What can you do in Ibiza? That’s what people who haven’t been there ask. “Experience”, respond fans of the island.

Of course, there’s an Ibizan way of life. For some it’s the white clothing, a warm breeze moving the curtains, chill out music while you watch the sunset on the seashore with an Aperol Spritz in your hand…

For others it’s spending the night among friends, staying up til dawn.

For others Ibiza is, quite simply, a dream. Imagine waking up every day every summer in Villa Harmony. What can you do there that you haven’t daydreamed about?

Well, that dream exists. And it’s so special that its exterior flooring, the façade and the interior are all in ACCOYA®, also one of the most special woods in the world.

A natural, sustainable and resistant material, with a 50-year written guarantee

ACCOYA ® is a wood that is modified naturally to improve its resistance, durability and stability. We’ll tell you all about it here, but basically this treatment causes insects to fail to recognise it as food and prevents moulds attacking it.

In short, ACCOYA® is an unbeatable wood for exteriors. This is why architects and construction companies have been using it more and more. For this reason and because it holds the most highly regarded sustainability certification, from the FHS.

Also because the manufacturer provides a fifty-year written guarantee.

Façade, flooring and interior fit for a dream

And if Villa Harmony is a dream house, ACCOYA® wood has done its part. On the exterior it has been used for the flooring and the façade. For the latter in the form of slats, that combine with the decorative stone and control the light entering the house.

Inside, the architects from Candel Arquitectura have also opted for ACCOYA®. In the end, with the doors and windows open, the walls will remain the same despite the inevitable dose of salt residue that gets in.

The finish, the icing on the cake

ACCOYA® is a wood that is also appreciated for the options it provides when choosing the finish. A lot of people like its natural ageing, in which the wood takes on a greyish tone over time.

In the case of Villa Harmony the owners had various options for the finish, for both flooring and façade, and even in the interior, which has an oak varnish finish.

To enjoy all the images of this project,click on this link.

La entrada Somewhere in the Mediterranean se publicó primero en Grupo Gámiz.

fter his triumph with his San Sebastian restaurant A Fuego Negro, without doubt one of the most influential shrines to gastronomy in the world capital of cuisine (judging by the number of Michelin stars in San Sebastian and the surrounding area), Edorta Lamo took an even more personal project with the restaurant Arrea!, the chef’s return to his home town, Kanpezu (Campezo).

With the courage to set up premises with their own personality, one hundred percent local resonance and a strong link to culture of his homeland, in a place with less than a thousand inhabitants in the mountains of Alava, Edorta Lamo chose Grupo Gámiz, whose factory and history are also linked to Kanpezu, for the wooden cladding of the restaurant façade.

The choice was ACCOYA®, a sustainable and extraordinarily resistant wood.

Arrea! Restaurant, Kanpezu (Álava) | Product: Cladding of the exterior façade – Accoya®

A beautiful, sustainable and durable façade

At the initial presentation of the restaurant, it was said that Arrea! is “the return of Edorta Lamo to his crudest, hardest and most savage roots”. Although this statement probably alludes to deeper matters, it is true that, in terms of climate, the Kanpezu area is a rather inhospitable rural environment, especially in winter.

Arrea! Restaurant, Kanpezu (Álava) | Product: Cladding of the exterior façade – Accoya®

For Arrea!, ACCOYA®, the wood of the future, has been used to clad a melting pot of tradition and the past. This acetylated wood takes all types of finishes, and for this project a screen was chosen that shelters from the inclemency of the outdoors and that at the same time lets the light in, to which a rustic touch was given.

Arrea! Restaurant, Kanpezu (Álava) | Product: Cladding of the exterior façade – Accoya®

ACCOYA®: 50-year written guarantee

Both the manufacturers of ACCOYA® and Grupo Gámiz, distributor of the wood in Spain, provide a 50-year written guarantee. This extraordinarily resistant wood is fruit of a natural process called acetylation. Here, the wood obtained from sustainable forests is subjected to a molecular change due to natural products, with no toxic procedures.

