Cultural centre, Börtewitz

The refurbished manor house and the newly-built culture barn, with its rammed-earth walls, house a cultural centre for the rural area east of Leipzig.

Seminar rooms, guestrooms and a large multi-functional space allow a large variety of functions. The barn is the biggest modern rammed earth building in Europe. A clay mixture with an optimum combination of thermal insulation, strength and erosion resistance was specifically developed in close collaboration with producers, researchers and universities.

The ground slab is made up of thermally insulating recycled foam glass and the complex is heated with wood cuttings from local orchards and road-side trees. The small district heating plant provides the heat for both buildings of the cultural centre as well as the nearby crêche.