Oxford’s college buildings are an important part of Great Britain’s architectural heritage. Its style is marked by a mixture of architectural influence (Romance, Gothic and Renaissance), and as a whole transmits a shared image of history, beauty and practical function.

It is an image so deeply rooted that anyone who reads a novel set in the university city will quickly imagine the limestone of the buildings, the steeply sloping roofs, the towers and the stained glass windows.

Hence the challenge in tackling an extension project like this one for St. Edward’s School, in which the Oxford studio TSH Architects has extended the school with two buildings, a learning centre and an assembly hall.

The first stands out for its spectacular gabled roof made of VIGAM, the only glulam in the world with the CE marking for structural use.

The ideal roof for a beautiful reading room

The top floor of the learning centre houses a study space and reading room from which to enjoy a view of the school playground, the gardens and the older buildings.

The roof of this room is a magnificent gabled design made of oak glulam wood. Its beams are arranged in an elegantly creative way, and let the light into some areas to facilitate reading with natural light.

Of course, the very nature of oak is warm and welcoming for the site’s users.

Wooden glulams with the CE marking for structural use: there’s no better option

The choice of VIGAM in this project is a safe bet from an aesthetic point of view, as it is on a par with the expectations of Oxford design thanks to the sensations that this highly appreciated wood evokes.

At the same time, the structural capabilities of oak and VIGAM are perfect for building a roof in a place like Oxford, a site exposed to adverse weather (rains, wind and snow).

Let’s not forget, of course, the advantages of choosing wood as our building material. The creative and sustainable possibilities of this natural material are a fact that is more and more present in the minds of architects and construction companies, as you can see in these 8 examples of wooden curtain walling in façades.

“Simeon’s dream” has been accomplished

This extension is the finishing touch for the school that has a curious legend.

Founded in 1863 by Reverend Edward Stevens, it seems that the idea for its creation originated in a dream that appeared to Simeon the Righteous, a biblical character, who asked that a school be built in his honour.

Next to the new learning centre, the Olivier assembly hall has been built, a magnificent auditorium able to host more than a thousand people.

The photographs here are the work of the photographer Chris Heaney. You can see all the images of this project by clicking on the link.

La entrada How to be on a par with Oxford tradition se publicó primero en Grupo Gámiz.

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.

Health and architecture have always been connected: inefficient building design and construction with polluting raw materials are surefire routes to poor health for inhabitants. At the same time, responsible, smart design and the use of sustainable raw materials are decisions that result in successes such as sustainability, energy efficiency and self-supply.

This is the case in today’s project, with sustainable achievements that are the healthy culmination of the work carried out inside. We are referring to the expansion of the offices of Roche Diagnostics in Sant Cugat del Vallès, Barcelona. A project signed by Battleiroig Arquitectura.

A façade that protects our health

The architects of this new building confirm that their design was based on the concept of a shade house. In other words, a traditional structure made to provide shade.

The ACCOYA® slats of each façade are adapted to the direction of the sun, and protect the staff inside from the strong sunlight and heat, where research into diagnostic solutions for doctors and pharmaceutical laboratories takes place.

Sustainability and beauty, resistance and durability

ACCOYA® is acetylated wood, in other words, wood modified using a completely natural treatment. The result is a building material with excellent behaviour in exteriors, where it is possible to apply treatments or leave it natural. In both cases it has a powerfully attractive aesthetic appearance.

Acetylation makes ACCOYA® a wood that is exceptionally resistant and durable, to the point that the manufacturer provides a written 50-year guarantee for projects above ground level (use classes 1, 2 and 3) and 25 below ground or in fresh water (use class 4).

Like other types of wood, such as oak, ACCOYA® is a magnificent option for sustainable façades such as that of Roche Diagnostics.

From the grey of cement to the green of a garden

The project for this extension was to reinterpret the space from a sustainable concept. The staff workspaces (offices and laboratories) have been refurbished with two buildings, and efforts were made to give the plot, almost 40,000 m², a green side to its personality.

