Architects: Simon Moosbrugger Architekt
Area: 2400 m²
Year: 2023
Photographs: Simon Oberhofer
Lead Architect: Simon Moosbrugger
City: Schnepfau
Country: Austria
The Rüscher carpentry workshop’s new building in Schnepfau, a small community in Bregenzerwald, embodies a fusion of tradition and modernity, addressing the evolving needs of the carpentry industry. Designed to accommodate complex production processes, the workshop integrates areas for storage, production, administration, and employee facilities, including a unique exhibition room that showcases selected works and connects with the community. This spatially flexible and high-quality workplace is set to serve future generations efficiently.
The Rüscher family’s carpentry business, expanding over several generations, had outgrown its original facilities. The outdated building could no longer support efficient production processes. The craft sector’s shift towards industrialization has led to the use of not just small hand-held or stationary machines. Previously, spaces like stables and garages could be transformed into workshops; however, today’s “workroom” demands are highly complex. These encompass strict standards for fire safety, accident prevention, and hygiene, alongside providing ample space for sophisticated production processes.
The new Rüscher carpentry workshop in Schnepfau, a quaint Bregenzerwald community, meets all these requirements in one structure, offering a high-quality, adaptable workplace for the next generations. The facility includes areas for storage, production, administration, and employee welfare, enhanced by an exhibition space that acts as a public-facing platform for showcasing selected exhibits.
Positioned confidently on a green stretch at the town’s edge, the workshop spans the length of the majestic Kanisfluh mountain range. The building’s finely structured wooden façade and restrained height blend seamlessly with the village’s architectural context. Designed openings in the façade offer diverse views of the mountainous landscape, while the production hall benefits from roof glazing that provides uniform, non-glare lighting. The eastern façade handles all material and personnel traffic, allowing the other sides to remain uncluttered by logistical functions. The machine hall and crafts area are notably higher, designed for long-term flexibility and internal clarity, whereas the northern section houses a ground-floor surface workshop and upper-floor offices, employee spaces, and customer areas.
The layout around the upper floor’s inner courtyard ensures optimal lighting and superior quality environments for both customers and employees. The exhibition area faces north towards the town center, while office spaces overlook the building’s productive core. The structural use of beech wood trusses offers unobstructed views across the workshop’s wooden framework and the picturesque Bregenzerwald landscape.
Project Gallery
Project Location
Address: Hag 186, 6882 Schnepfau, Austria
Location is for general reference and may represent a city or country, not necessarily a precise address.
