Christoph Hesse Architects

On the occasion of the 750th anniversary of the village of Referinghausen in Hochsauerland, the temporary Strohtherme pavilion celebrates the community‘s independency from the global energy market. The self-built local heating network, which is connected to a biogas plant, based on organic waste, represents a milestone in the history of the village.
As a metaphor the straw represents biomass. The steel basin with hot water symbolizes the energy that is produced out of this biomass. The history of energy production and regaining of self- determination is celebrated in this pavilion: Between 1200 and 1950, the farmers produced heat with wood from the forest. From the 1960s until 2019, they became passive consumers who were dependent on gas and fuel oil. In the future, however, they are self-empowered: an active community organized in a decentralized and ecological network that produces its own energy.