For this purpose a garden was created where the main parking area had been previously. This green space takes centre stage, and acts as connecting space for the different parts of the campus.

You can see the complete project file by clicking on this link.

La entrada Protective shading se publicó primero en Grupo Gámiz.

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.

It’s a fact: wood is ever more present in our buildings and infrastructure. In reality, it has always been there, as its role as a building material began alongside architecture itself. Nevertheless, today it is experiencing a fascinating rebirth, fostered by an ever more sustainable concept of life and the increase in its structural possibilities thanks to technology.

To bring you up to date we have drawn up this selection of books on architecture and construction using wood, where you will find research, ideas and designs made reality. We have combined recent publications, which tell us about innovative ways to get closer to design and construction using wood, with a good handful of classic books that cannot be left off the bookshelves of architects, engineers and builders who exercise their profession with a commitment to respecting the environment.

1. 100 Contemporary Wood Buildings

Exquisite Taschen edition in which the author Philip Jodidio sets out a good number of construction works built with wood at centre stage. These spectacular images are complemented with the profiles of classic architects who have already used wood in large projects, such as Renzo Piano, as well as some young professionals who choose wood for their projects.

More information on the book

2. Manual of Multi Storey Timber Construction

An update of one of the great publications that the journal Detail brings us from time to time. In this work, the authors Hermann Kaufmann, Stefan Krötsch and Stefan Winter focus on the possibilities of wood in the construction of buildings with several floors in an urban setting.

More information on the book

3. Timber Buildings S, M, L

It shares 30 construction works built with different types and uses of wood: mountain refuges, schools, public works, etc. One interesting aspect is that the author, Sandra Hofmeister, provides construction designs and drawings. Also edited by Detail.

More information on the book

4. The Art of Hybrid Timber Framing

Bert Sarkkinen, the author of this book, is a master of hybrid structures with wood. Nevertheless he states that this work is not a technical manual. He aims to help prevent aesthetic errors by considering the real possibilities of projects, showing us the various existing styles and advising us to stress the investment necessary depending on the objectives. Practical and interesting.

More information on the book

5. Building with Hardwood

In this publication by Detail, the authors Konrad Merz, Anne Niemann and Stefan Torno share technical knowledge for the safe handling of hardwood in building construction. They combine their teaching with images of successful cases of this type of architecture.

More information on the book

6. Tall Wood Buildings

It seems that the studies, theses and publications related to tall wooden buildings aim to demonstrate that there nothing is impossible for wood… if you know how to do it, of course. In this book, Michael Green and Jim Taggart share the different construction types of tall buildings with wood and illustrate them with 13 real cases.

More information on the book

7. Out of the Woods

With the subtitle of Architecture and Interiors Built from Wood, Rosie Flanagan and Steph Wade extol wood as the smart, sustainable alternative to concrete. The authors show the versatility of this material including an illustrated glossary of new uses and structures, and share creative constructions of all types made of wood.

More information on the book

8. Timber Structures in Vorarlberg

Vorarlberg, a province in Austria, is a world leader in the quality of architectural design and construction in wood. It is no surprise that the journal of architecture Detail has decided to launch a publication compiling all the buildings found there. A truly stimulating book for architects wishing to get the most out of their use of wood. The authors are Florian Aicher and Renate Breuss.

More information on the book

9. Wood

After his previous Concrete (2012) and Brick (2015), William Hall brings his trilogy of key construction materials in modern architecture to a close with Wood. This book covers a thousand years of architecture and construction with wood, compiling designs that go from treehouses or Tudor-style mansions to today’s emblematic projects, such as the Jean-Marie Tjibaou Cultural Centre by Renzo Piano.

More information on the book

10. Advancing Wood Architecture: A Computational Approach

An interesting vision by Achim Menges, Tobias Schwinn and Oliver David Krieg. Written in 2016, the authors cover the new architectural possibilities of wood thanks to technological progress in design, simulation, digital manufacture and construction. It includes projects by leading design research groups in Europe.