This process achieves a sustainable wood, resistant to mould and insects, which no longer recognise the wood as food after treatment.

Arrea! Restaurant, Kanpezu (Álava) | Product: Cladding of the exterior façade – Accoya®

Today ACCOYA® is an ecological solution for architects and designers committed to the environment and creativity. A universal wood able to give any project its own personality, just like the restaurant Arrea! in Kanpezu.

La entrada Arrea! Restaurant se publicó primero en Grupo Gámiz.

Fortunately for everyone, sustainable architecture is no longer an ideal vision, but the everyday commitment of many people. There are more and more architects, construction companies and designers that create their projects with respect for the environment. Mere intention, however, is not enough. For example, there is no point in talking about sustainable materials, like that, generically, if it is not possible to trace their manufacture route.

Let’s use the case of wood products. Wood is, by definition, a natural material. But wood products are only sustainable and ecological if their manufacture process prioritises sustainability goals and guarantees the protection and continuity of the forests from which this raw material is extracted.

This guarantee only comes from certifications. Hallmarks of quality and sustainability granted for levels approved and known all over the world. These are the most significant sustainability certifications.

Maison de l’Ordre des Avocats | Arch: Renzo Piano studio | Grupo Gámiz Product: Oak glulam – curtain wall | Photo courtesy of ©L.Zylberman/Graphix-Images

FSC (Forestry Stewardship Council)

The FSC (Forest Stewardship Council) is an independent, not-for-profit, non-governmental organisation, that issues one of the most significant certifications to ensure that the forestry product acquired (wood or paper) comes from a sustainably managed forest.

It originated in California in 1990, and was the first step in establishing a worldwide sustainable certification for these types of products, that was finally consolidated with the creation of the Founding Assembly in Toronto in 1993.

The FSC certificate is a complete guarantee of sustainability, supported by ONGs such as the WWF.

FSC (Forest Stewardship Council) certificate

PEFC (Programme for the Endorsement of Forest Certification)

PEFC (Programme for the Endorsement of Forest Certification) is the most widespread forestry certification system in the world. This organisation, also not-for-profit, originated in the forestry sector itself.

The objectives of the PEFC are to protect forestry resources, the ecosystem and biological diversity, and contribute to the socioeconomic development of the communities where these forest masses are located.

PEFC (Programme for the Endorsement of Forest Certification) certificate

EPD (Environmental Product Declaration)

An EPD or Environmental Product Declaration is a certified document that provides information on the environmental impact of a product, material or service. This certification is a standard in construction, a sector where laws and new regulations on improvements in energy efficiency and sustainability come up practically every minute.

The EPD is drawn up by the manufacturer, where the potential of the building material to reduce the impact on the environment is argued. This declaration must then be verified by approved independent organisations, called Programme Administrators.

EPD (Environmental Product Declaration) certificate

Certified wood products for a better and more beautiful world

In short, sustainable certification of products helps guarantee that the processes are becoming safer for the environment. The commitment of GRUPO GÁMIZ to nature and sustainable architecture is strong, as you can see in our certifications: FSC, PEFC and EPD.

Residence in Rosario Manzaneque |Arch: By More Arquitectos | Product: Cladding of the exterior façade – Accoya® horizontal scantlings

Its sustainability is complemented by the most significant product quality certifications, such as the CTB and the CE, awarded to VIGAM, our oak glulam beam, the only one in the world with the CE marking for structural use. Similarly, we are distributors of ACCOYA®, the sustainable wood of the future.

Every day we work so that the certified quality wood products that we design and manufacture can help architects and construction companies that want to create a better world without renouncing the creativity, function, resistance and beauty of wood.

La entrada True sustainable architecture is certified se publicó primero en Grupo Gámiz.

