Reorganisation of the ancient Benedictine monastery Plankstetten
The Benedictine monastery in Plankstetten cultivates their ecological food in an own farm. So the abbey includes a bakery, a butchery, a nursery for fruits and vegetables, a joinery, etc. A lot of the products are offered for the guests in a little food store, for example meat, bread, beer, cheese and butter, milk, fruits and vegetables.
The reorganization of an ancient abbey is a challenge for the involved architects and engineers. The monks, the employees and the visitors should experience the history of the Benedictine monastery with it’s different building phases. All the infrastructure was new organized (kitchen, walk-in refrigerators, toilets, store-rooms, etc.), and a new cloister chapel was designed in the new connecting building. An important brief was to use only ecological and sustainable products, the stringent German regulations for energy consumption are very well fulfilled. For example, rock water is used for cooling the walk-in refrigerators. The abbey got guestrooms for workshops and seminars.
It should be an example for preparing an ancient abbey for the future.