Kaiserhof Malters

0036Kaiserhof Malters

The Kaiserhof is the new head­quarters of the horti­cul­tural firm Hodel & Partner. The new office build­ing has been embed­ded centrally within the sprawl­ing grounds, which contains a tree nursery, an orna­mental garden, and an opera­tions centre. A large roof spans both the two‑story, temple-style wooden building, with its su­rround­ing sup­port­ing colon­nade, as well as a spa­cious fore­court. 

The building was conceived as a low‑tech structure without ven­ti­la­tion. The spacious roof over­hang to the south and the strik­ing wooden slats around the build­ing provide ample shadow. The inter­play between the open, vertical, timber form­work and the orange-coloured wind­proof film behind it alters the appear­ance of the build­ing depend­ing upon the viewing angle and the posi­tion of the sun. The use of materials in the inte­rior relates directly to the enter­prise; the lamin­ated timber ceilings, with an acous­tic profile, and the walls, covered in OSB pan­elling, are left untreated, and have been simply varnished. This allows the structure of the wooden material to remain visible and percep­tible.