More information on the book

11. Architecture in Wood

Will Pryce, one of the most highly regarded architecture photographers in Great Britain, goes all around the world using his camera to capture not only the shape and design, but also the emotion within in a good number of different wooden structures. A wonder to see.

More information on the book

12. Learn to Timber Frame

In this self-styled “first guide to wooden structures for beginners”, Will Beemer explains, step by step, how to build yourself a wood cabin. The process starts with the supply of wood and ends by showing how to add modules to the cabin… so that in the end you can build a whole house yourself. For those who love a challenge and practical teaching.

More information on the book

13. Solid Wood

In this work Joseph Mayo shares practical cases of architecture, technology and design with solid wood. The author places this material as a direct rival to concrete and makes his argument with international projects in United Kingdom, Norway, Sweden, Germany, Austria, Italy, Canada, United States, New Zealand and Australia.

More information on the book

14. Detail in Contemporary Timber Architecture

The secret is in the details. That is the thesis that Virginia McLeod develops through 50 projects designed in wood. Each one of the examples is illustrated with complete specifications including colour images, drawings, names of clients, subcontractors, etc. Ideal for architecture student who want know all the details —and never better said— of the gestation of a project, in this case wood.

More information on the book

15. Wood: Architecture & Design

A review of contemporary architecture in wood where Michelle Galindo highlights the innovations in building techniques that, according to the author, are the true key to the development of wood-based architecture and construction.

More information on the book

16. A Timber Framer’s Workshop

This classic manual by Steve Chappell was first edited in 1983. Since then, the joinery, design and construction of wooden structures, including the material itself, have taken a giant leap thanks to technology. Therefore this revised edition updates all the information, so that beginners, students, architects, engineers and contractors can gain in-depth insights into the secrets of the construction of wooden structures.

More information on the book

17. The New Timber-Frame Home

Like the previous book, this guide by Tedd Benson provides practical advice on the construction of wooden homes. An interesting point is that the author also focusses on advising owners on how to interact with designers, subcontractors, etc. during the project.

More information on the book

18. Timber Frame Construction

Another “do-it-yourself”. This book by Jack Sobon and Roger Schroeder has the charm of having been written a thousand years ago. Or almost. It was first edited in 1984, so reading it can help architecture and construction professionals to know where wood-based construction was four decades ago and where it is now. It is always enriching to know how the sector and our profession have evolved.

More information on the book

19. Facade Construction Manual

We conclude this selection with another manual from Detail that, although it does not centre on a single material, it does dedicate space to façades constructed with wood. It couldn’t be any other way, as the authors Thomas Herzog, Roland Krippner and Werner Lang highlight the façade as a vital milestone of architectural design, as it is the structure that lays the foundations for a good part of a building’s sustainability and efficiency targets. Similarly, the façade is the “face” and outer personality of a building, what links it to its environment.

More information on the book

To fulfil these sustainability, efficiency and aesthetic goals, wood has in recent times become an unbeatable material thanks to innovation. For example, technology has helped glulam wood achieve structural properties that were unthinkable a few years ago.

For example, it is already possible to manufacture structural beams of any size, even curved beams. The latest innovation in this regard is oak glulam, an exquisite, elegant wood that is starting to conquer façades, interiors and ceilings throughout Europe.

This structural advantage facilitates the construction of lightweight façades made with wooden curtain walling, a solution that gives buildings and cities warmth and sustainability. In this article you can see examples of real projects of oak curtain walling.

La entrada The 19 best books on construction and architecture in wood se publicó primero en Grupo Gámiz.

The main schools of thought on education of the 20th century are experiencing a revival in the 21st century. Pikler, Montessori, Reggio Emilia, Waldorf-Steiner, etc., with subtle differences in their starting points, they share many similarities in their main foundations and objectives: encouraging the free development of children helps create people with a greater ability to think and make decisions. More autonomous people, who will be much closer to being in charge of their own destiny.

