A meeting place for all generations

The roof of this municipal building was taken off to make way for a new timber level. This addition holds rehearsal rooms, a music hall, and solar panels that power the building. Exposed trusses span the wide attic, creating open, column-free spaces with great sound. Photo © Dominic Kummer

The Austrian village of Langen bei Bregenz needed a community center. What they had was a very tired municipal building. In 2025, MWArchitekten transformed it into a modern hub for civic life. Rather than expanding outward, they restructured the building vertically, adding a new timber top floor with open, flexible space for music rehearsals and community events.

The design deliberately distinguishes the new addition from the historical façade below through minimalist and carefully placed openings, offering a calm, modern layer to the old structure without erasing its identity.

Inside, residents now enjoy accessible spaces, larger council rooms, and welcoming foyers that encourage chance encounters. The building serves all generations, housing the kindergarten, music club, local government, and community gatherings under one roof.

The revitalized Gemeindehaus reflects ecological construction, adaptive reuse, and long-term planning—ensuring that this community center can grow and evolve into the future.

PROJECT PORTFOLIO: Community Center Langen bei Bregenz / MWArchitekten

‍

A meeting place for all generations

Bamboo is reshaping commercial architecture.

As office attendance has yet to rebound, central libraries are bringing people and energy back to city centers.

An ancient plant transformed into low-carbon building materials and recyclable products.

Architects are no longer treating health as an external requirement but as an integral condition of everyday life.