Revitalization of the Wimmer Farmstead

The architectural concept draws on the historic volume of the farm. A three-storey timber-frame building with a gable roof has been inserted between the four round concrete silos. As the old silos cannot bear any structural loads, a steel structure raised on stilts and resting on a concrete floor transfers the loads on the ground floor. On the upper floors, an exposed timber structure provides the load-bearing framework. 

The existing silo towers underwent comprehensive structural and energy-efficiency renovations. They were fitted with 15-centimeter-thick rigid foam insulation and a 20-centimeter-thick layer of rammed concrete, which protects the facade from the elements while visually recreating the historical stratification of their agricultural past. Inside, the rough concrete structure of the silos remains exposed. The building complex is heated using ambient thermal energy (an air-to-water heat pump), achieving a heating energy consumption value of 40.00 kWh/(m²a).

A functional detail is evident in the vertical circulation within one of the silo towers. Here, stacked, concrete-filled shaft rings form the central structural support for a spiral staircase

Text: ZAB | Sources: LP architektur ZT GmbH, Heinze GmbH, Zentralvereinigung der Architekt:innen Österreichs, nextroom