At the junction of Stadtstraße and Kreuzgasse, on a strategically significant corner plot at the edge of Dornbirn's city centre, Baumschlager Eberle Architekten's Kreuzgasse Residential and Commercial Building replaces several older buildings with a new mixed-use development.
The project establishes a distinct presence within the surrounding urban fabric through its polygonal form, staggered heights and contrasting facade materials.
The building comprises two interconnected volumes arranged in a U-shaped configuration that extends towards the rear of the site. Its height descends in stages from the prominent eight-storey corner volume facing the city to a two-storey connecting section.
The taller volume marks the entrance to the city, while the second, three floors lower, mediates the transition towards the smaller building heights and lower density of Kreuzgasse. Together, the volumes create a street façade with a restrained appearance and a more varied, mountainous profile towards the rear.
A clinker-brick punched-window facade defines the exterior, with deep metal window reveals framing the openings and creating variations of light and shade across the elevations. The material and facade detailing bring visual continuity to the two volumes while reinforcing the building's presence at the prominent street junction.
Solid construction and residential comfort
The development accommodates 39 apartments alongside commercial spaces. The residential units comprise one-, two-, and three-room layouts, designed with functional floor plans and considered orientations. Each apartment has access to a covered loggia or roof terrace, extending the living spaces outdoors.
The building follows a solid construction approach, with reinforced concrete floor slabs, load-bearing staircase cores and exterior walls, supplemented by solid brick masonry in some areas.
The external envelope consists of a rear-insulated clinker-brick façade, combining the durability of masonry with thermal insulation. The development also includes a spacious underground car park and secure bicycle storage on the ground floor.
The outdoor spaces incorporate landscaped green areas with flowers, shrubs and trees, as well as designated play spaces for children. Planted areas extend across the main roof surfaces, where green roofs are combined with photovoltaic modules.
Passive design and operational energy
For Baumschlager Eberle Architekten, the sustainability of Kreuzgasse is closely connected to the longevity of its construction and the integration of building-physics principles into the architectural design. Rather than relying exclusively on technical systems, the approach combines the building's mass, spatial organisation and façade design to moderate indoor conditions and reduce energy requirements.
The reinforced concrete structure provides thermal mass, allowing the building to heat up and cool down more gradually. Deep façades help protect the interiors from excessive solar radiation, while windows are positioned where they are necessary. These measures contribute to controlling solar gains and reducing the demand for additional building services.
The building also uses geothermal energy through deep boreholes connected to heat pumps. Photovoltaic modules installed on the flat roofs generate renewable electricity on site, while the green roof areas form part of the rooftop landscape. Together with the insulated building envelope, these systems support energy efficiency and indoor comfort.
The architect also identifies the use of regional craftsmen and building materials as a means of reducing the grey energy associated with construction. The effectiveness of these measures, according to the practice, depends on how the different architectural and technical components work together.
Adaptability and circular material use
Long-term adaptability is another part of the practice's sustainability approach. Baumschlager Eberle Architekten has consistently pursued buildings that can be repurposed in an economically viable way, and Kreuzgasse applies this principle through its simplified structural organisation.
Spaces between the load-bearing core and the load-bearing façade are designed to remain neutral in terms of use. This arrangement allows the interior programme to be adapted on every floor without requiring fundamental changes to the primary structural system. The flexibility is particularly relevant to a development combining residential and commercial functions, as it allows spaces to accommodate changing requirements over time.
The architect also identifies opportunities for material recovery at the end of the building's service life. Clinker bricks can be dismantled and reused, while concrete can be recycled. Combined with the durable construction and adaptable floor arrangements, these provisions are intended to extend the building's useful life and limit the need for replacement.
The long-term value of the building is not determined by energy-saving technologies alone. Architectural quality, appropriateness, and authenticity are also important considerations: a building that remains functional and valued over time is more likely to be maintained, adapted, and preserved.
