House with an Elevated Roof / Maximilian Hartinger Architekt

Heritage conservation forms its own biotope of project stories — stories that carry urgent relevance for today's architectural debates and initiatives. This particular story began when a family abandoned their historic farmhouse north of Passau after the grandmother, the last in many generations to live there, moved out. Water infiltration, rot, and poor foundations had already caused severe damage. Consulted "experts" declared the building unsalvageable, leaving the family discouraged.

Interior design has been characterized by infinite alternatives in coatings, finishes, and furniture to achieve unique and unrepeatable spaces. Designers are constantly coming up with innovative solutions and materials specifically created for a distinctive spatial perception. However, there is also a trend that seeks the warmth of the interior spaces by exposing the raw building materials as they are. The richness of materials such as wood and concrete gives that feeling of durability and low maintenance that, combined with an attention-to-detail design, makes spaces look warm yet stay true in essence. See below for 35 examples of interior spaces where concrete and wood appear in their almost purest state.

The Bélair-Monange winery in Saint-Émilion is designed to meet the future needs of the estate's winegrowing operation. The program integrates sustainably into the town of Saint-Émilion, listed as a World Heritage Site by UNESCO since 1999; the project is both a place of production and promotion. The four main areas dedicated to the wine-making process are the harvest receiving area, the vat room, and the barrel cellars. For the reception of private clients, the project includes a tasting room as well as a reception room that can accommodate approximately 100 people. The project is a direct commission which continues a long-standing relationship, initiated some twenty years ago, between the Moueix family and Herzog & de Meuron. Bélair-Monange is the fifth joint project and the second winery, after the Dominus Winery in Napa Valley, California, that we have worked on together.

Materials can carry memory. They do more than finish a space; they can anchor it, shape atmosphere, and connect interiors to broader cultural and material narratives. Some architects and designers explore local techniques, natural resources, and craft traditions to balance cultural preservation with modern functionality, introducing context and depth. This is not necessarily a return to the past, but a reinterpretation of inherited knowledge to create architecture that resonates with contemporary needs.