TINN Naturchalet

The TINN Naturchalet holiday apartments by Elisabeth Feurstein were constructed in a quiet panoramic location near the village centre of Mittelberg in the Kleinwalsertal valley. A native of the Bregenzerwald, Elisabeth Feurstein runs Haller’s Genießerhotel in Mittelberg along with Hermann Haller.

Positioned with the gable facing the slope, the building blends in seamlessly with the surrounding houses. It was designed by Johannes Kaufmann und Partner and implemented using the TINN modular concept by the Michael Kaufmann carpentry firm from Reuthe in the Bregenzerwald. The new building features building elements typical of the Walsertal and the Bregenzerwald areas. The name TINN alludes to the dialect name for timber from local spruce and fir trees. The building’s structure is made of these primary materials, i.e. solid spruce timber for the modular construction, spruce panelling on the inside, shingle cladding on the outside and balcony cladding made of the same type of wood.

Two spacious 96-square-metre holiday apartments and a 38-square-metre Schopf (a veranda-like porch) are built on top of a solid base storey with covered parking and two small flats. A two-storey flat for 4 guests is formed by four prefabricated room cells each. The floors of the flats are made of local brown ash. All the wood is untreated and can therefore age naturally. The room cells were prefabricated in the carpentry, brought to the construction site with all surfaces and fixtures, and then “stacked” on top of each other. A cold gable roof is then the finishing touch.
TINN modular timber building concept can be used anywhere in the world and can be assembled in a very short time while conserving resources. Thanks to high levels of prefabrication, the modular construction method with room cells combines quality of execution with very short construction times.

Each of the three chalet flats has its own entrance and offers magnificent views of the Kleinwalsertal mountains. Within just a few minutes’ walk, guests can easily reach the cable cars, shops, ski rental, ski school, bus stop, cafés and restaurants. Here, holidaymakers are happy to do without their cars on holiday.

Architecture: Johannes Kaufmann, Dornbirn, Vorarlberg