Melarium is a small summit of sustainable architecture. It is a functional, playful, respectful building, integrated with nature (animals and plants), and sustainable in both design and use.

As if this were not enough, visiting it is an unforgettable experience that is artistic (it is normal to observe it from the outside and go round it, like you would with a sculpture) and sensorial, as going into Melarium is going into a beehive and, practically, merging with the body of a bee.

Melarium, ACCOYA® cladding | Arch: David Vedhoen | Product: ACCOYA® sustainable wood | Photo courtesy of imkerverenigingdelft.nl

This exceptional work, in a natural spot in the Dutch town of Delft, is constructed with ACCOYA® sustainable wood, which, in the words of its creator David Veldhoen, makes it “a resistant, isolated organism that breathes”.

Melarium, ACCOYA® cladding | Arch: David Vedhoen | Product: ACCOYA® sustainable wood | Photo courtesy of  davidveldhoen.nl

Inside sustainable wood bee

The surface of Melarium (from the Latin melis, honey) has 4000 holes, a decision that is reminiscent of the fragmented eye of a queen bee. The interior takes its inspiration from the shape of the bee’s body, divided into three parts. The hives are located in one of them, with the bees producing honey.

Melarium, ACCOYA® cladding | Arch: David Vedhoen | Product: ACCOYA® sustainable wood | Photo courtesy of  davidveldhoen.nl

Melarium, ACCOYA® cladding | Arch: David Vedhoen | Product: ACCOYA® sustainable wood | Photo courtesy of  davidveldhoen.nl

A spiral staircase takes us to the roof terrace, designed to provide the same view a bee would have in full flight. Under the terrace and above the hives, there is a meeting space, where local beekeepers and scientists experiment and share techniques and discoveries.

Melarium, ACCOYA® cladding | Arch: David Vedhoen | Product: ACCOYA® sustainable wood | Photo courtesy of  davidveldhoen.nl

ACCOYA®, modified wood with a 50-year written guarantee

The craftsman behind the project, David Vedhoen, was sure that Melarium required wooden cladding that could easily be built around a steel frame, and that would not need any maintenance. ACCOYA® acetylated wood was the material selected due to its resistance, durability, natural texture and special performance against moulds and insects.

Put simply, ACCOYA® will not rot or be attacked by wood-eating organisms, such as termites. One of the advantages of its acetylation process, which is completely natural, is that the cell structure of the wood is modified so the insect does not recognise it as food.

Qualities such as these are what make ACCOYA® sustainable wood one of the leading construction materials for the architects of the present and the very immediate future. Its performance is so spectacular that its manufacturers and distributors offer a written 50-year guarantee.

La entrada Melarium, or the experience of entering a beehive se publicó primero en Grupo Gámiz.

Sustainable architecture projects are designed from various fronts. The most noteworthy are the general inclination toward respect for the environment, ecodesign, to draw maximum benefit from the construction in terms of energy and emphasis on sustainability when selecting the materials, in terms of both their manufacture and their footprint left on the planet.

To move forward with the project for this health centre commissioned by Osakidetza for town of Campezo, in the mountains of Alava, the architect Adolfo Moro Quintana took an objective of energy efficiency as his starting point. He achieved it by planning the construction with the right southern orientation to make use of the natural light, and by paying attention to the smallest details of its insulation.

A key point in this matter is the envelope design, the skin that protects the building from the exterior: wind, temperature, humidity, etc. For this purpose, the architect decided to clad the façade with ACCOYA® sustainable wood.

Santa Cruz de Campezo health centre | Arch: Adolfo Moro | Product: Accoya®

An efficient, sustainable and elegant façade, integrated into the environment

As you can see, the façade of the Campezo health centre has a very special nature. The horizontal gaps, in addition to providing an interesting texture, allow lighting, ventilation, and control over the sunshine, in addition to affording privacy to what happens inside.

