Hole 19 – Golfclub St. Oswald / x Architekten

Architects: x Architekten
Location: St. Oswald, Austria
Client: Golf und Tourismusförderung
Contractor: Passivhaus
Constructed Area: 757 sqm
Project Year: 2003-2004
Photographs: Dietmar Tollerian

The golf course as an integrated design landscape and topography nestles up to the soft downs of the Mühlviertel. The club house merges with the landscape and integrates consistently into the natural surroundings, almost being completely absorbed by it. Its outer and inner rooms are designed as a seamless transition into the golf course and become one with the surrounding sports grounds. The inner court offers possibilities for multi-functional activities in a sheltered atmosphere – as a garden for visitors as well as a location for events and award ceremonies. Towards the south west the court opens up into a covered terrace as far as the driving range. On the northern side, it serves as a reception area for players returning from the 18th Hole. The inner court presents itself as the “19th Hole” and the club house as the “19thGreen” of the golf course and they resemble the Start as well as the Finish in the movement of club members and visitors.

Ecology

Openness and responsible action, not an elitist club life, are most important for the building project. This vision is implemented through the integration of the golf course into the landscape, through ecological care of the lawns and the concept of Zero Energy in the club house.

The concept of Zero Energy

The club’s existing area which is being restored produces unusually high energy surpluses. Therefore the use of this thermal waste with regard to the energy concept seemed to be a natural and logical consequence. The waste heat from the systems and devices in the restaurants is used optimally in the form of a multiple energy cascade. Warm and polluted air from the hottest points of the restaurant kitchen are sucked into a ventilation system, which is already a necessary part of the design, and which filters the air and sends it through to a hypocaust. This hypocaust heats the floor in the bar and restaurant area. A heat exchanger then releases 50% of the heat content of the slightly cooled air into the incoming fresh air. As the now considerably cooled exhaust air still contains a lot of energy, heating energy and warm water for the heating of the supply air and the floor heating in the changing rooms is won with the help of another air/water heat pump.

An ecologically reconcilable golf lawn The golf lawn is kept free from weed in terms of a broader ecological approach solely through mowing and mechanical treatment without the use of herbicides – surely a unique method on Europe’s golf courses.