From granary to showcase sustainable hotel
Today, our blog series “Sustainable by tradition” leads us to Northern Germany, or to be more exact to lake Ziegelsee in Schwerin. In midst of the wonderful idyllic lake scenery, Hotel Speicher makes the hearts of nature lovers, architecture enthusiasts and fans of something special beat faster.
The exceptionality about the exclusive well-being hotel? The brick building is a historic, landmarked granary from 1939. Where formerly grains were stored, today guests sleep in a modern, sustainable ambience, surrounded by the unusual history of the location.
Under the reign of National Socialism, the owner family Löwenthal was disowned. Later on, with the foundation of the former GDR, the granary was turned into public property. However, the heirs of the former owners managed to regain the property after the German reunification. In 1995, Hotel Speicher was sold to an architect association from Hamburg, and only three years later, it was expensively and environmental-friendly renovated to become today’s four-star-hotel.
The concrete construction covered by brick stones is under monumental protection, which significantly influenced the planning and building process. With the choice of sustainable materials and colors it was paid attention to maintaining the initial character of the building.
Individuality and uniqueness – these are the characteristics that are represented at Hotel Speicher. In some rooms you can still find old architectural elements, such as supporting mushroom cap columns and window division. The result? The floor plan and inner arrangements of the rooms are differently designed. Simply individual!
Also the inside is sustainable, as predominantly natural materials have been used. Little details still represent the history of the industrial building – the use of burnished iron, the restoration of the old wooden windows, the recycling of hand formed bricks for lintels and bar area make up the unique charm of Hotel Speicher. 95 per cent of the furniture was individually designed to correspond with the reduced style of the house.
Hotel Speicher am Ziegelsee actively takes responsibility for environmental protection, to conserve the diversity of nature and scenic beauty. Being Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania’s first climate neutral hotel and co-founder of the initiative “climate hotels Germany”, Hotel Speicher has a pioneering role when it comes to environmental protection. Host family Hirte-Petersen constantly persecutes sustainable strategies and implements technical innovations to achieve maximal energy efficiency and environmental compatibility. Hence, electric cars have been provided for guests to use on eco-friendly explorations of the surrounding. The owners claim: “We want to show that tourism and ecology can go hand in hand, and that sustainability can be reached also in upscale hotels. With every ecological measurement we aim to increase the wellbeing of guests and reduce polluting emissions.”. Thus, during the last year, the showcase sustainable hotel Speicher has consumed 74,8 per cent less CO2, 55,8 per cent less energy and 38,4 per cent less water per guest.
Two thumbs up for such a great attitude and impressive results!