The terrain on which this medical centre is located is eminently rural, with low houses, squares with gardens and agricultural land. The aesthetics of the façade made with ACCOYA® sustainable wood manages to integrate a new-build into this environment in full harmony.

Santa Cruz de Campezo health centre | Arch: Adolfo Moro | Product: Accoya®

Untreated Accoya® wood evolves with the passage of time. Snapshots from 2017, 2018 and 2019 respectively of the Santa Cruz de Campezo health centre | Arch: Adolfo Moro

Acetylated wood, a safe choice in terms of durability and sustainability for exteriors

Acetylation is a natural treatment that turns radiata pine from sustainable forests into an extraordinarily durable wood. This process is carried out using natural reagents with no toxins.

Santa Cruz de Campezo health centre | Arch: Adolfo Moro | Product: Accoya®

The result is a wood that is resistant to the inclemency of the weather, rot-proof (repels moulds and insects such as termites, etc.), with great beauty and usability, that can take any finish.

Thanks to its sustainable and aesthetic qualities many architects now use ACCOYA® for both interiors and exteriors. Its performance in exteriors is so incredibly good that manufacturers and distributors offer ACCOYA® certified wood with a written 50-year guarantee.

Santa Cruz de Campezo health centre | Arch: Adolfo Moro | Product: Accoya®

PROJECT FILE

• Architect: Adolfo Moro Quintana
• Contractor: Campezo Obras y Servicios, S.A.
• ACCOYA® distributor: GRUPO GÁMIZ
• Year: 2017

La entrada Kanpezu-Campezo Health Centre se publicó primero en Grupo Gámiz.

Sustainable architecture is converting wood, an ancient material, into the innovative building material of the future. Its known virtues of warmth, beauty and elegance are complemented with the growing values of ecology and sustainability.

In the matter that concerns us today, there are many studies that demonstrate how well wood responds against fire. And despite the fact that wood is fuel (and the poor reputation this has given it in the popular imagination), it is true that no material can resist fire.

What we do know, first of all, is that fires occur for external reasons, not because of the characteristics of the material used. Secondly, the statistics are clear that the real hazard is inside the building, which is what burns first (furniture, decoration, clothing, etc.).

The effects on the structure come later. And yes, that is where, under the spotlight, the excellent role of timber components used in construction in contact with fire can be seen.

Wooden house

The only building material that protects itself against fire

The fire resistance of a construction component is calculated by measuring the time during it is able to continue fulfilling its function in a fire. The three main values are resistance, seal and insulation.

In this regard it can be stated that wood, thanks to its natural properties, is the only building material that protects itself against fire. 

As it is a natural thermal insulator, wood has a low thermal conductivity, which means its temperature decreases gradually toward the centre. At the same time, it is able to slow combustion because the carbonisation of its surface impedes both the penetration of heat and the release of gases.

Finally, as wood is very unlikely to dilate with heat, in a fire the timber components do not subject structures or walls to great pressures

Oak House School | Arch: Trasbordo arquitectura y gerencia de construcción S.L. | Product: Ventilated façade – Accoya® tongue and groove units

Technology to further improve this resistance

If there are no flames, wood needs a surface temperature of more than 400ºC to start to burn in the short or medium term. With fire, the surface would still need to reach almost 300ºC for a time before it starts to combust.

In support of these natural conditions, technology in the manufacture of wood products is always progressing in matters such as sustainability and efficiency, so there are currently a number of manufacture techniques that improve wood’s resistance against fire (sacrificial sections, retardant products, etc.).

New safe and sustainable architecture solutions in wood

Every day, architects are seeking new design and construction inspiration that will enrich their projects from a creative, functional and sustainable point of view. The possibilities of quality certified wood and, in this specific case, the virtues of wood products with regard to fire, enable this natural, ecological material to be an exceptional protagonist once more in significant architecture projects all over the world.

