The Rüscher Joinery / Simon Moosbrugger Architekt

Architects: Simon Moosbrugger Architekt
Area: 2400 m²
Year: 2023
Photography: Simon Oberhofer
Lead Architect: Simon Moosbrugger
Products Used in This Project: Sylva™ CLT Walls by Stora Enso, Sylva™ CLT Floors and Roofs by Stora Enso
Manufacturers: Stora Enso
City: Schnepfau
Country: Austria

The Rüscher Joinery, designed by Simon Moosbrugger Architekt in Schnepfau, a village in Austria’s Bregenzerwald region, addresses the spatial and technical demands of contemporary woodworking. Created for a multi-generational carpentry business, the new facility replaces an outdated structure and consolidates production, storage, administration, and exhibition spaces under one roof. The building is set against the backdrop of the Kanisfluh and integrates with the village through its low profile and finely detailed wooden facade. Precisely placed openings offer panoramic mountain views, while roof glazing ensures uniform, glare-free lighting in the production hall. All circulation for materials and people is concentrated along the eastern facade. The internal layout includes a two-story northern section with a surface workshop on the ground floor and offices and customer areas above. An open upper-level courtyard enhances spatial orientation, daylight access, and quality of stay. Beech wood trusses span across spaces, revealing both the structural clarity of the workshop and the surrounding alpine landscape.

The rüscher joinery / simon moosbrugger architekt

The Rüscher family’s carpentry business, which had expanded over several generations, had reached its capacity. The aging building was no longer able to support an efficient production process. As the craft sector continues to industrialize, the tools in use today extend beyond small hand-held or stationary machines. While it was once possible to adapt stables and garages into workshops, the current demands for a functional “workroom” have become significantly more complex. In addition to strict regulations concerning fire safety, accident prevention, and hygiene, the most critical requirement is to provide adequate space for increasingly intricate production processes.

With the construction of the new Rüscher carpentry workshop in the small Bregenzerwald community of Schnepfau, all operational requirements were brought together under a single roof, resulting in a high-quality and spatially adaptable workspace designed for future generations. In addition to designated areas for storage, production, administration, and employee use, the program also includes an exhibition room that showcases selected works and serves as a prominent interface with the public.

The new building is strategically positioned on the green space at the edge of the town, extending along the base of the Kanisfluh mountain range. Through the clarity of its finely structured wooden facade and its restrained height, the structure reflects the essential characteristics of its surroundings and integrates into the village’s built environment. The openings in the facade are precisely arranged to offer varied panoramic views of the mountain landscape to users. The production hall features roof glazing, allowing for uniform, glare-free natural lighting. All material and passenger access is organized along the eastern facade, allowing the other sides of the building to remain free from logistical functions. The machine hall and the crafts area are built with an increased vertical clearance, equivalent to two stories, to ensure long-term flexibility and spatial clarity. In contrast, the northern section consists of two levels, with a surface workshop on the ground floor and offices, employee facilities, and customer spaces on the upper floor.

The open structure surrounding the inner courtyard on the upper floor provides clear visibility for both customers and employees, ensuring optimal daylight conditions and a high quality of spatial experience. The exhibition space opens to the north, oriented toward the town center, while the office areas are positioned to face the building’s interior, maintaining a direct relationship with the production zone. The use of beech wood trusses allows for unobstructed views of the workshop’s wooden structure as well as the diverse landscape of the rear Bregenzerwald.