Regulations, laws and dogmas
In the spirit of technical advancement, the relationship between human beings and building materials is defined by numbers and patents. Today many wood workers only work with standards and regulations.
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History tells us that gut feelings and experiences of ordinary people sometimes have been way ahead of their times. Often scientific proof came quite some time later."
Note: Professor Reinhard Furrer was a famous German physicist and astronaut who, while taking part in a space project, has circumnavigated the earth 120 times. He died in 1995. It would be totally untrue if I were to deny the fact that natural materials like wood and stone are providing strength to humans, only because the energy exchange between humans and furniture have not yet been scientifically investigated.
I own a wonderful table which shows a very beautiful grain. This table continues to uplift me when I just sit down and let my hand touch and slide across the top. It actually provides me with a sense of peace and strength.
"It would be foolhardy for me to deny phenomena and linkages of things only because it hasn't yet been proven scientifically. Of course I cannot confirm either as long as they haven't been investigated appropriately. However, I myself am a lover of nature.
However, some scientists agree there is more than just measuring instruments, numbers and formulas at play - something which might best be approached by 'feeling' one's way.
This quotation is from a conversation I had with a famous German physics scientist and author Professor Reinhard Furrer about wood harvested at the right time: The voices of science
After we changed our manufacturing process to be absolutely chemical free, we decided to only process trees harvested at the right time. Our saw mill received mixed reactions from the scientific community and there were a number of opinions as well as the odd 'doubting Thomas'. Burning pellets for heating has led to a drastic lowering of the CO2 emissions. At the same time, forestry framers are achieving better and fairer prices for their wood off cuts and leftovers. In Austria alone there are more Biomasseheizungen being installed every year than oil heaters. May the day come when trees are not being turned into toxic building materials!
The last active windmill in Austria is as much an example as all the other tourist attractions of this vine growing area which is so very rich in culture and beautiful attractions!
Only a decade later, Biomasseheizungen and wood pellets are vital parts part of the international climate discussions in politics. Now we make the best use of it by burning it in our heating system and keeping our environment clean and pristine."
Guest and visitors are most welcome to have a good look around the village to find out how localizing the energy supply has empowered this community. The use of gentle energy has a long tradition here. "On nice days, the sun is enough to keep us warm. When the weather is cold and foggy, we burn the wood off cuts collected from local sawmills, carpentries and leftovers from the forest. Over the last years the price for this kind of wood has dropped so low that it is not worthwhile to sell it.
1996 in spring 70 more buildings in the idyllic vine growing village in 'Retzer Becken', Austria, have been connected. This means that 70 old and faulty individual heaters have been replaced by solar panels plus the burning of wood off cuts.
It houses a storage area for firewood, the boiler and two huge buffer storage both of which have been buried two thirds into the ground. The water in the tanks is heated by either solar power or burning wood chips and sent hot to the homes and buildings which are connected to the system.
Heating with renewable biomass at the push of a button is no utopian dream anymore.
The 'Bramberg' village centralized biomass power station is accommodated in a wooden building. You wouldn't notice any difference to an agricultural farm building, only the fact that the southern aspect is equipped with solar collectors. It has reached a stage now, where it is possible to build very small units that generate sufficient energy for single family homes. these small furnaces include an automatic stoker and ash removal. Generic versions are available in sizes suitable for single households up to large plants.
The warmth which is generated by a centralized biomass power station is nothing else than sun energy stored in growing trees and closes a natural cycle. The technical advancements of biomass combustion are not only available to a few privileged communities.
Even just a generation ago, this was unthinkable. Today it is possible thanks to the advancements made in the heating and combustion technology.
Environmental impact study, emissions from central heating plants in kg/TJ The biomass power station in 'Bramberg' has now been running for many years and the unthinkable became reality. This small power station is able to supply the whole village with warmth. The emissions sank to less than those generated by just one family home with a badly adjusted oil heater.
"Maybe we should try it out?"
Isn't it crazy to heat our buildings with fossil fuels from afar, which have been mined and transported around the whole world and at the same time, our local woodchips and wood waste is being trucked to far away countries. It's not surprising that people living in the valleys are complaining about the amount of trucks on the roads. Two Villages are Firing Up
The saying goes: "The farmer won't eat what he doesn't know!" In the local inn of the small village 'Bramberg' in 'Salzburger Land', discussions were running hot about a proposed project they called: 'Hackschnitzelheizung'. "They want to build a heating plant for our village? One which burns wood chips? That must be a joke! It wouldn't work, impossible!" According to statistics of the forest inventory, only half of the combined yearly re-growth from Germany and Austria together is being harvested. Most of it is being used in a wasteful and toxic way.
The use of toxic wood preservatives, paints and glues has turned modern wood products into toxic waste which cannot be returned to nature and close this wood cycle. When we recognize this ingenious and simple resource and integrate our ways into the natural cycle, we will be able to fully replace fossil fuels with renewable energy. Here in Austria, if we were to use wood as building material for our homes (from the floor to the roof, furniture, heating, thermal power stations, to make paper) we still couldn't use up the yearly re-growth of wood. There still would be enough trees left to decay and mulch the forest floor.
Once we use this vast energy resource, our "solar powered generator forest" more effectively, we need less power plants, storage, transport and infrastructure. Our forests are the most energy rich resource available to us and we need to treat and manage nature's gift in a useful and sensible manner.
The energy used to produce 1 aluminum window could produce 126 Timber / Wood windows.
This comparison can be applied to all types of building materials. Think about flooring (wood or synthetics), insulation (hemp or foam), doors, stairways, furniture and much more. For example, the choice of a wooden window means that only a 126th part of the energy is used compared to an aluminum window. Or the other way around, you could use the same energy which is being used to install one house with aluminum windows to fit 126 houses with wooden windows!
Compare the energy usage to produce windows, doors, floors, building, furniture, etc. |
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