Proposals such as wooden curtain walling, the ideal solution for embellishing and bringing sustainability to the interior of lightweight façades, are possible thanks to products such as VIGAM, the only oak glulam beam in the world with the CE marking for structural use, manufactured and distributed exclusively by GRUPO GÁMIZ.

Another way to add style, efficiency and safety in exterior cladding is to opt for ACCOYA® acetylated wood, providing beauty, elegance and, above all, durability. This all-terrain material for exteriors is sustainable and natural, and comes with a written 50-year guarantee.

Residence in Rosario Manzaneque | Arch: By More Arquitectos | Product: Cladding of the exterior façade – Accoya® horizontal scantlings

Wood is making headway in the XXI century and restoring its place in the world

That place is the architect’s drawing board and, consequently, constructions of all types. There, thanks to its quality, wood shines once more as a decorative or structural component. A prestige it lost for some time due to unwarranted myths regarding fire.

San Francisco Fires, 1906 | Photo courtesy of Defensacentral

Because in fact the famous fire that destroyed San Francisco in 1906 was not caused by the flammability of the wooden buildings. In reality it was not just one single fire, it was hundreds, which were triggered by various gas explosions caused by the earthquake. The fire passed between the buildings (wooden or not) that burned without remission.

And as if this was not enough, many other fires were caused by the owners, who had insured their buildings against fire, but not against earthquake

La entrada Did you know that the great fire that destroyed San Francisco did not have anything to do with wood? se publicó primero en Grupo Gámiz.

If they so desire, the residents of this complex right on the seafront of the Guipuzcoa town of Zarautz can simply open the door, step out onto the sand and take a dip in the sea. Undisputable comfort that comes with a price: the wear of the construction materials due to the sun, salt and strong winds in the area, especially outside of summer.

The hallmark of these apartment blocks is their railings with wooden slats, that with the inclemency of the weather and the passage of time have lost their original image and even their functional capacity. That is why for this façade restoration project, the studio XS Arquitectura opted for a material with a high level of durability, resistance and beauty: ACCOYA® sustainable wood.

Terrace refurbishment for the Muskaria residential complex, Zarautz | Arch: XS Arquitectura | Product: Terraces – Accoya®

Acetylated wood: a natural treatment with no toxic substances

The principal virtue of ACCOYA® acetylated wood is its durability. This is achieved with a procedure that modifies the molecular structure of the wood without using any toxic components. The pieces of wood are submerged in a bath of natural reagents: carbon, oxygen and hydrogen.

This process, acetylation, treats the whole of the piece of wood, not just the surface, and the result a very hard wood, with great dimensional stability and resistance in cycles of stretching and shrinkage.

Terrace refurbishment for the Muskaria residential complex, Zarautz | Arch: XS Arquitectura | Product: Terraces – Accoya®

The ideal sustainable wood for exteriors, with a 50-year written guarantee

In addition, this natural alteration of the wood’s structure makes ACCOYA@ resistant to moulds and insects (for example, termites), which no longer recognise this wood as food.

The advantages of ACCOYA® are enjoyed by sustainable architects worldwide, who see in this material a creative and functional solution to integrate respect for the environment into their projects, while enjoying the beauty and other aesthetic qualities of wood.

The absolute quality and resistance of ACCOYA® wood enables its distributors, GRUPO GÁMIZ, to offer a 50-year written guarantee.

Terrace refurbishment for the Muskaria residential complex, Zarautz | Arch: XS Arquitectura | Product: Terraces – Accoya®

PROJECT FILE

• Architectural studio: XS Arquitectura
• Architects: Borja Agirresarobe Lopetegi, Kerman Elizondo Arrieta
• Collaborators: Elisabeth Gesalaga Argote, Daniel Aramberri Rodríguez
• ACCOYA® distributor: GRUPO GÁMIZ
• Carpentry: Carpintería Zulaika
• Year: 2018

La entrada Muskaria residential complex se publicó primero en Grupo Gámiz.