In this sense, pedagogy is like architecture, a discipline that cannot be explained without the support of many others. Regarding the design within the pedagogical tendencies mentioned, wood stands out as the ideal material in the manufacture of furniture and toys. Taking a step further in the educational process -at least chronologically, in other words, beyond child development- architecture has accepted its part in the responsibility giving rise to different movements and theory, where the design of spaces is key to improving academic performance, according to factors such as movement, freedom, safety, comfort, capacity of stimulus or connection with nature.

Light, sustainability and good vibrations

In this regard, light becomes yet another design component. And to conquer natural light, architecture has the invaluable collaboration of a sustainable building material, that time and time again demonstrates its effectiveness in improving health, emotional well-being and creativity: wood. 

Because, in addition to equipping educational spaces or being a structure for them, combining structural wood and glazing results in façades that are at the same time functional, sustainable and beautiful, and that are able to provide the natural light necessary for harmonious education. The following are 8 examples of school architecture with wood as the protagonist.

1. Gymnasium München Nord
2. Oak House School
3. Centro agrícola de Salez
4. Escuela Eichendorff
5. Vocational training centre, Sulingen
6. Obermenzing school
7. Makarenko School
8. Agricultural specialisation centre, Arenenberg

1. Gymnasium München Nord

“Gymnasium” is the German term associated with “high school” in English. This school in Munich, in addition to being a secondary school, functions as a high-performance centre for athletes. 

This project is interesting, at the same time, as it initiates an architectural-pedagogical trend that has become a model in the geographic area in which it was built. It is the so-called “Munich Learning House” (Münchener Lernhaus), a concept developed by those responsible for education in the Bavarian capital. This Gymnasium (2015) has become the basis for the design of all schools built in Munich since then.

The goals of natural light are achieved thanks to curtain walling made with VIGAM, the only oak glulam beam in the world with the CE marking for structural use.

Gymnasium München Nord | Arch: h4a Gessert + Randecker Generalplaner | Product: VIGAM: Oak glulam.

2. Oak House School

In this school for high school studies in Barcelona ACCOYA® wooden slats were used to create a sustainable ventilated façade that would provide sustainability to the building as a whole and luminosity to the interior. This decision also helped provide natural ventilation and absorb the sound that reaches the classrooms from the exterior.

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

The Oak House School project was acknowledged in the XXV Edition of the Cemex Building Award with two prizes: the International Award for Sustainable Building and the Third Prize in the International Award for Best Building. It also won the first Asoma 2021 prize for the best wood enclosure.

3. Agricultural centre, Salez

Constructive Alps 2020 prize, this agricultural training centre in the Swiss Alps is an ode to wood, absolute protagonist of the construction from start to finish.

Agricultural centre, Salez | Arch: Andy Senn Architektur GmbH | Product: VIGAM

The open galleries that surround the exterior are manufactured with VIGAM, the only oak glulam beam in the world with the CE marking for structural use.

4. Eichendorff School

This interesting primary school in Stuttgart is a magnificent example of how architecture is developing new spaces that help the evolution of new teaching methods. 

Natural luminosity is one of the values highlighted by the innovative teaching currents, and in this project it is achieved thanks to the wooden curtain walling made with VIGAM.

Eichendorff School, Stuttgart | Arch: Hausmann Architekten GmbH. | Product: VIGAM

5. Vocational training centre, Sulingen

The functional and at the same time elegant mixture of glass and wood in its façade, courtesy of wooden curtain walling made in oak glulam beam, achieves the perfect lighting in the interior of this vocational training centre in the town of Sulingen, in Lower Saxony, Germany.

Vocational Training Centre, Sulingen | Arch: BKS Architekten GmbH | Product: VIGAM: Oak glulam.

6. Obermenzing school

In the renovation project of this school in Munich, whose original construction dated back to 1912, the wooden curtain walling in oak glulam beam that surrounds the main building is outstanding.

Obermenzing School, Munich | Arch: Auer Weber Assoziierte GmbH | Product: VIGAM: Oak glulam.

