Situated near Eisenstadt, Burgenland, just beyond the Esterházy winery, is the historic dairy farmhouse of Trausdorf. Until not long ago, the entire estate lay in hibernation, somewhere between agricultural use and dilapidation. In 2012, the Esterházy Foundation held a design competition – in which Alles WirdGut came out winning – for the repurposing and conversion of the architectural ensemble. The first phase of the revitalization is started in 2015 with the former servants’ quarters being reconfigured by AllesWirdGut (architecture) and Mobimenti (interior design) into a function hall for the neighboring winery.

The simple shape and layout of the horizontal long house, a characteristic Burgenland building type, ideally blends in with the surrounding wide landscape. Formerly partitioned into small apartments inside, the building was now completely gutted.

Only the exterior walls of carefully masoned sandstone were left standing, which significantly inform the aspect and atmosphere of the new event venue. Charcoal gray wooden bodies structure the open space, creating room for service functions like checkroom, kitchen, toilets.

Black and white tones add to the given palette of natural colors, from sandstone ocher to the red of the brickwork nogging and the dark brown of the historical roof truss, signaling the new use of the building on the outside. The result is a striking collage of existing and new materials, which provides an inspiring and welcoming setting for events of all kinds.

Project Data:

Planning: AllesWirdGut

Client: Esterházy Wein GmbH

Competition: January 2012 – 1st Prize

Start of Construction: May 2015

Completion: October 2015

GFA: 551 m2

Team: Jan Schröder, Paula Groß, Harald Groll, Jakub Klíma, Eva Bírová

HVAC: ZENTRAPLAN Planungsges.m.b.H.

Statics: Simon-Fischer ZT-GmbH

Structural Physics: Dipl.-Ing. Ianko Ivanov

Interior architecture: MOBIMENTI

Photos: AllesWirdGut / Guilherme Silva Da Rosa