Sustainable architecture is a magical cocktail. The first of its ingredients is the architects’ desire to build a better world. Then comes the hard part: finding the materials, the certifications, the working methods… The guarantee that each step is as efficient as possible: achieving goals with the lowest possible carbon footprint.

The Passivhaus certification began in Germany in 1988. This construction model can be summarised in five key points, with the aim of achieving practical and comfortable buildings and reducing energy consumption in their construction by at least 70%, compared to conventional building standards.

This ambitious aspiration consumed the creators of the project, Fernando Ortea and A54 Architects. After a time, the Kora Green City complex of studios and apartments appeared in Vitoria-Gasteiz: the largest Passivhaus accommodation in Europe.

A forest of 13,500 trees at the heart of the Basque capital

Thanks to the Passivhaus standard, Kora Green City has saved the atmosphere 98% in CO2 emissions. This is equivalent to the purification produced by 13,500 trees in one year.

At the same time, Kora Green City obtains the majority of its energy from nature: photovoltaic panels, air source heat pumps, geothermal energy, etc. The goals for lighting and heating the rooms using natural sunlight are achieved through a kind of teamwork to which the wooden curtain wall of the façade contributes in good measure.

¿Fachadas sostenibles? Con madera certificada, por supuesto

Thanks to technology, laminated wood has been revolutionising sustainable architecture for several years. Custom structural beams, curved beams, creative designs with beams with lengths and widths that were unthinkable some time ago are now possible.

Thanks to technology… and certifications. Lightweight sustainable façades with wood are only possible thanks to certifications such as the CE marking for structural use, the seal awarded to VIGAM, the glulam beam by Grupo Gámiz, available in oak (in this case it is the only oak glulam in the world with CE marking for structural use), ash, iroko and radiata pine. The latter is the material chosen for the wooden curtain walling of the Kora Green City façade.

To see all the images from this project, consult the technical data.

Wooden curtain wall: beauty, elegance, warmth and a more protected planet

Certified laminated wood has achieved just that: that sustainability takes creativity by the hand. Today architects are not forced to forego designing what they see in their minds due to materials that are unsuitable for their sustainability goals.

As an example, a button: here are eight real examples of oak curtain wall on façades. You can see how leaders in the profession such as Renzo Piano and Herzog & de Meuron create their sustainable façades.

La entrada This is the largest Passivhaus accommodation in Europe se publicó primero en Grupo Gámiz.

Architecture and construction are two of the pillars that are moving the world towards sustainability and common sense. This can be seen in the multiple concepts that are springing up as a response to a society that is ever more committed to the environment: buildings with almost no energy consumption (ECCN), bioconstruction, zero-energy buildings, sustainable architecture, green architecture, bioclimatic architecture, organic architecture…

One of these concepts is the Passivhaus standard. Emerging in 1988 in Germany (Passivhaus means “passive house” in German), it has been moving from theory to practice as society’s awareness and science and technology have smoothed its way. In essence, the purpose of this building model is to obtain comfort in the home by monitoring certain basic principles.

In terms of figures, Passivhaus seeks to reduce the energy consumption of buildings by around 70% with respect to those constructed with conventional building standards.

Passive House

What is Passivhaus in 5 key points?

The Passivhaus housing building standard has five fundamental aspects, that have to work together:

1. High level of insulation in walls and roofs
2. Absence of heat bridging
3. Hermetic enclosure
4. High performance windows
5. Efficient ventilation systems

Taking this into account, and although in the Passivhaus concept does not prioritise any material, it is logical that one of the most requested construction materials in this standard, and with the best prospects for the future, is that which has been contributing to energy efficiency and sustainable construction for centuries even when these two concepts were still light years away: wood.

Wood reduces energy consumption from minute zero

If the objective of Passivhaus is to reduce the high energy consumption of conventional construction, what better contribution than doing so from the start. Wood is a material that barely generates CO2 emissions during its production. Nothing like the environmental impact that other construction materials generate such as steel, concrete, lime or mortar.

In addition to constituting a sustainable solution from the start, wood suits practically every single one of the key points of Passivhaus: it is an excellent natural thermal insulator that helps eliminate heat bridging.

At the same time, wood is hygroscopic, which enables it to regulate the air quality and temperature: it absorbs the environmental humidity in winter and distributes it in summer. Comfort is assured naturally.

