Unique living concept
Courgevaux Château and its outbuildings, some of which had gone to rack and ruin, have been extensively modernised and further living space has been created in the expansive grounds. The result is the “château-style living concept”, an idyllic residential space for individualists who appreciate the arts and culture and know the value of quality.
Courgevaux Château grounds
Property:
- Courgevaux Château: manor house with barn from 1684 and brickyard (1756)
- Owned by Wohnwerk AG since 2018
- 2021/2022 residential development in three stages. Reconstruction of the barn and building of new cottage and annexe to the brickyard
- Total of 14 owner-occupied apartments with covered garden seating
- Workshops and studios as well as additional meeting spaces
Location:
- 3280 Murten, Switzerland
Installed appliances:
- WPE-I 59 H 400 Premium ground source heat pump
- 2 x WPE-I 33 H 400 Premium ground source heat pumps
- WPE-I 15 HK 230 Premium ground source heat pump
- SBP 700 E buffer cylinder
- SBB 1000 WP SOL DHW cylinder
Implementation:
- Wohnwerk AG, awerk architekten ag, 3280 Murten
The château lifestyle
“The main idea behind the ‘château-style living concept’ is for the residents to fill the estate with life. They should not only live here but also mingle in the meeting spaces. However, they will still be able to withdraw to their private sphere as necessary,” says architect Jann Fahrni, enthusiastically explaining his unusual project. “What makes this property special is its unique atmosphere,” adds Fahrni, “which will obviously be further reinforced by the unconventional living concept and the residents’ lifestyles.” In addition to the owner-occupied apartments, communal and meeting spaces have also been created with this in mind, such as the kitchen workshop, the château hall with fireplace and the attic rooms for guests.
The one-hectare château gardens are a magnificent sight: numerous plants and trees adorn the grounds, while several small seating areas make inviting places to sit and rest. A tall hedge separates the meadow from the English garden. Several narrow paths connect the different areas of the garden, a feature typical of English landscape gardens, as is the rectangular pond. Two alpacas as well as peacocks and pheasants are a “mobile fixture” of the garden. The birds spend the day in an enclosure and the night in the old orangery, which used to be a place for overwintering plants. These are now kept in the conservatory when the temperatures drop.
Installed technology
Different heat pumps with different capacities were installed in each of the objects. "It is always very important to pay attention to the individual requirements of the object when designing the heat pump," emphasises Patrick Waeber, technical sales consultant at STIEBEL ELTRON. The system also includes a buffer cylinder (SBP) and a cylinder (SBB) for hot water. The buildings can also be cooled passively with a geothermal probe. All units are inverter heat pumps.
A WPE-I 59 H 400 Premium geothermal probe heat pump is used in the manor house, for example. This appliance is designed for high output requirements and delivers impressive reliability. Thanks to the special hot gas technology, DHW can also be heated during normal heat pump operation.
One WPE-I 33 H 400 Premium is used in the barn and another in the brickyard. This appliance, too, is suitable for high output requirements and is characterised by excellent reliability. The unit is also very quiet in operation.
Finally, a WPE-I 15 HK 230 Premium with a 400 litre cylinder and a 500 litre DHW cylinder have been installed in the cottage. With this inverter ground source heat pump, passive cooling is possible in addition to heating and DHW operation. The constant heating output all year round with high flow temperatures offers maximum living comfort regardless of the season.
Project information
- What makes this project special is that we have been able to recreate the old château ensemble in the Courgevaux grounds with new and older buildings.
- We are pleased that we have now been able to shut down the oil heating system that had been installed in the manor house.
- In the future, the four main building complexes on the estate will be heated and additionally cooled in the summer using geothermal probe heat pumps. This will contribute in an important way to living comfort and protecting the environment.
- A geothermal probe heat pump system with inverter technology has been installed. This heat pump is special in that it uses the new refrigerant R 454C, which is more environmentally responsible.
- The system stands out because the power produced by the photovoltaic system can be used in the château grounds for heating, cooling and DHW.
- Here in the château grounds, we have different buildings with varying heat demands. We can cover individual needs with our various heat pumps.