7.  Makarenko School

In this primary school in Dresden, a large part of the light is distributed from a large staircase in the central hall. Its colourful and stimulating design includes a wall of oak glulam beams that awakens play between light and shade.

Makarenko School, Dresden | Arch: Raum und Bau GmbH | Product: VIGAM: Oak glulam.

8. Agricultural specialisation centre, Arenenberg

The presence of the wood arose naturally in this project, as the purpose of this school in Arenenberg (Switzerland) is to train farmers, and wood is a material that is closely linked to this profession. The part that deserves special attention is the beautiful pillars made with VIGAM, a structural resource that was not then highly regarded by those responsible for the project and the result in this agriculture school led them to change their minds.

Agricultural Specialisation Centre, Arenenberg | Arch: Staufer & Hasler Architekten AG | Product: VIGAM: Oak glulam.

La entrada Architecture and education, symbiosis in wood se publicó primero en Grupo Gámiz.

It is a sensation that people have been experiencing for centuries. Wood is really good for us. Its natural beauty, aroma, feel, the notion of life that a forest or just a tree transmits are evocations that are inherited by the elements built with it, whether furniture, doors, windows, toys, beams or buildings in general.

This collective intuition about the positive properties of wood, that fortunately is taking shape little by little in all areas, including sustainable architecture, is endorsed by a very interesting report brought to us by Stora Enso, manufacturer of renewable solutions in wood and paper for construction and packaging: 10 reasons why wooden constructions are good for you.

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

Research carried out in collaboration with the Technical University of Munich

This study was undertaken by a team of the Chair for Timber Structures and Building Construction of the Technical University of Munich, and consisted of a bibliographic compilation of a large number of scientific publications on the subject.

In total more than 116 papers published in important media have been reviewed, and their conclusions can be summarised as three significant advantages of timber in our lives: wood protects our health, improves our mood and stimulates us intellectually.

1. Wood is healthy

Wood as the safest raw material against Covid-19 is a conclusion that stands out in these pandemic times, but it is not the only one. While it is true that coronavirus will remain on wooden surfaces for only 12 hours, in comparison with the 96 hours that it can last on plastic, stainless steel or masonry, it is a good idea not to let our guard down with habits such as hand hygiene and risk prevention in general.

Furthermore, the report by Stora Enso and the University of Munich compiles cases that prove that living, working and even studying in wooden buildings helps reduce people’s blood pressure and heart rate.

Agricultural centre, Salez | Arch: Andy Senn Architektur GmbH. | Product: VIGAM

At the same time, people exposed to timber environments see increased activity of the NK cells, immune system cells that destroy infected cells in the body.

Finally, this investigation also concludes that wood improves air quality wherever it is, and that helps preserve the healthiest humidity range (between 40% and 70%).

Agricultural centre, Salez | Arch: Andy Senn Architektur GmbH. | Product: VIGAM

2. Wood improves our moods

The beneficial power of wood also affects our emotions, in other words, our mental health. Aside from the positive responses to wood that most of us experience consciously (aroma, warmth, natural beauty), the study compiles conclusions such as exposure to timber environments improves our mood.

It also cites evidence obtained in domestic environments, schools and hospitals that shows that wood reduces stress and contributes to our well-being. In particular, the investigation alludes to an experiment at an oncological centre in Bratislava. After subjecting people to examinations in different rooms in the hospital, it was concluded that the level of cortisol (the hormone responsible for stress) decreases by 7.5% when the participants were in the waiting room, recently refurbished with wood.

3. Wood helps us to be more creative

Finally, this interesting compilation of scientific studies on how wood is so good for life includes experiments related to creativity, concentration and productivity. In all of them wood acts as a powerful natural stimulant of ingenuity, that perfects intellectual aptitudes and the ability to make creative decisions.

In this regard, the positive aspects of wood are specifically mentioned, demonstrated through experiments and comparisons, on the performance of students in schools where this material predominant.  

