Holistic sustainability

It’s the new gene­ra­tion of youth hostels – inno­va­tive, inte­gra­tive and inter­na­tional — and has recently opened: Bayreuth Youth Hostel, Germany. The fluid struc­ture is inte­grated into the land­scape, with contem­po­rary mate­rials and holi­stic sustaina­bi­lity – a place for active people of all abili­ties.

LAVA’s concept for the sports hostel is:

1. Inno­va­tive – inven­tive new spatial confi­gu­ra­tion of the whole faci­lity, inclu­ding indi­vi­dual room modules, mate­rial use and design
2. Inte­grated – inclu­sive ‘barrier-free’ buil­ding, with sporting areas merging directly with the buil­ding, and acces­sible spaces, faci­li­ties and grounds
3. Inter­na­tional — the design from creates a feeling of place and combines it with contem­po­rary elements Bayreuth’s global partner cities

Typology

The guest room typo­logy is new. LAVA desi­gned an intel­li­gent wall system with modular contem­po­rary custom built-in furni­ture – toilets, showers as well as bed niches. These three-dimen­sional wall modules faci­li­tate diffe­rent room confi­gu­ra­tions through parti­ally rotatable beds crea­ting two, four and six-bed rooms. They maxi­mise room usage for a broad range of guests – from indi­vi­duals to fami­lies to wheel­chair teams.

The multi­pur­pose central atrium is a surpri­sing element with its play of mate­rials and colours. It fulfills the youth hostel motto ‘Expe­ri­ence the Commu­nity’ serving as a hub for (digital) enter­tain­ment, inter­ac­tion and commu­ni­ca­tion. The amphi­theatre in the middle is lit by a skylight above and connects to the diffe­rent levels in a playful way, whilst giving hori­zontal and diagonal sight­lines guiding visi­tors through the buil­ding.

Recep­tion, seminar rooms, bistro, kitchen, sports and game faci­li­ties are spread out over two floors and connected to each other via this central atrium. Each wing of the Y has access to the exte­rior at its end, and many ‘loops’ combi­ning inside and outside come toge­ther at the central point of the Y.

Parts of Bayreuth Youth Hostel double as grand­stands for cultural events and encou­rage commu­nity inter­ac­tion. Terraces allow direct access to the green fields and sports areas of the ground floor zone, all acces­sible.