Where Past Meets Present

By Editorial Staff - 23 September 2025

In downtown Bregenz, Austria, this row house designed by Herzog & de Meuron integrates into the urban fabric with both character and subtlety. Overlooking the vibrant Kornmarktplatz, the project has returned a piece of history to the city, while transforming it into a contemporary presence that weaves past and present.
The building occupies a long and narrow 8x23-m lot, centrally located between Lake Constance and Mount Pfänder. Spread across five floors, it comprises a small hotel, the kleiner Löwe, a multifunctional space for cultural events, and a private home. Facing the plaza and dating from the early 20^th century, the façade has been preserved and integrated into the new structure to establish a balanced relationship with its context.

The building’s history is long and marked by a series of different uses. Built in the 17^th century, it has since housed a brewery, a cinema, a bank, a furniture shop, a bar, and a nightclub. Each transformation has left its mark, adding multiple layers to the site’s architectural identity. The current neobaroque façade dates to when the building served as a bank in the early 1900s. After a fire compromised the roof, the structure was abandoned for several years. It eventually fell into such a state of decay that structural restoration was deemed impossible.

Dove il passato incontra il presente | © Andrea Singer Arredi caratterizzati da tonalità pastello completano la palette cromatica delle stanze d’hotel, creando un’atmosfera confortevole e un ambiente facilmente personalizzabile.

The new volume is distinguished by its white metal cladding, which envelops the entire building, culminating in a barrel-vaulted roof. This new envelope subtly dialogues with the existing façade, contrasting with its blue plaster and white moldings. The result is a compact, sculpted form that reflects light and reinterprets the original building’s proportions and rhythms through a contemporary lens. To the north, the façade faces the plaza. To the south, the building overlooks an inner courtyard and has a more intimate, understated tone. Extensive glazing at either end establishes a direct visual connection with the landscape. A vertical core, containing the stairwell, elevator, and a rooftop terrace, effectively organizes internal circulation while allowing natural light to reach deep inside the building.

Dove il passato incontra il presente | © Andrea Singer L’ingresso si apre su uno spazio polivalente, con un parquet composto da tasselli di diverse sfumature cromatiche, e arredato con poltroncine imbottite e tavoli in legno. Al centro, un bancone scuro diventa il fulcro dell’ambiente.

At street level, a clear-span multifunctional room incorporates a movable dividing wall, reflecting the building’s public and cultural functions. This measured yet decisive addition reflects the history of Kornmarktplatz – a former market square that has been reborn as a social hub. With a black timber reception counter as its centerpiece, the lobby features surfaces with sand and natural tones, timber and fabric furnishings, and different shades of parquetry that add a sense of rhythm and movement to the space.

The hotel and a private apartment occupy the upper levels, with the residence spanning the fourth and fifth floors. The hotel’s guest rooms have a warm atmosphere created by the extensive use of timber surfaces and furnishings. This is complemented by forest-green accents and hues ranging from mid blue to sky blue, depending on the room. The private apartment is likewise defined by timber surfaces punctuated by white walls that create a sense of space. Off the open-plan kitchen is a private terrace framed by glass walls offering views of the city.

Kleiner Löwe - Herzog & de Meuron | © Daisuke Hirabayashi, courtesy of Herzog & de Meuron

Location: Bregenz, Austria
Client: Johannes Glatz and Lisa Rümmele
Completion: 2024
Gross Floor Area: 1,140 m²Architect and Interior Designer: Herzog & de Meuron
Local Architect, Construction Manager: Metzler.Schelling Architekten
Main Contractor: Zimmermann Bau

Consultants
Structural: M+G Ingenieure
Lighting: PSLab
Electrical: Kremmel & Schneider
Landscape: Vogt Landschaftsarchitekten
HVAC: Hörburger
Fire Protection: K&M Brandschutztechnik
Façade: PLG Fassadentechnik
Building Physics: Bauphysik Hafner Weithas
Geotechnics: 3P Geotechnik

Photography: Andrea Singer, Daisuke Hirabayashi

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