In matters of sustainability and environmental protection, wooden curtain walls improve on the efficiency of traditional walls built with materials such as concrete or steel.

The Wood IoT Wall project seeks to exceed these expectations with an even more innovative focus, with economic backing by the Basque Government and the ERDF, within the framework of the Hazitek programme.

The objective of this project is to further improve wooden curtain walls with cutting-edge technology and innovative proposals. The plan includes the creation of an advanced BIM model for curtain walls, in conjunction with a digital twin that provides smart assistance in its design, construction and scalability.

This system aims to optimise the energy efficiency of curtain walls through detailled management of aspects such as ventilation, shade, lighting and temperature.

Gymnasium München Nord, Alemania | Arq: h4a Gessert + Randecker Generalplaner | Product: VIGAM: oak glulam beam

New: radiata pine curtain wall

This year’s new development is marked by the tests conducted on radiata pine. To date, research to design a smart wooden curtain walls had been on the only oak glulam in the world with the CE marking for structural use.

The tests on pine have been very positive, which opens up the possibility of applying this technology to other species. An interesting fact is that each wood not only has its own characteristics, but also its own advantages in terms of application in different industrial sectors.

In this case, the radiata pine curtain wall would not have been possible without the CE marking for structural use of the radiata pine glulam wood of GRUPO GÁMIZ

Accompanying us on this adventure are Uxama, Carpintería Irastorza, Genelek and Tecnalia.

Energy efficiency achieved with beauty, elegance and sustainability

That is the true objective of R&D+i: being able to live in a better world without sacrifices. In the case of architecture, construction and industry, wood provides sustainability, function, elegance and beauty.

Thanks to research at Grupo Gámiz for example, in addition to designing and manufacturing the only single oak glulam in the world with the CE marking, we are able to make curved beams in any measurements. This boosts sustainable architecture, as we help architects shake off any limits to their creativity and their drive to respect nature.

Similarly, our glulams enable the development of curtain walls that, combined with glass and occasionally with other materials such as aluminium, result in more beautiful, radiant, elegant and natural façades.

Grupo Gámiz, innovating since 1942

With the Wood IoT Wall project we are taking a step further in perfecting the spaces where we live our lives with maximum energy efficiency.

Improving our products, protecting forests and contributing to our customers’ processes are the main starting points for our everyday work, which began in 1942. Today we are continuing along the same path of innovation and sustainability, working day by day in search of the best primary and secondary processed wood products.

Click on the link to discover how they can help you with your project.

Wood products for industry

La entrada The most natural material and the smartest design unite to build and protect the environment se publicó primero en Grupo Gámiz.

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.

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.

Sustainable architecture is developed based on different prerequisites related to respect for the environment. Of course, the use of natural materials, such as wood, that promote a lower carbon footprint in the gestation stage of projects, is a major factor. But it can be said that sustainability begins with the gaze, in the attitude to commissions.

In the end, sustainability is just that: the ability to progress without endangering the well-being of the generations to come. In the case of Le Dôme, a winery in Saint-Émilion in the Bordeaux region, designed by Foster + Partners, the desire to preserve the landscape and the sensations generated by the environment where it lies became the axis of the project.

Like just another vine

The owner of Le Dôme was sure: the vineyard in which the new winery was to be built was so beautiful that nobody would be able to compete with it in capturing the emotions of the visitor, and nor should they. Consequently, Foster’s team designed a modestly sized building with the idea that it would go unnoticed, blending into landscape.

Actually, one of the decisions that achieved this objective, so as not to diminish the quality of the installations necessary for the services inherent in a winery, was to set the building a few metres below ground. The idea of blending into the environment was achieved quite literally: Le Dôme is rooted in the vineyard, like just another vine.

A beautiful oak roof that protects the horizon

UNESCO was also clear on this: the area is Cultural Heritage of Humanity. Nothing, nor any person, may modify the landscape or its effect. Not even the balance of the horizon can be broken, marked by the small gently rolling Bordeaux hills, home to one of the most celebrated wines in the world.

With this in mind, the studio considered a 40 m roof , subtly tilted to imitate the incline of the surrounding hills. This roof is made with oak timber, specifically VIGAM, the only oak glulam in the world with the CE marking for structural use.

The elegance of the roof seen from inside, with the oak glulams drawing a beautiful circular trail, adds to the accomplishment of comfort and freedom of movement for staff and visitors, connected in an open space, with no columns in the hall. This technical challenge was overcome thanks to the structural building advantages of VIGAM.

Norman Foster, the utopian pencil

It was the Foster + Partners architecture studio, the studio created by Norman Foster in 1967, that was responsible for the design of Le Dôme. For a long time, one of the hallmarks of the British architect, a Pritzker prize-winner, has been a sustainable understanding of architecture.

Foster, now in his eighties, one of the most well-known and influential architects in the world, is still teaching new generations to design with the conviction that anything is possible. Whole 100% sustainable cities have sprung up from the utopian spirit of his architect’s pencil, such as Masdar in the United Arab Emirates, and Amaravati in India, projects yet to be made reality.

By definition, utopias are practically impossible to make reality. But if it weren’t for those who strive for them, like Norman Foster (or other contemporary architects such as Renzo Piano), what we might not have would be progress. Nor wineries with such beautiful roofs as Le Dôme.

La entrada Here’s to views of the Bordeaux hills 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.

The fact that wood is a building material experiencing an upturn has been seen for some time. In reality, rather than just a current trend, it would be ideal if sustainable, certified wood with structural capacity were here to stay. In the end, it may well be the material that can best help architecture finally become sustainable architecture.

To the qualities of wood as a natural and ecological material —in addition to beautiful, elegant and warm, of course— we must add technology. Research has helped glulam wood achieve extraordinary levels of structural quality. As proof of this we have VIGAM, the only oak glulam beam in the world with the CE marking for structural use, designed and manufactured by Grupo Gámiz. As well as this project that we’re talking about today.

Tübingen City Hall | Arch: a+r Architekten GmbH | Product: VIGAM: Oak glulam.

‘Wood IoT Wall’. A step further in energy efficiency

We know that wooden curtain walling provides greater efficiency than conventional curtain walling (concrete, steel, aluminium, etc.). The Wood IoT Wall project aims to go even further, an ambitious objective funded by the Basque Government and the ERDF through the Hazitek programme. 

Compared to curtain walling models used currently Wood IoT Wall differs in the concept of its design with emerging technologies and capacities. For example, the project anticipates the generation of a complex BIM objective of curtain walling, as well as a digital twin for smart management of this curtain walling, and provision of knowledge, traceability and action on aspects of the structure related to energy efficiency: ventilation, shade, lighting, temperature, etc.

To make this reality, this adventure has participants who are exceptional in the world of construction, wood, industry and research. Grupo Gámiz is accompanied by Uxama, Carpintería Irastorza, Genelek and Tecnalia.

Smart curtain walling has to be wood

Today wooden curtain walling is the sustainable alternative to other applications with materials that are less respectful of the environment. This sustainability is also related to efficiency, as shown by the protagonism of wood in passivhaus buildings.

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

So it is logical that when studying the creation of smart wooden curtain walling wood is the main material, like in this project, Wood IoT Wall, in which GRUPO GÁMIZ is participating with its R&D department… and with all the enthusiasm of people working here. We’ll keep you informed!

La entrada Innovation: GRUPO GÁMIZ is participating in a smart curtain walling project 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.