Detached residence, Trentino  |Carpentry: Damiani-Holz&KO S.P.A./AG. | Product: Oak glulam

And the best is still to come: wood certified for structural use

At GRUPO GÁMIZ we are the designer and manufacturer of VIGAM, the only oak glulam beam in the world with the CE marking for structural use. This means that we are not just talking about decoration and interior design, but also resistance, function and structural use. 

And, of course, we are talking about beauty, quality, warmth, sensations of being at one with nature. Design, creativity and sustainability. Thanks to VIGAM, architects do not have to renounce anything in their projects: if they want wood, now beautiful, sustainable and functional solutions are possible.

For example, with VIGAM it is possible to build wooden curtain walling without using non-sustainable or cold materials such as steel or aluminium.

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

ACCOYA@: sustainable wood, without toxins, with a 50-year written guarantee

Passivhaus is not immune to the wood of the future. ACCOYA® acetylated wood is a sustainable wonder. Made from conifers and modified in a process that does not involve any toxic substances, the result is a wood that as elegant as it is powerful, ideal for exteriors and perfectly valid for interiors thanks to its quality and elegance.

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

Suitable for all types of finishes, its strength is inscribed in its written 50-year guarantee.

Passivhaus yet another example that the progress of sustainable architecture is unstoppable. Society demands this and, little by little, so do the institutions. The good news is that architects, weaving dreams of comfort and habitability, have wood products of certified quality, which, in addition to transmitting beauty, care for the planet.

La entrada Passivhaus and certified wood: common sense brings them together, the environment wins se publicó primero en Grupo Gámiz.

Wooden beams are unrivalled when providing warmth to the interiors of houses and homes. European oak beams, in particular, transmit the intrinsic beauty of nature and the eternal nobility of a top quality wood, strong and adaptable, recognisable at first glance by those with the most stringent aesthetic tastes.

Up to now, the traditional solution has been to use wooden beams to design decking, pergolas, attics, eaves, roofs, etc., and, above all, the interior decoration of ceilings in lofts and attics that sought an elegant, welcoming touch.

Detached residence, Trentino | Carpentry: Damiani-Holz&KO S.P.A./AG. | Product: Oak glulam

The good news for today’s architects, those whose projects are gradually shaping the list of successes of sustainable architecture, is that technology has helped oak glulam beams meet, in addition to a decorative function, a strictly structural construction objective.

Versatility is guaranteed. And with an exceptional extra: sustainability.

Wooden curtain walling is now possible

At GRUPO GÁMIZ we design and manufacture VIGAM, the only oak glulam beam in the world with the CE marking for structural use. Architects now have unlimited design and creation possibilities thanks to this certification. From now on, structures traditionally built with non-sustainable materials (concrete, steel, etc.) can be designed using top quality wood.

For example, sustainable change is coming to façades all over the world with the ability to build ecological curtain walling in wood, the ideal sustainable building material thanks to its aesthetic, functional and natural qualities.

If you’re looking for inspiration, this article has eight examples of real applications of oak glulam curtain walling. You’ll see how great figures in architecture, such as Renzo Piano and Herzog & de Meuron already have faith in oak for their projects.

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

One hundred percent natural architectural flexibility

In addition to their use in ecological lightweight façades, VIGAM wooden glulam beams for structural use are the perfect material for building detached houses or the refurbishment and repair of historical monuments or buildings among many other applications.

In all cases, their aesthetic results are visible after their functional achievements in structural use, marked by their guaranteed durability and greater resistance than other types of solid beams, without dimensional limits:

• High load capacity
• More lightweight compared to other materials (steel, etc.)
• Dimensional stability: the temperature does not cause them to expand or contract
• Highly resistant to fire
• Minimum environmental impact: Wood is a natural and sustainable material

Refurbishment of the Santa María cathedral in Vitoria-Gasteiz |Arch: Leandro Cámara | Product: curved oak glulams

The sustainable structural alternative is already a reality

A few years ago, the structural possibility of wood, at this level, was a dream of architects who understand their profession as a challenge with a responsibility to the environment. Today, the only wooden glulam beams in the world with the CE marking for structural use are a viable structural alternative to concrete and steel in many projects.

Thanks to VIGAM by GRUPO GÁMIZ, this dream has come true. Sustainability, aesthetics and versatility are already on the drawing boards of the world’s architects.

La entrada Oak glulam beams: there is (structural) life beyond concrete and steel se publicó primero en Grupo Gámiz.