In the south of Germany, Cukrowicz Nachbaur Architekten and Wiesler Zwirlein Architekten have completed the Eugen Bolz Student Residence — a CO2-neutral student dormitory commissioned by the Diocese of Rottenburg-Stuttgart to replace a building that was demolished in 2021. Set in parkland in the town of Weingarten, the modular timber construction is completed in an autumnal colour palette that marks it as part of the natural environment: raised above the earth, the building provides privacy with an arboreal experience.

Accomodation

Opened in March of this year, the building provides accommodation for 188 residents of all denominations attending the two universities in Weingarten: Hochschule Ravensburg-Weingarten and the Padagogische Hochschule Weingarten. Each of the rooms is 12-square-metres and four are barrier free. The rooms are grouped in numbers of 15-16 to form living units, each with a shared kitchen, bathrooms, living room and loggia.

Composition

The building comprises two systems: a concrete platform at ground level, and prefabricated timber rooms above it. The concrete slab is held up by slim, evenly spaced columns — a design effect that the architects liken to a table. This concrete base is completed with floor to ceiling glazing, making the ground floor open and permeable, allowing the park landscape to flow into the building’s undercroft. Above this level are four upper floors constructed entirely from prefabricated timber modules: 224 in total, produced by Kaufmann Bausysteme in Austria and assembled on site in Weingarten. 

Materials
The choice of modular timber construction was a decision in sustainability, aligning with the diocese's goal of being climate-neutral by 2040 and to ensure that the building itself was CO2 neutral. The modules act as carbon stores and the system operates with circular logic: at the end of the building’s life, the building can be dismantled and its parts repurposed elsewhere. The building is heated by geothermal collectors that draw renewable energy from the ground and distribute it via underfloor heating. This system is well suited to timber constructions, as the material’s insulative properties help retain heat, thus ensuring a stable climate without reliance on fossil fuels.