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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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 digital transformation has changed our understanding of life, relationships and work. In this regard, in the industrial sphere a true revolution is taking place. The roof tile factories that sprang up alongside our rivers are disappearing, giving way to the new forms of management and production of the so-called Industry 4.0 or Digital Industry.

Within the framework of this new reality, the AEGIS project arises within the Hazitek innovation programme backed by the Basque Government and the ERDF (European Regional Development Fund).

Enovos, Luxemburgo | arch: Jim Clemes | Project: VIGAM: oak glulam

Integration of state-of-the-art technology and market leaders

The IoT, or “internet of things”, refers to the connection of everyday objects with the internet, a link with the purpose of making our daily life more practical, convenient, safe and efficient. In short, this interconnection provides comprehensive knowledge about the objects themselves, their use and their context, to optimise the use we make of them.

In the case of AEGIS, the objective of people’s well-being stems from innovation in the manufacture of the various elements needed in construction and furniture, two areas in which wood, in particular quality certified, sustainable wood, plays a fundamental role.

The AEGIS project centres its efforts on integrating different technologies that make it possible to create healthy buildings and spaces by generating smart infrastructure, advanced solutions for purification and disinfection and developing hygienic surfaces.

To do this, an innovation alliance has been set up comprising leading companies in their respective areas, such as Grupo Gámiz, Orona, Irurena, Airlan, Goizper, Erreka, Ingetek and Dinycon.

Kaiserhof offices, Cologne | arch: msm Meyer Schmitz-Morkramer Rhein GmbH. | Product: VIGAM: oak glulam

The digital transformation is better if it is sustainable

Today, to achieve these safe spaces and buildings, plastic or metal elements have to be included. The day-to-day effort of Grupo Gámiz’s innovation department in the search for sustainability means that our role in this project is primarily focused on providing solutions for integrating electronics into wood so it can be reused once these electronics have reached the end of their useful life.

As the project advances, new digital transformation challenges will arise that will have to be approached from a similarly sustainable perspective. At Grupo Gámiz we are accustomed to seeing the world from this viewpoint since 1942.

La entrada Wood is the perfect solution to bring sustainability to the IoT 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.

Any enthusiast knows that wine is usually aged in barrels made of oak (French or American). Nevertheless, this essential part of the art of producing wine arose by chance. The Romans, who stored wine in clay amphorae, upon arriving in Gaul, discover that the contemporaries of Asterix and Obelix preferred to do so in oak barrels. The Romans, kings of the world at the time, converted this Gaulish speciality (based on their mastery in curving wood) into standard practice, as this storage method contributed to speed and savings: the barrels could be transported by rolling and did not break.

One day, after some years, someone realised that wine that had spent time in these oak barrels tasted better. And so began oenology. This shows that the two most important things that foster progress may well be creativity and luck. There is a third thing that makes the other two more productive: everyday hard work, dedication, passion. Only then is it possible to innovate and encourage concepts such as sustainable architecture. Designing and building with respect for the environment.

VIGAM: the scent of oak covers it all

Oak has a special class. The resistance and beauty of this unique wood is the hallmark of architecture projects that aspire to permanence and elegance. Wine culture is no exception. The most highly regarded architects are consolidating the image of exquisiteness and a taste for work well done, love for detail, transmitted by the wine industry.

The legendary wineries of Vega Sicilia, for example, with the designation of origin Ribera del Duero, cover their production plants with beautiful oak roofs made with VIGAM, the only oak glulam beam in the world with the CE marking for structural use. Beauty, resistance and stability are assured. And the pleasant scent of oak is all around, in every corner.

Vega Sicilia wineries production plants | Executed with VIGAM by TRC Estructuras de madera | Product: Oak glulam

Sustainable architecture is also innovative

Many other winery projects all over the world are examples of innovation in architecture. Frank Gehry, Norman Foster, and Renzo Piano great architects who have let themselves be conquered by the possibilities of design and creativity of a culture that, like architecture, always looks to the future with creativity and sustainability.

As shown by the roofs of this winery, projects using VIGAM achieve spectacular aesthetic results thanks to the capacity for innovation in architecture and construction. In this regard, VIGAM beams are ideal for creating ecological wooden curtain walling, in other words, building lightweight façade in one hundred percent sustainable wood.

