Dogma

Bernhardshof

An old farmhouse in the Brandeburg countryside is being carefully transformed to serve as a temporary Cistercian monastery. This adaptive reuse project includes a guesthouse for reception, a refectory for communal meals, a chapel for prayer and liturgy as well as a dormitory for rest and contemplation. Central to the monastery is the cloister, a spatial core connecting the four buildings and forming an open gallery. The Dormitory replaces a former wooden barn, while the existing buildings are renovated and transformed into their specific functions. Constructed from cross-laminated timber (CLT), the Dormitory maintains continuity with the previous building and the history of the site. The façade is clad in wooden panels, grey tinted panels. along the façade facing the cloister, the windows are screened with perforated wooden boards, allowing daylight to filter through while preserving privacy – creating an interplay of openness and seclusion. Both the cloister and dormitory are organized on the same structural gridwith a consistent material language, reinforcing their spatial unity. The Dormitory is a private space for the monks, serving as a place for rest, study and contemplation. Each cell is provided with an “inhabitable wall” – a built-in wooden element integrating a bathroom, storage space, a bed and a desk. The desk is positioned along the window facing the open fields, offering a connection to the surrounding landscape. Once the monastic community relocates to its permanent home, Ad Quadrum, the temporary monastery will be repurposed to welcome visitors and the Dormitory will serve as a residency for guests.