Just a few minutes from Ludwigsburg city center lies the renowned Schlosshotel Monrepos. It is part of the Domäne Monrepos, an extensive park surrounding the baroque lakeside palace of the same name. It was built in the 18th century by the Dukes of Württemberg and is still owned by them today. In 2014, the hotel was acquired by the Finkbeiner family of hoteliers from Baiersbronn and completely renovated. Since summer 2015, guests have been enjoying the amenities of this architecturally and energetically renovated four-star hotel. In keeping with the style of the cubic building, the balconies and terraces were fitted with aesthetically pleasing floorboards from NATURinFORM.

Under the leadership of the new directors, Katrin and Ralph Hosbein, the hotel underwent a radical, complete renovation. Of the low-rise concrete building from the late 1960s, strongly reminiscent of Bauhaus architecture, only the bare walls remained. The final result was a modern building with 77 redesigned rooms and suites; two small rooms were transformed into a large new one. The apartment of the hotel tenant and the private suite of the ducal family were also converted into hotel rooms. The swimming pool was also given a new purpose. It now houses the largest of the hotel's eight conference rooms, 80 percent of which are booked by business travelers who also appreciate the peace and comfort of Monrepos. State-of-the-art fire and thermal protection, as well as modern heating technology with its own small wood chip power plant, complement the modernization of the building's technical facilities.

Original architecture in the foreground

"The design quality of the building has enormous potential," recognized architect Egon Bermayer from the Stuttgart-based architectural firm ARP, which was commissioned to design the project, from the outset. However, over the course of numerous renovations and reconstruction measures, the castle hotel had lost its original and characteristic appearance. Therefore, the goal was not only to rebuild and improve energy efficiency, but also to restore the original design. "The austere architecture was adapted to that of the historic buildings of the domain." Bermayer was keen to replace the subsequent ochre paint with the original white: "Now there is once again a contrast between the old buildings on Monrepos and the castle hotel. The individual structures enter into an exciting dialogue, and the castle hotel nevertheless stands strong as an independent structure."

Building extension through projecting balconies

To ensure guests enjoy an unobstructed view of the unique park landscape, all rooms feature floor-to-ceiling windows and balconies with glass balustrades. To install the balconies, architect Bermayer utilized the existing roof overhang along with a non-functional cantilever slab at first-floor level. Between them, horizontal trellises were placed in front of the house, cleverly integrating the balcony balustrade and sunshade. They open the rooms to the outdoors, transforming the park into a second, green room. NATURinFORM's "Die Kompakte" gray flooring was chosen for the balcony flooring. The incomparable elegance of the color-coordinated floorboards perfectly complements the rooms' color scheme, which is dominated by subtle shades of gray. Together with the light gray, transparent fabric panels of the sunshade, the dark gray, solid flooring continues the exciting contrast of the interior design, where hard surfaces alternate with soft fabrics in the furnishings. For Renate Finkbeiner, who was also responsible for the previous modernizations of the traditional Traube Tonbach hotel, a modern, contemporary concept was important not only in terms of architecture: "With bright colors, clean lines, and a timeless interior, a very pleasant atmosphere was created in the rooms, while the modernized conference rooms are perfect for concentrated work."

Swimming pool becomes conference room

Where hotel guests once did their morning swims, you'll now find managers working hard. "Salon 5," Monrepos's new, large, light-filled conference room, replaces the aging swimming pool. With fully glazed exterior walls that can be opened completely to the outside, meetings can be relocated not only in the spirit of the outdoors, but also in reality. The front terraces—also covered with the "compact" gray flooring—make for a relaxed and undoubtedly creative outdoor workshop experience.

Sustainability combined with economic efficiency

The directors, Katrin and Ralph Hosbein, can also relax when it comes to care and maintenance. NATURinFORM floorboards are weatherproof without the need for varnishing or oiling, which is particularly important for commercially used spaces like this one at the Schlosshotel Monrepos. Cleaning the surfaces is also incredibly simple and inexpensive: water alone is sufficient. Signs of wear and weathering (leaves, etc.) can be easily brushed off with a garden hose, broom, or scrubber. It's important to note that NATURinFORM combines wood with a high-quality polymer. The result is weather-resistant, low-maintenance floorboards for outdoor use that have neither problems with dimensional stability nor with weather-related cracking, which can occur with untreated wood over time.

Nonetheless, NATURinFORM products are produced with unconditional sustainability. No trees have to be felled specifically for their production; only wood chips from sawmills are used, and only PEFC-certified wood from ecologically managed forests. Despite the plastic component, the surfaces feel and touch like real wood, as they consist of 70 percent natural wood fibers, the byproduct of wood processing. Fungicides and pesticides are completely avoided during production. Nevertheless, unlike conventional wood, no solvent-based, environmentally harmful chemicals are used to care for NATURinFORM decking. The decking boards are 100 percent recyclable and can be returned to the factory in Redwitz, Bavaria, for this purpose.