La entrada Wine and oak: inseparable 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.

The Italian Renzo Piano (Pritzker prize 1998) is one of the most well-known architects in the world. He is also one of the most tireless voices on the need to engage in design and construction with respect for the environment. His defence of sustainable architecture can be read in numerous interviews and statements and, of course, it can be seen in his work.

Renzo Piano’s close relationship with Paris began in the 1970s, when he created the Pompidou Centre alongside Richard Rogers. The French capital is home to one of the branches of his RPBW studio, which was responsible for creating the new Palace of Justice, located in district 17 of the city.

Maison de l’Ordre des Avocats: façade with wooden curtain walling

One of the main buildings in this complex is MOdA, the headquarters of the Paris bar association, where wooden curtain walling can be seen. This sustainable solution for lightweight façades is an option that is used ever more frequently by architects thanks to the beauty of the wood and its structural abilities.

The wooden curtain walling at MOdA was built with VIGAM, the only oak glulam beam in the world with the CE marking for structural use, designed, manufactured and distributed by GRUPO GÁMIZ.

The Maison de l’Ordre des Avocats | Arq: Estudio de Renzo Piano | Producto Grupo Gámiz: Viga laminada de roble – Muro Cortina | Foto vía ©L.Zylberman/Graphix-Images

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

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

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

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

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

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

Transparency, exchange and functionality

Curtain walling is this ideal choice to transmit one of the symbolic ideas that sustain this project by Renzo Piano: the transparency of the institutions responsible for upholding justice. From the outside, everyone can see the comings and goings of the people who work there.

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

In addition, the building and its adjacent squares have been designed to serve the other activities typical of the Court of Justice and, likewise, form part of the public life of the neighbourhood.

La entrada A symbol of transparency manufactured in 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.

Architecture began in the Neolithic period, when human beings were sedentary and started to adapt the spaces in which they were going to live. Like the prehistoric bone that Stanley Kubrick launched into the air and that came back transformed into a spaceship, between that moment and now, about 12,000 years have flown by. 

Architecture has come into the XXI century as always: evolving, asking questions, seeking answers. It seems clear that the next milestone will be construction that respects the environment and protects the planet where future generations will live. In this new era of sustainable architecture, the materials used are key. And wood seems destined to be the essential building material.

Enovos, Luxembourg | Arch: Jim Clemes | Product: Oak glulam – curtain wall

Wooden curtain walling. The lightweight façade revolution is beautiful

The construction systems for façades have also evolved throughout history. As soon as human beings had mastered making glass, they included it in their buildings to protect from the climate and enjoy natural light. It was usually secured using wood. 

The XX century connected glass with materials such as steel, aluminium and concrete, and thanks to the skyscrapers of York and Chicago curtain walling became a classic of architecture and popular imagination.

Home Insurance Building in Chicago | Arch: By William Le Baron Jenney | Photo courtesy of  Wikipedia

Today, when the threat of climate change is more real than ever, architecture, as wise as nature, is returning to the past and opting for what is natural, for wood, to reinvent itself once more and make sustainable curtain walling possible.

Quality and strength thanks to the only oak glulam beam in the world with the CE marking for structural use

In addition to being an ecological and sustainable material, the VIGAM range by GRUPO GÁMIZ consists of the only glulam beam in the world with the CE marking for structural use. 

This means that architects can include them in their projects to build one hundred percent wooden curtain walling. The result is a beautiful, natural and warm, welcoming and fully sustainable interior, a long way from barely ecological conventional materials such as aluminium and steel.

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

A sustainable, effective and creative alternative

Its virtues of thermal and acoustic insulation are, for example, further advantages of opting for quality certified wood in architectural projects that seek energy efficiency.

Wood has always been with us. And it always will be if we complete the circle of sustainability and the circular economy. The good news is that, if the wood products used are objectively good, architects can continue to give free rein to their imagination without renouncing strength, resistance, design or creativity, while fulfilling their responsibility of reducing the environmental impact while they work.

La entrada Can curtain walling be made entirely of wood? se publicó primero en Grupo Gámiz.