Here comes the summer

The Lochau Lido is one of the most beau­tiful on Lake Cons­tance. Between water and land­scape, it has the appearance of having always been there.

In the spatial field between jetty and new mouth of the Kugel­beer­bach brook in the Austrian muni­ci­pa­lity of Lochau at the Lake of Cons­tance sits the flat, one-storey Lochau Lido buil­ding, right between lake and land­scape. Rest and acti­vity zones are kept close to the  buil­ding, leaving gene­rous areas for bathers. Long boun­dary walls along the cycle path give struc­ture to the surroun­ding space, defi­ning a safe, iden­ti­fiable area for parking bikes and guiding visi­tors to the widely roofed entrance area.

Lochau Lido’s wide, protec­tive roof, cove­ring various infra­struc­tural units, also serves as a gentle mediator between the building’s indoor and outdoor areas. Entrance area and shop/cafeteria form one unit, acces­sible from both street and lake side. The spacious terrace of the cafe­teria is sepa­rated from the lakes­hore by a slight diffe­rence in height with wall fencing that still keeps access barrier-free for both bathers and guests.

The laid-back presen­ta­tion of cons­truc­tion and mate­rial charac­te­rizes the new buil­ding, appearing so natural.

Subtle, deli­cate archi­tec­tural features and the direct expres­sion of cons­truc­tion and mate­ria­lity shape Lochau Lido’s character. The accom­panying wall panels along the cycle path provide stabi­lity. A simple wooden buil­ding is posi­tioned in this frame, its light struc­ture remi­nis­cent of a summery arbour. The imme­diacy of expres­sion and its simpli­city give the buil­ding a summery, laid-back charm.

Tech­nical units are posi­tioned on the roof above the respec­tive room units, allo­wing for short distances and highly effi­cient opera­tion. Clad in a galva­nized steel mesh, the inte­grated tech­nical equip­ment takes a back seat, clea­ring the stage for a striking, iden­ti­fiable, emble­matic new orien­ta­tion point on the lake.

In connec­tion with the archi­tec­ture, which is so clear, the Lochau Lido is another attrac­tion on Lake Cons­tance.

When plan­ning a buil­ding that is used only in summer, the choice of mate­rial is obvious. And so is, in terms of consis­tency, the choice of its load-bearing struc­ture. A large, flat wooden panel as a roof, mounted on a layer of beams, supported by a central spine of small walls of solid cross-lami­nated timber and a wide down­stand beam. Then, slender outer columns, each with an equally slender down­stand beam. 

All tech­nical and elec­trical systems are placed in an addi­tional roof struc­ture, a light steel skeleton frame resting on the roof slab on some points. The aesthetic quali­ties of the timber cons­truc­tion mentioned above make any clad­ding unneces­sary.

Lochau Lido shows a very lean and thus highly econo­mical cons­truc­tion.