Villa Wiesental

The historic Art Nouveau villa Wiesental on Rosenbergstrasse in St. Gallen, built in 1878, was to be extensively renovated after 20 years of vacancy and prepared for a new use. Inside the former residential building, office space is to be created for rent. This was preceded by a long struggle to maintain or demolish the dilapidated building. The concept from HRS ultimately ensured, in close collaboration with the monument protection authority, a professional restoration that made the building fit for the future in the long term.

In addition to the monument-compliant restoration of the interior façade, the statics of Villa Wiesental proved to be a challenge: A solid concrete slab in the subsoil stabilises the building, which has sunk by eight centimetres since its construction. Fire doors, a lift and modern fixtures gently update the building without interfering too much with its character. The overall complex also includes an adjacent new building on the property, which is used as a hotel.

With the renovation of Villa Wiesental, HRS demonstrated how a historical gem and important piece of the city of St. Gallen's architectural heritage can be sensitively preserved and brought into today. The renovation of the façade in particular proved to be extremely time-consuming: Around 80 percent of the sandstone had to be replaced, the roof was completely rebuilt, and sheet metal decorative elements had to be painstakingly reconstructed. Whatever original substance could be saved was carefully prepared and preserved.