bears similarities to traditional Japanese timber construction methods.

Building as a material resource: © IMKEWOELK + partners

1 Solid timber framework: components can be reused.
2 Cross laminated timber ceilings and walls, solid: reuse and wood recycling
3 Photovoltaic roofing, full coverage, for self-sufficient power supply
4 Mastic asphalt floor screed: recycling
5 Engineered wood panels: OSB (construction) and plywood (interior): Reuse and wood recycling
6 Wooden boarding and wooden planks, solid: reuse

View from south

The 8-meter-wide longitudinal section of the building is divided into an assembly room (plenum), a meditation area (cloister), and a sleeping area (dormitory), with the central reception area (paradise) located at the heart of the building. The entire building is surrounded by a covered circulation space, a wooden veranda (engawa), which connects the interior to the exterior, promoting a sense of openness and a connection to nature.

Entrance hall- Meditation room

Plenum


Programme	A new youth guesthouse with 50 overnight accommodations, common and recreational rooms, offices, kitchen, dining hall, and a housing unit for employees
Status	under construction
Location	Travenbrück, Germany
Client	Benediktinerpriorat St. Ansgar, Kloster Nütschau
Area	GFA: 1360 m2, NIA: 930 m2
Construction	Wood skeleton construction
Services	Program and location analyses, strategic development, technical concept, design- and approval-planning, visualisation, design planning, approval planning, implementation planning
Sustainability	Resource register of all materials (quantity, reusability and recyclability). Self-sufficient heat pump, full-surface photovoltaic roof for power generation, integration of CO2-binding green structures in the outdoor area, minimized development areas.
Date	2020 - 2025

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