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.

In 1991 an atrocity struck Vic in the form of a terrorist attack. Ten people died. Today, at the same site the new city library has been built, as a symbol that knowledge is one of the best pathways to understanding others.

As we already know, architecture also helps to build values. The studio BCQ Architecture wanted the new Pilarin Bayés library in Vic to be a monument to knowledge and to life, tolerance and culture, to remembrance and to the future. Also to sustainability, as one of the simplest ways to face that future.

To meet this sustainable goal, the creators have used ACCOYA@, one of the most resistant and sturdy timbers on the market.

Exterior wooden curtain wall

ACCOYA® makes it possible to build a sustainable façade with curtain wall where wood is used on the exterior. This possible thanks to acetylated wood, in other words, wood subject to a 100% natural treatment that makes the material extraordinarily resistant.

The wood obtained after this method takes on a superior dimensional stability, with good strength in the cycles of expansion and contraction. Its weather resistance also improves, as the molecular alteration of the wood after this process means that moulds and insects no longer recognise it as a source of food.

In virtue of this robustness, ACCOYA® has a written guarantee of 50 years in use classes 1, 2 and 3 (at ground level), and 25 in use class 4 (underground or submerged in fresh water).

Natural light, vegetation and remembrance

The authors proposed that all the building’s reading spaces be oriented toward the garden. The design of the façade lets in plenty of natural light. At the same time, the interior provides a perfect view of the exterior vegetation and, in particular, the trees, ten in total: one for each victim of the attack.

Each of the lights that illuminate the rooms at night have an inscription in different alphabets: knowledge illuminates life. A phrase with a metaphoric power that is transmitted every night, when the light emanating from the library bathes the surrounding streets with the design of its façade with wooden curtain wall.

(To see all the images, consult the project file.)

La entrada Knowledge illuminates life 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.

The staircase, that constructive component that facilitates a vertical route, usually both up and down, may be a wallflower guest or the absolute three-dimensional life and soul of the party, almost a sculpture even. In this latter case, and depending on everyone’s conscious perception, each section can represent a change of perspective, the sensation of inhabiting a different space.  

Whatever the architect or interior designer’s choice, opting for wood as the building material for a staircase consolidates the promise of a pleasant experience. Because, as everybody knows, wood really is good for us.

Below we will go through some examples of the creative and structural possibilities of glulam wood in the design and construction of staircases.

Santa María Cathedral: from oak to heaven

This beautiful staircase was recovered in the restoration projects of the Santa María Cathedral in Vitoria-Gasteiz. To restore its structure, faithful to its original design but with today’s technological advantages (perfect curves and lightness), VIGAM: the only oak glulam beam in the world with the CE marking for structural use was used.

This staircase enables us to climb the cathedral’s tower, where the bell is located. An ascent that has been erected in its own right as one of the milestones of the guided visits of the program “Open for maintenance”, that gives us the chance to learn about the cathedral and its history as well as the restoration work that is taking place.

In addition to the staircase, the cylindrical pillars of the cathedral have also been constructed with VIGAM, the perfect material for architectural restorations that aspire to maximum quality.

Heinzelmann: an example of love for all things well-made

This staircase in the central offices of Heinzelmann is a magnificent business card for this German company devoted to processing, joinery, construction and restoration in wood.

A full declaration of principles where quality, simplicity and craftsmanship speak for themselves.

VolkerWessels: heart of wood

The oak glulam beam is by your side for five floors as you go up and down between the different rooms of the headquarters of VolkerWessels, one of the largest construction companies in the Netherlands.

Function is exquisitely combined with elegance, naturalness and sustainability thanks to the structural glulam wood, a material that facilitates the creation of wooden construction elements through technology and certifications.

Buesa House: the pleasure of going up and down

This beautiful house in Vitoria-Gasteiz unites various staircase designs. Each one has different needs, but they all transmit the pleasure of the vertical journey thanks to the use of ALIGAM edge-glued panels. The possibilities of this product are infinite thanks to its many variations: Finger, whole stave, three-layer or multi-layer, etc.

The interior of this house is part of a global restoration project alongside our product PERFIGAM, laminated profiles with quality certificates from the technological centre FCBA.

Extra: much more than a staircase

Although these stairs are not made of wood, the setting that surrounds them, an open wall constructed with oak glulam beams, is an aesthetic decision that brings a positive experience to the space and vertical journey itself. Light becomes yet another design component, as it provides natural luminosity to the staircase and different sets of shadows depending on the time of day.

It is the Makarenko school in Dresden, one of the multiple examples of wooden architecture for schools that for years has been standard in countries such as Germany.

In short, wood is the answer to a lot of important questions posed by sustainable architecture. Its natural origin and its versatility feed creativity and protect the environment, making it possible to propose solutions such as ACCOYA® acetylated wood a product that is almost unbeatable in exteriors, with a 50-year guarantee, or wooden curtain walling, the latest technology in sustainable façades (for more information, you can download a free ebook on the subject by clicking on this link.)

La entrada Wooden stairways: a vertical journey full of natural elegance 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.

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.

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.