People who hear the expression for the first time ask, “What is acetylated wood?” The architects, construction companies and customers that already know ACCOYA® will likely have a similar response: it is a wood that is very beautiful, authentically sustainable and unusually durable. To the point that its producers and distributors, such as GRUPO GÁMIZ, are willing to offer a written 50-year guarantee.

For all those who are creating every day, step by step, little by little, the reality of sustainable architecture, with an ecological drive and unlimited creativity and design, ACCOYA® acetylated wood is an unrivalled partner. A unique, sustainable building material achieved using natural technology with no toxic substances involved.

Europa Congress Palace | Arch: Alfredo Bengoa (Vitoria city hall) – Jesús Armedáriz (IDOM) | Product: Cladding of the exterior façade – Accoya® horizontal scantlings

What is acetylation?

Acetylation is basically a treatment that modifies the molecular structure of the wood, but that protects the whole part. In other words, it is a process to which the wood is fully subjected, not just the surface, and that is carried out without any toxic chemical components.

This method results in wood with superior dimensional stability, with a high level of resistance to cycles of stretching and shrinkage. As if that were not enough, this procedure makes the wood resistant to moulds and insects (termites, etc.), as they do not recognise the wood as food, thanks to this molecular alteration.

Residence in Manacor | | Arch: Brunet Architects | Product: Accoya® doors and windows

“Pickling” the wood completely naturally

To understand the treatment, as explained by the manufacturer, it is in principle very similar to pickling: submerging a food in vinegar to preserve it for longer.

Starting with pieces of radiata pine wood, they are dipped in a special “vinegar”, where the reagents are natural: carbon, oxygen and hydrogen. This action prevents the wood cells absorbing water, a modification that makes the wood particularly suitable for exterior projects due to its durability and beauty.

Oak House School | Arch: Trasbordo arquitectura y gerencia de construcción S.L. | Product: Ventilated façade – Accoya® tongue and groove units

Certified sustainable wood with a written 50-year guarantee

ACCOYA® wood comes from sustainable forests. This means that acetylated wood itself helps increases forestry biomass, in other words, natural plant-based renewable energy.

In addition, the acetylation process is so safe and effective that ACCOYA® provides a written 50-year guarantee. An infallible value for sustainable architecture projects and without unlimited imagination.

La entrada Toxin-free “pickled” wood se publicó primero en Grupo Gámiz.

The concept of sustainable architecture seeks construction and building solutions that prioritise all that is sustainable and ecological and that, at the same time, spur creativity and imagination in projects.

In this regard, sustainable construction materials play a very important role. The versatility of wood, a natural material (together with stone, one of the mainstays of architecture since the beginning), brings it to centre stage in the revolution in façades: wooden curtain walling.

New General Secretariat of the European Parliament, Luxembourg | Product: Oak glulam – wooden curtain wall

Sustainability starts with the façade

Architects’ shop talk usually mentions the façade as the key to a project. This is not just the first impression the building gives, it is also, to a great extent, its capacity for sustainability and energy efficiency.

There is talk of sustainable façades, principally when in their development favours energy savings by making use of the sunlight and effective thermal insulation. Technology has advanced in the design and construction of profiles, lightweight façades and ventilated façades. Nevertheless, the latest innovation in façades is the structural use of wood.

Cambridge UK | Arch: Herzog & de Meuron | Product: Application of curtain wall – Oak glulam

Wooden curtain walling: beautiful, sustainable and functional

Façades are now much more sustainable thanks to wood. Architects are making use of the advantages of wooden beams for structural use to create beautiful, sustainable curtain walling.

In this type of curtain walling the passage of light is guaranteed as with other materials, but the design has greater sustainability with the renewable properties of wood, its virtues as a material with a low energy consumption (much less energy is invested in its production than in concrete, aluminium or steel and, therefore, fewer greenhouse gases are produced) and its capacity as natural thermal insulation.