Eichendorff School, Stuttgart | Arch: Hausmann Architekten GmbH. | Product: VIGAM

Being aware helps improve habits

In general, being aware of a problem helps us to improve, and eliminating a bad habit usually facilitates the acquisition of a better one. For example, incorporating sports into our life is much easier if we stop smoking, and vice versa.

Once we are aware of the danger for our world of continuing with our current model of consumption, the new good habit in architecture, construction and interior design is to opt for wood. It may seem ironic, as it is the natural material that has been part of human constructions since Prehistory, but it is a fact that sustainable architecture needs sustainable solutions, and with that ambition wood is recovering its primordial role.

Some countries and some cultures have already interiorised wood products as faithful accomplices to design, function and creativity. Others are still working on it, but thanks to certifications, timber roofs and pillars can be seen more and more, and we are finding more elegant, warm and beautiful façades made with wooden curtain walling.

At the same time, the formula of innovation, ecology and wood generates incredible resources such as ACCOYA® acetylated wood, a material with magnificent performance in exteriors, with a 50-year written guarantee.

In short, we are celebrating this interesting study that highlights what many wood-lovers have known for a long time: life with wood is much better.

If you would like to find out more about the complete study by Stora Enso, you can download it here.

La entrada Surrounding yourself with wood is good for your health, your emotions and your creativity se publicó primero en Grupo Gámiz.

Since the journal Arquitectura y Empresa was launched in 2016, its bosses did not want it to be limited to being just another architecture website, “merely a space on the web to post projects and attractive images”. The nature of its content and its activity, eminently practical and aiming to generating synergies in the sector, has transformed it into an essential benchmark for the construction sector in Spain.

This motivated and proactive drive is evident in their meetings between architects and companies, their “Foros Contract”, which are not to be missed and are eagerly awaited by architecture professionals and the heads of companies related to the sector, such as GRUPO GÁMIZ.

The human factor is the key to success in collaborations

Short distances, personal service, closeness in the transfer of information and opinions, these things are like gold in a world marked by an apparent digital proximity that sometimes seems so distant. Even in pandemic times, where human contact is so fragile. The organisers of the latest Foro Contract, held in Málaga last March, went to great effort, like they did last year, to ensure the preventive measures were as safe as these times require.

There we were, available to speak to architects and listen carefully to them. Because at GRUPO GÁMIZ we are very proud of our products, of our projects and, in general, of our contribution to sustainable architecture and architectural creativity. But we have always felt that innovation is especially important, and therefore we need to know what the people with the designs of future constructions in their hands are looking for.

VIGAM and ACCOYA®: wooden curtain walling and exteriors that withstand everything

We spent a few very pleasant, intense and creative days in Málaga. We presented our products and, as expected, two of our gems were a great success with the architects: VIGAM and ACCOYA®.

VIGAM is, no more and no less, the only oak glulam beam in the world with the CE marking for structural use. This certified quality makes it possible, for example, to build wooden curtain walling, a solution that is widely used in northern European countries and that is gaining ground in our country. The result: warm and elegant façades, with all the flavour, beauty and warmth of wood, the oldest building material in the world.

At the same time, as official distributors of ACCOYA® in Spain, we have once again had the opportunity to share the incredible performance of this acetylated wood, for which we offer a 50-year written guarantee. ACCOYA® is becoming more widely known and used, but at the Foro Contract held in Málaga there were still some who were left open-mouthed when told about its almost invincible properties in exteriors: resistant and durable, it needs no maintenance is not affected by moulds or insects, as they do not recognise it as food thanks to a completely natural treatment that modifies its molecular structure.

In short: we have, once again, come away very content from this Foro Contract by Arquitectura y Empresa. Now it’s time to organise all our ideas and get back to work. Because we have seen that architects with creative and sustainable drive need creative and sustainable solutions.

La entrada Arquitectura y Empresa: Foro Contract 2021 se publicó primero en Grupo Gámiz.

“Sustainability consists in building thinking about the future, not only taking into account the physical resistance of a building, but also thinking about its stylistic resistance, the uses of the future and the resistance of the planet itself and its energy resources.”

