Renovation of monumental old brewery

Window and door systems from heroal emphasize historic character

For their preservation of the historic building, Andrea and Olaf Ernst received the incentive prize of the Lower Franconia District Cultural Foundation. They turned the old brewery in Untersteinbach into a modern residential and office building with energy efficiency that meets today's requirements. The building owes its special charm to the historical flair of the monumental facade, which is supported by the use of the window systems heroal W 72 and heroal W 72 i and the door system heroal D 72.

The historic building, today a striking element in the village center of Untersteinbach in the Lower Franconian district of Hassberge, led a dormant existence for decades. Commissioned by Georg Zeck, the owner of the then brewery, architect Karl Rüttinger designed and built a new brewery building in 1928. After its sale in 1950, however, the striking building with its arched windows fell into disrepair until tax consultant and current owner Olaf Ernst fell in love with the building. As a member of the city council, the preservation of this historic building was close to his heart. In this he was also spurred on by his family connections: Olaf Ernst is the great-grandson of the architect who drew the original plans for the building. With his utilization concept, which involved converting the monumental brewery into a tax office and three vacation apartments, he was able to convince the municipality and the Bavarian Ministry of the Interior.

Aesthetics in accordance with historic preservation

After the project was included in the incentive program for the revitalization of vacant commercial buildings, Olaf Ernst and his wife Andrea began the renovation in 2014 with a love of detail. For the architectural concept, they called on the architectural firm Veit Huber from Bamberg. After emptying the building, first the roof structure was taken care of and all rooms were fitted with diffusion-open thermal insulation on the inside to meet today's requirements in terms of energy efficiency as well. Compliance with the rules of historic preservation also required a major effort. For example, all the original dormers had to be precisely reconstructed by a carpenter. The restoration of the old facade with ribbed plaster, which was common in industrial buildings of the time, proved to be an equally great challenge. For this, Andrea and Olaf Ernst engaged a church restorer.

The history of the brewery also lives on in the interior of the building, where various parts of the former brewery have been given a new function. This begins right at the entrance to Olaf Ernst's tax advisory office, where an illuminated well can be seen through a glass floor panel, meticulously refurbished into an attractive eye-catcher. The desk that Olaf Ernst had made out of part of the old clearing tub is also very special. The three vacation apartments are also furnished with authentic elements. For example, the former hop sieve from the cooling basin was converted into a table for the living room. The plastered walls are adorned by numerous cutouts, which expose the historic bricks and reveal the round shape of the former chimney.

Slim window profiles with original iron look

A particular challenge in the renovation was the requirements for the aluminum window frames. First and foremost, according to the rules of historic preservation, the historic metal bars in front of the windows had to be preserved in order to preserve the industrial character of the building. Especially the production of the two modern arched windows, which are to provide adequate ventilation via electrically operated upper windows, posed the highest demands in terms of production technology.

The window system heroal W 72 i offered an ideal solution. By using the architectural block window system heroal W 72 i with its extremely fine sight widths for the 48 elements, maximum transparency was created in the old brewery and an elegant design without visible sashes and glazing bars, which accentuates the slim appearance of the metal bars. The elegant appearance is further emphasized by the high-quality heroal hwr powder coating in the DB color 703 (iron micaceous gray). The window system also impresses in terms of durability: thanks to the unique geometry of the profiles, at a construction depth of 72 mm in the frame and 84 mm in the sash it achieves Uw values that meet today's thermal insulation requirements for windows. The high energy efficiency of the window system contributes to cost reduction throughout the life of the building.

Reconstruction of historic arched windows by heroal bending service

The fact that the two arched windows could be realized using the heroal W 72 window system in compliance with listed building regulations is due to heroal's own profile bending and chamfering service. This service, which is unique in the industry, enables complex deformations such as round, pitch or basket arcs, as well as the manufacture of perfectly fitting, reproducible chamfers and building connections based on a model.

Thanks to the two arched windows, the original character of the old brewery has been preserved - they define the facade of the striking building, which rises narrowly in front and only shows its true size at the rear. Olaf Ernst is very satisfied with the quality of the windows and with the on-site support he received from his heroal trade specialist, windowsetter Gugelfuss from Elchingen: "With such complex and individual requirements, it was helpful to have a competent and experienced partner at his side."

Door system heroal D 72 highlights extremely fine appearance

The entrance door of the old brewery forms a visual unit with the windows. With the modern, slender design of the profiles, the heroal D 72 door system emphasizes the sophisticated appearance of the metal bars in front of the windows, and with the hwr powder coating in the DB color 703 (iron micaceous gray) it enhances the harmonious overall impression of the facade. As an aesthetic solution with maximum functional flexibility, the high-quality door system meets the highest requirements in terms of thermal insulation and this thanks to the sealing technology and the innovative insulating chamber geometry with reduced heat conduction from the inside to the outside.

That the result is particularly harmonious is also confirmed by the award of the Lower Franconia Cultural Foundation's incentive prize. At the presentation, the culture committee of the Lower Franconia District Council emphasized that Andrea and Olaf Ernst have succeeded in renovating the monumental building in an exemplary manner while preserving its authentic character. For the couple, who are very attached to their native region, this appreciation does not mean the end of their efforts to revitalize the village center of Untersteinbach. They also plan to renovate and repurpose the former pub next to the old brewery.