And of course, the aesthetics of the façade gain from the personality of wood, with its sensations of warmth, elegance and naturalness.

Maison de l’Ordre des Avocats | Arch: Renzo Piano studio | Grupo Gámiz Product: Oak glulam – curtain wall | Photo courtesy of ©L.Zylberman/Graphix-Images

VIGAM: the only oak glulam beam in the world with the CE marking for structural use

At GRUPO GÁMIZ we manufacture VIGAM, the only oak glulam beam in the world with the CE marking for structural use. We obtained this certificate of compliance in 2013, issued by the Materials Testing Institute of the University of Stuttgart (MPA Stuttgart, Otto-Graf-Institut). 

The technology, resistance, function and beauty of VIGAM makes this beam ideal not only as a component for interior design and decoration but also in projects with significant sustainable demands. For example, it is essential in building wooden curtain walling, where the beauty of oak becomes, in addition, a functional resource in achieving an ecological façade.

In conclusion, wood is today, more than ever, a sustainable alternative already available to architects who seek an environmental commitment and creative freedom in their work.

La entrada The latest technology in sustainable façades: wooden curtain walling se publicó primero en Grupo Gámiz.

Sustainable architecture seeks construction, urban planning and habitability responses starting with a way of living, and creating, that respects the environment. It is a philosophical attitude that nevertheless requires real resources such as environmentally-friendly techniques, clean technology and ecological construction materials.

In this regard wood is the perfect ally of committed architects. Accompanying human beings since time immemorial, its natural beauty complements its properties as an ecological, recyclable and sustainable material.

Residence in Luis Manzaneque | Arch: By More Arquitectos | Product: Cladding of the exterior façade – Accoya® horizontal scantlings and oak glulams

Wood stores CO2 that is not released into the atmosphere

CO2 or carbon dioxide is a natural gas present on the planet and necessary for most living beings. Nevertheless, its extraordinary growth due to the use of fossil fuels is responsible for global warming and the greenhouse effect. What happens is that large amounts of CO2 displace the oxygen.

Wood, and the products manufactured with this material, protect our atmosphere as they are able to lock the CO2 inside, “imprisoning” the gas and, therefore, not releasing into the air.

Experts assure that building a house with wood as the basic building material prevents the emission of up to 60 tonnes of CO2 for every 100 m2.

Swedish forest

A natural material that protects the environment from its production

At the same time, the process necessary to produce wood as a building material needs a minimal amount of energy, as wood is a natural material. Manufacturing cement, steel or aluminium, for example, entails a huge energy cost, far from the energy recommendations that protect the planet and promote sustainability.

Finally, wood is an ecological building material that acts as natural thermal and acoustic insulation, so many buildings made using wood products do not require investment, or the use of non-sustainable materials, to achieve this comfort.

Certified sustainable wood

This drive for respect for the environment must have rigorous certification. Wood products that ensure the sustainability, survival and repopulation of forests and their care in the most honest and fair way possible are essential to be sure that the wood products used protect the planet.

In this regard, at GRUPO GÁMIZ we have the most important sustainable certifications, such as PEFC, FSC and EPD.

The CE marking, wood as the structural alternative to other non-sustainable materials

At GRUPO GÁMIZ we manufacture VIGAM, the only oak glulam beam in the world with the CE marking for structural use. This certification makes it possible to use our glulam beams to design sustainable structures with the beauty of oak.

Music School, Getxo | Product: Oak glulam | Photo courtesy of  El Correo

For example, many architects are currently opting for wooden curtain walling. With VIGAM the beautiful, ecological lightweight façade is a reality present in projects that seek the elegance and personality of wood.

Without doubt, wood is the sustainable material par excellence, and an essential resource for sustainable architects, who already have access to structural, sustainable and beautiful alternatives, beyond concrete, steel and aluminium.

La entrada Wooden architecture against climate change se publicó primero en Grupo Gámiz.