LAUBENHAUS

• Merano
• 2024

• Accommodation

Mynt merano rooms – How to revitalize a vacant historic arcade houses in the historic city center?

The Mynt Merano Rooms project is located in the historic city centre of Merano in Italy. The existing building had stood empty on the upper floors for decades and was uninhabitable. In addition to the dilapidated wooden beam ceilings, the existing lighting situation was a particular structural challenge. On the narrow, long plot, the flats in the front half of the building were orientated towards the alley, while the rear flats were only lit via a light well and the communal stairwell. It was therefore necessary to rethink the building from the ground up. Due to the small size of the flats, it was obvious to use them as short-term lets.

The ceilings were demolished and replaced with exposed concrete ceilings with an OSB look. The underfloor heating and cooling as well as the entire new lighting system are integrated into this.  A spacious green inner courtyard becomes the heart of the building. It provides sufficient lighting for the five flats, creates a new open space and offers views of the mountain landscape from the upper floors. With floor-to-ceiling glazing on all three sides, it creates a feeling of transparency and lightness. The required privacy in the neighbouring rooms is guaranteed by two rows of curtains and allows the rooms to be completely darkened.

All flats feature a mint-coloured box as a design and space-defining element. In the three one-room flats in the rear half of the building, this box is positioned at the edge of the flat and offers space for a closed sanitary area, an open anteroom with shower and a kitchenette and cupboards on the outside. There is a direct view of the inner courtyard from the bed and couch. In the flat on the 2nd floor, the box creates two separate bedrooms with their own bathrooms and a bookcase in the open-plan living area. The flat has direct access to the inner courtyard and a free-standing kitchen island in stainless steel. In the one-room flat on the third floor with double-height rooms, the mint-coloured box acts as a room divider with an integrated bathtub and TV wall at the rear. The exterior wall of the flat was designed as an arched façade in white concrete as part of the renovation work and provides access to the existing terrace facing the alley.

The interior design is clear and minimalist. High-quality materials are used in the interiors: white terrazzo flooring, herringbone parquet, local marble from Lasa and light-coloured oak furniture. During the renovation work, old plaster was removed to reveal a green wall colour. This colour was reused in the furnishings.