MOREXLESS

Modular Hotel Rooms | Hotel Ammerwald by Kaufmann & Rüf

BMW Hotel Ammerwald by Kaufmann & Rüf
Dornbirn, Austria; 2012

Hotel Ammerwald in Austria is an interesting example of the use of modularity in the construction of such an extensive building. The use of modular rooms was decided both because it would guarantee factory quality standards but also because of the difficult weather conditions on site.
With their horizontal lines, the first two floors are made of cast in situ concrete, in order to give a solid base, especially knowing that, in winter, snow can cover part of these floors. On top of this base, there are three more floors composed of prefabricated timber rooms, finally covered in situ by a sheet of steel. The 96 modular rooms were produced in 31 days by a factory less than 100km away. Later they were transported by trucks and placed in their position in only 10 days.

Here there is a video explaining the construction process (it is in German but still quite explanatory):
http://www.detail.de/architektur/themen/hotel-bei-reutte-018877.html


Sources:
DETAIL, Issue 06/12, pp.553-557
Competitionline. Accessed February 7, 2015.
http://www.competitionline.com/de/projekte/44838