Could he say it any more clearly? This opinion, reflected in the book Renzo Piano, sustainable architectures (Ed. Gustavo Gili, 1998), marks the sustainable vision of Renzo Piano’s architecture and urban planning. The Italian, with a Pritzker prize in 1988, is not only one of the top architects of the last 50 years, but also a reference point for architects who strive to protect the world in which we live with their works without limiting the imagination and creativity.

Renzo Piano, Italian architect, Pritzker Prize-winner | Photo courtesy of  Floornature

From high-tech architecture to the sustainable reflection

It would be an absurd task to try to deduce whether Renzo Piano has changed as the world has changed or, in contrast, if he has tried to change the world in parallel to his own personal evolution, transferred to his projects. While it is true that in its early days he forged an image of a high-tech architect, one of his most emblematic works marked the turning point in his work and in the general conception of world architecture.

The Pompidou Centre in Paris, a project in collaboration with his colleague Richard Rogers, was hailed in its day as the height of modernity, the future of architecture. Nevertheless, the enormous energy costs and the rapid ageing that building with large quantities of metals of all types entailed was soon noticed. This problem worsened with the oil crisis in 1973 and that forced architects to think about a more sustainable path for architecture.

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Sustainable materials, a key point in the projects of Renzo Piano

In this period Renzo Piano and other high-tech architects (including Rogers himself and Norman Foster) created the group READ after taking part in a convention on solar power in architecture and urban planning. The result was a 180-degree turn: none other than the emergence of the concept of sustainable architecture.

From then on, the projects of Renzo Piano have been marked by a sustainable vision in all important decisions. The choice of the materials is a key issue. For example, 95% of the construction materials of the skyscraper The Shard in London are recycled. The glass of the façade has a low iron content.

The Shard, London | Arch: Renzo Piano studio | Photo courtsey of The Shard

The hallmark of the Astrup Fearnley Museum in the port of Oslo is a spectacular wooden structure, and the Auditorio Parco della Musica de Roma used travertine, pre-oxidised lead and handmade bricks.

Astrup Fearnley Museum of Modern Art. Oslo, Norway (2012) | Arch: Renzo Piano studio | Photo courtesy vía realestatemarket

The Jean-Marie Tjibaou Cultural Centre, in New Caledonia, is a spectacular example of creativity and sustainability, thanks to the avant-garde impact of ten pavilions constructed in wood with bamboo walls, integrated into a location by sea full of vegetation.

Jean Marie Tjibaou Cultural Centre | Arch: Renzo Piano studio | Photo courtesy of asombrosaarquitectura

MOdA, the headquarters of the Paris bar association, was constructed using VIGAM

At GRUPO GÁMIZ we have been lucky to have had the pleasure and the honour that Renzo Piano chose our product VIGAM, the only glulam beam in the world with the CE marking for structural use, to build the Maison de L’Ordre des Avocats, the headquarters of the Paris bar association.

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

The Maison de l’Ordre des Avocats | Arq: Estudio de Renzo Piano | Producto Grupo Gámiz: Viga laminada de roble – Muro Cortina |Photo courtesy of Facebook Renzo Piano Building Workshop

The building is part of the City of Justice in the French capital, and this is where the studio of the Italian architect has used VIGAM to create beautiful wooden curtain walling for its façade. The aesthetic capacity of the oak, along with its structural certification, make aesthetic solutions such as this possible, that spur creative freedom and respect for the environment.

If you’d like more examples of applications of oak curtain walling, this article has other very interesting projects. More and more architects all over the world are discovering the aesthetic values of oak glulam, including renowned figures such as Renzo Piano and Herzog & de Meuron.

“One of the great beauties of architecture is that each time, it is like life starting all over again”.

At GRUPO GÁMIZ we think like Renzo Piano: there are always new ways —and in this case sustainable and eternal ways, such as quality wood— to confront creation and life.

La entrada Sustainable architects: Renzo Piano 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.