ELK TECH, a leading provider of sustainable, serial construction solutions, is building 21 turnkey, fully equipped holiday apartments of 30 m² each in modular construction for entrepreneur Andreas Weber in Gmünd. The “HA! Harabruck Apartments” are built in a residential and recreational area near the Harabruckteich and offer modern accommodation for tourists, business travellers and long-stay guests who appreciate maximum flexibility and comfort. Thanks to the fully automated booking and check-in system, both check-in and payment are handled completely digitally. The apartments in the two-storey building are equipped with terraces, balconies or garden access as well as photovoltaic systems, e-charging stations, digital key systems and heat pumps. After the groundbreaking ceremony on January 12, 2026, the opening is scheduled to take place as early as August 2026.
The highly developed modular design combines economic advantages with impressive speed. “Modular construction is the strategic answer to time pressure and increasing requirements: When industrial prefabrication, clear concepts and strong partnerships come together, ambitious schedules such as in the case of HA! Harabruck Apartments realistic. This is important because in view of the tense financing situation, it is becoming increasingly important to go to market with real estate as quickly as possible and to generate cash flows,” explains Lukas Schermann, Managing Director of ELK TECH MODULAR.
ELK TECH built a hotel for Andreas Weber back in 2006: “In the last six years, our AVIA Motel in Gmünd has recorded an occupancy rate of 82%. With the Harabruck Apartments, we want to expand our offer in the Waldviertel,” explains owner Andreas Weber. “For us, it is crucial to quickly create an offer for the increasing demand for authentic travel experiences and flexible, state-of-the-art accommodation, because the Austrian market for vacation rentals is growing rapidly.”
In 3 times 8 months from the first idea to the opening
From the vision to the opening, the project can be divided into three phases of eight months each: From autumn 2024, 8 months passed from the initial idea to the clarification of economic viability and structural feasibility. In the second phase, the submission planning was carried out and all official procedures were given legal validity. In the following eight months, detailed and factory planning as well as assembly led to the planned opening in late summer 2026.
Strong growth in the Austrian holiday apartment market
For example, Statista expects a sales volume of €711.3 million in the Austrian market for apartments and holiday apartment rentals by 2029, with annual growth of 3.73%. In Gmünd, the number of overnight stays is rising continuously (2024: just under 88,000 overnight stays). The Lower Austrian Provincial Exhibition 2028 is expected to generate additional growth in demand.
The location in the recreation area near the Great Harabrück Pond is characterized by good accessibility and infrastructure. The bus and train station can be reached in 2 minutes on foot. Shopping facilities are also in the immediate vicinity. The town centre and the Solefelsenbad can be reached in 15 minutes on foot. The Teichkettenweg recreation area and the Waldviertel narrow-gauge railway are only 2 minutes away.
