Biomass heating plant Abersee

Log, solid wood and timber frame construction

Function turned into form – this was the motto of the Farchen biomass heating plant project during the design, planning and execution phases.

This building was developed due to a restructuring of the infrastructure supply (hot water, fiber optics, emergency power) in the Farchen district of the village of Abersee am Wolfgangsee. A total of 13 consumers are supplied with the power plant, which are connected to the emergency power and fiber optic network in addition to the heat supply. The client’s requirement was to develop an object that would take on technical as well as tourist tasks , stand out architecturally from the existing buildings and also blend harmoniously into the nature reserve of Lake Wolfgang.

The building is located in the 500m shore protection zone of the Wolfgangsee. Therefore, special requirements were placed on the architecture by the nature conservation authority. The building essentially consists of two equally sized structures. These are linked together under a common roof and foundation. In order to make the different use of the two structures recognizable, they were executed with different timber construction systems. The eastern part(technical room, sanitary facilities, seminar room) was built using the timber frame system, with solid wood ceilings and purlin roof trusses (squared timber). In turn, the log construction method was used for the western section(wood chip storage). The steep roof pitch, as well as the roof shape with the Kruppelwalm are very characteristic for the area around the Wolfgangsee. Great care was taken to use the various materials in the right place and to combine them elegantly. Particularly noteworthy is the flush façade construction of the eastern structure.

The static, load-bearing elements were displayed on the outside, especially in the case of the round timber construction, in order to make the structural system easily recognizable. All wood surfaces were processed rough sawn and without additional chemical wood protection. The building blends in well with its surroundings due to its shape, as well as the natural weathering of the facade.