Andreas Ferstl Architekten . photos: © Sebastian Schels
The new museum ensemble fits into the small-scale development of Sonthofen’s city centre and carries on the history of the place. The two listed head buildings are given a unified back as a calm background. The refurbished 70s house is merged with the new construction. The typical local typology of gabled houses built directly next to each other is reinterpreted, and the varied roofscape structures the building. The building responds directly to its immediate surroundings in terms of scale and materiality so that the new ensemble appears to have grown in its natural environment.
The new museum ensemble with its building structure fits into the small-scale structure of Sonthofen’s inner city and thus continues to write the history of the place: The typical local design of gabled houses built directly next to each other is reinterpreted, creating a varied roofscape that structures the building and adapts it to its surroundings in terms of scale. New open spaces with different qualities have been created around the museum: At the Kirchplatz, a historic urban situation is restored. The Rapphaus has received a structural extension through the new building, which closes the square façade and divides the building into a main and a service section as in the past. Today, the main entrance to the museum is located there. To the east, the new museum courtyard is an inviting place to spend time. It is a meeting place and event area. In the south, the old farm garden will be preserved and will once again be an important part of the museum tour.
Building. Within the ensemble, the two historic buildings, the old farmhouse, and the Rapphaus, stand in the foreground. The new building, which connects the different buildings and creates a cohesive exhibition space, forms a quiet, unobtrusive back to them. The facades of the new building and the 70s extension were uniformly clad with rough-sawn larch wood, typical and historical building material of the region. Sustainability, regionality, and craftsmanship are also important design criteria in the interior. The roof of the exhibition rooms, for example, was clad in wood; the white fir trees required for this were cut in the city’s own forest. In this way, the facade and roof landscape not only represent a valuable contribution to modern buildings in a historic environment but also the exemplary use of renewable and regional raw materials.
Building Function And Interior Design. The design combines different uses under one roof. In addition to the exhibition and storage areas, there is a multi-purpose hall for cultural events, a workshop for museum education courses, and a café open to the public. These uses have created a new meeting place in the urban fabric, not only for exhibition visitors but also for the citizens of Sonthof.
Cooperation And Support. The reconstruction and expansion of the old town museum were carried out in close cooperation with the town of Sonthofen and the State Office for Non-State Museums and was supported by the following funding programs: Städtebauförderung, EFRE program in the objective “Investment in Growth and Employment” Bavaria 2014-2020, Kulturfonds Bayern, Bezirk Schwaben and the Bayerische Landesstiftung.
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