Dezeen Magazine

Berge by Nils Holger Moormann

German designer Nils Holger Moormann has completed a self-catering lodge in Aschau im Chiemgau, Germany.

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Called Berge, the lodge is a retreat located in a seventeenth century bakery next to the Nils Holger Moormann headquarters.

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The interior is furnished with Moorman's designs, largely made of timber sheet material.

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Here's some more information from Nils Holger Moormann:

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We hadn’t actually planned a Moorman lodge. However after the Moormann company acquired a plot of land adjacent to our base with the intention of building a warehouse, a dilapidated, listed historical building came as part and parcel.

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The construction – dating back to 1671 as home to the 'Village bakery’, later became the Court bakery for the castle residents and delivered to the neighbouring castle on the mountain, and later still became a guest house and following that a youth hostel– was so in need of repair that it wouldn’t have survived the imminent, mountainous winter conditions without emergency roof repairs.

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This promised to be the start of a new project: a new roof only makes sense when the attic is in sound condition. An attic requires storeys, which can support its weight and so on and so on.

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Firstly the historical structure had to be ascertained and exposed, while ensuring that as much of the original substance of the building as possible remains intact. The rebuilding unearthed numerous container loads of building rubble. Light is a major factor, proportions and materials.

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In berge we worked with clay panelling, insulation of hemp, untreated wood. This materials and the panel heating of geothermal energy take care of the natural climate in the house.

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We fiddled and worked on every detail and it was not out of the question that a wall was rebuilt three times just for a difference of a few centimetres.

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The tight cooperation with regional workmen, the support of different partners, and the work-in-progress, made berge a special project and a special house. The first guests slept in berge for special conditions in between the construction site!

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So this was only for enthusiasts and the ambiance in berge still it is! It is simple, like a lodge with 'a few knocks’.

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There is no service, you have to support yourself. With the number of books on offer - no TV - there is plenty of chance to lose oneself in the 'near silence’ .

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"If you love the mountains you’ll accept that they call the shots.“ Jean - Christophe Lafaille

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berge is not a hotel. berge is a retreat.

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There is no one to wait on you in berge. Your stay is as good as you make it!

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There is no TV in berge. Instead you find the literary classics you always wanted to read!

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There is no reception in berge. You’ll find your way around!

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We don’t serve breakfast. But can recommend a morning stroll to the "Neighbour’s buffet“!

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You won’t find a wellness area in berge. But you can steep in small, quaint baths.

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berge is situated directly on the main road. Just look the other way!

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The beds in berge are very narrow. Making the cosy pillow mountains all the more comfortable!

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You can have a 5 course meal! If you cook it yourself!

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Sometimes storage space is tight. You don’t need much for the mountains!

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A certain degree of agility may be required to get to bed. But it will be worth the effort!

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Enjoy unforgettable evenings in your well furnished kitchen/living area! Then clear up!

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The heating in berge is invisible ! It is run on geothermal energy!

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There is no WLAN in berge. So you can really switch off!

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The mobile reception isn’t good in berge. So you can spare yourself the small talk!

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The floor creaks and crakes in berge The wood did grow at 1000m!

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Love berge. And we’ll love you!

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