Catholic Church of St. John in Wangen. Annex of wood and church merge.
The need for new premises for youth and community work after the demolition of the Catholic community center made an extension necessary. This was to be harmoniously and unagitatedly attached to the existing church from the 1960s. Office founder Alois Gaus designed and realized it at the time.
In addition to necessary renovation work in the church, the primary goal was to create additional space for various uses of the parish. The construction of the extension took place on the foundation of the church tower originally foreseen there. The extension was realized in wooden construction and picks up the materiality of the interior design of the church. The aim was to accommodate a community room with kitchen, sanitary room and storage room.
The extension leans discreetly against the existing church and blends unobtrusively into the site. It reacts in a restrained manner to the surroundings. The property to the west of the church building was sold. The unused kindergarten and the old parish hall made way for a new retirement home after the property was sold.
A new power supply was also part of the planning task, as the power supply was missing after the property was separated as part of the demolition of the community center. A bench heater was retrofitted in the church room and the floor was renovated. The new community room is temporarily heated by electricity when needed. Due to the exposed arrangement of the glass surfaces, the room is additionally heated by solar radiation.
Wood was also used for the ceiling and floor in the new community room. The prefabrication of parts of the building spoke in favor of using wood as a building material. The design inside and out is overall simple and restrained, with the wood remaining visible. Thus, the room radiates a warm atmosphere. Large window areas allow a view of the surrounding greenery.
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