Guest House Haupt- und Landgestüt Marbach

Marbach is the oldest stud farm owned by the state of Baden-Württemberg. It stands in a charming location in the Swabian Alb. The stud farm has a riding and driving school, as well as the horse breeding farm for which it is famous. Accommodation for the students of this school was now being envisaged.

The site intended for this purpose lies on the periphery of the stud farm, behind a group of small houses, the quality of which can be described as not exactly high-level. To the north, the site adjoins an area characterised by a rhythmically-arrayed ascending succession of narrow stables and hay barns. Some of these are very beautifully designed. Accordingly, the equally narrow structure of the student lodging orients itself towards them and thus forms a boundary to the smaller residential buildings.

A storehouse, whose black wooden structure contrasts with the green shutters on its windows, was the inspiration for the choice of material and colour for the new building. Continuing this motif, we likewise chose black stained weatherboarding and covered the floors of the rooms’ balconies with green artificial grass.

The project belongs to the category of building with the lowest possible budget. That is why the interiors were reduced to what was absolutely necessary: the interior walls are unplastered brick, and showers and washbasins are fitted into each guest room instead of being accommodated in dedicated spaces. We also used poured asphalt for the floors in the living areas, and the window areas have been minimized.