Naturally sustainable

Clear lines and a sustainable design concept – the idea behind Hotel Sand on the beach of Timmendorfer Strand, a coastal town in northern Germany, is to incorporate the natural surroundings into the interior. Large folding and sliding windows offer unrestricted views of the scenery.

“Sand Inspires Natural Design” – that is the motto of Hotel Sand, which is located on Germany’s Baltic coast. The hotel’s focus on nature and sustainability shines through in every aspect of the building’s design. Visitors are greeted outside the hotel by light exposed concrete and an array of wooden elements – a theme that continues into the reception area and the 77 rooms. The redesigned in-house restaurant offers rustic tables and benches, rocking chairs, and direct access to the neighbouring dunes. All of the furniture in the hotel is made using sustainable materials such as recycled teak. After all, environmental awareness is one of the establishment’s guiding principles – which is why it bears the status of a certified company in accordance with the German Sustainability Code and uses geothermal and solar energy.

When the traditional hotel was renovated, expanded and redesigned around six years ago, one of the owners’ main priorities was to help their guests feel connected to their surroundings even when they were sat inside. From that point on, the concept evolved until the building was eventually fitted with generous glass fronts that allow the interior and the outdoors to merge together as one. On the north-west side of the hotel, Solarlux’s three-metre-high cero sliding windows offer panoramic views of the spa resort’s green surroundings. These serve as balcony doors, and their slender profiles and accessible floor tracks lend the rooms a greater sense of space. The triple-glazed variant of the sliding window offers excellent thermal insulation and is suitable for passive house standards in accordance with the latest requirements of the German Energy Savings Ordinance, perfectly complementing the hotel’s sustainable concept.

The owners of the “Sandkulinarium” restaurant decided to install a Solarlux bi-folding door that could open up a space of over nine metres onto their terrace. When the weather is good, their dining area now becomes one with the restaurant’s natural surroundings, allowing the guests to enjoy the fresh sea air even when they are sitting indoors. Thanks to the accessible floor track, the restaurant and the outdoor area merge together seamlessly without creating a tripping hazard. The natural setting combines with the wooden terrace and the nearby sand to form a harmonious overall concept.