Feldkirch Regional Hospital
In a 180m long gallery, which also serves as the main entrance, a 6m high rammed earth wall acts as a climate regulator and forms a design contrast to the south-facing glass façade. The connecting wing, completed in 1992, forms a new entrance to the state hospital and links it with the garage decks embedded flat into the terrain to the south and with the Red Cross station, the laboratory and office wing to the north.
In terms of energy, the Wandelhalle acts as a huge conservatory – a conservational buffer space. A competition for the artistic design of the hall was held during the construction planning phase, which was won by Martin Rauch. The work of art and functional addition to the architecture form a perfect synthesis: the rammed earth wall regulates the indoor climate and, as a calm, earthy element, provides a subtle counterbalance to the technical aesthetics of the glass and steel construction.
Builders’ association for multi-purpose buildings, State of Vorarlberg
Martin Rauch, Werkstätte für Keramik und Lehmbau
