OBEN AUF / Bed and Breakfast Caritas Unternalb
The object is an estate listed for preservation in the countryside of lower Austria. There the organisation Caritas operates shared flats and jobs for mentally handicapped people. They can work in the following fields: farming, crafts and domestic works. And now additionally in the touristic field – in a bed and breakfast. On 350 m2 the students realized 5 rooms with each 2 beds, a community room, a cosy garden, and a big breakfast-kitchen area, which also allows the Caritas to process their own farming products.
The project started in fall 2014 with an intensive week on site, followed by numerouse presentations and discussions. The submission plan was done in February 2015. In cooperation and under the guidance of a conctruction firm and local crafts men the students were active on the building site from March until October 2016. Also the crafts men of Caritas itself were included on the building site.
Images and Plans
Technical Description
This project is a refurbishment of an estate from the early 18th century. All pipes had to be redone. For this reason we had to remove the old floor. On the ground floor the proofing of the floor had to be renewed. Finish is a concrete floor with included heating. On the upper floor in the rooms we did a wooden floor with room long (5 m) boards up to 50 cm wide, nailed like in the old days. The bathrooms are tiled with partly sponsored tiles from Refin.
All rooms are 4,40 m high, which enabled the possibility of a second level. Each room has a bathroom like a wooden box, which is also accessible on top. Like that we gain more space for the guests to relax and also the option to fit more beds in one room – allowing a family to sleep in one room together.
The furniture was all designed by the students themselves and realized by the carpenters with their help. The beds and night lamps are out of the same wood then the bathroom-box. The kitchen front is done by remains of the wood floor and the surface was done in an concrete workshop with Martin Murero.
Moreover an elevator was added and half of the rooms will be handicapped accessible – the first in this area.
The students were not included in the work of pipes, electricity, concrete floor, tiles, painting, kitchen fronts, and elevator. All other work was done by them or with their help.