Cantera
Wunstorf, Germany
Kreykenbohm Architekten

Nature speaks at this peaceful haven for travelers

© Jochen Stüber

For more photos click on 'photos & drawings' above. To see the people and products behind this project click on 'people & products.'

Cantera, located in a commercial park, combines a hotel with bistro and sauna. Eleven uniquely designed bedrooms and a conference room form the hotel, each designed with a variety of colors, materials, and furniture. The design is carried into the landscape with an outdoor sauna, garden areas, and walkways composed of stone.

Considerable transparency in the foyer and bistro areas merges inside with the outdoor garden courtyard. Sandblasted and rough stone is used as "anti-slip" material for the grounds and a massive squared granite stone forms the "diving-basin" of the sauna. A two-story foyer is brightened with light filtering in from a skylight whose beams project an ever-changing, dramatic play of light and shadow on the wall. The only column in the building is found here, constructed of recycled cast iron. A large stone porch marks the entrance whose side walls and roof are cut from a large piece of stone imported from Spain.

Sustainable materials were utilized, including a highly insulating brick, roofs constructed to collect and reuse rainwater, and a ventilation system that conserves heat. Interior stone is mainly limestone, slate, and antique marble. The plaster, paints, wood, fabrics, and furniture were also composed of sustainable materials.

Formal name of building:
Cantera

Location:
Wunstorf, Germany

Gross square footage:
12,916 sf

Total construction cost:
$1.6 million

Owner:
Jörg Horstmann

Architect's firm:
Kreykenbohm Architekten
Prof. Bernd Kreykenbohm BDA
Susanne Kreykenbohm AKNDS
Reinholdstraße 17
D - 30167 Hannover, Germany
Phone +49 (0)511 – 70 35 10
Fax +49 (0)511 – 70 35 01