"GREEN" REDEFINED; where wood meets advanced technology. The “WOODCUBE” is the first carbon-neutral multistory residential block in building class 4 to be constructed without toxic substances and to have the wood completely visible from the inside, only achieved by using Thoma Holz100 as its main building system. As such, it constitutes a new timber construction system for urban settings that is resource-conserving, healthy, and long-lasting. WHAT IS A 'SMART MATERIAL HOUSE'? “Smart materials” are materials, material systems, and products that can be derived from them that behave not in a static but a dynamic way, in contrast to conventional building materials. In other words, because of their nature, these materials react to changing environmental conditions and adapt to them. The building shell is one of the most crucial elements in this respect: the use of smart materials in the façade can enable energy and material flows to be improved and kept as low as possible, since a large proportion of these materials draw energy directly or indirectly from the surrounding environment. Smart materials are active, with a transformative character. They respond to changing environmental conditions. A “Smart Material House” is a new form of residential building in which adaptable architectural designs can be combined with intelligent technologies and construction materials. The building envelope is the central element of the energy exchange between inside and outside. It controls inflowing and outflowing energy streams and the circulation of material. Using smart materials and smart technologies, building envelopes can actively regulate energy and material flows. Since the beginning of the modern period, building services have been bundled away, centralised, and thus often rendered invisible. With the proliferation of smart materials, the material surface can itself become a medium carrying energy and information. CARBON NEUTRAL The "WOODCUBE" is a five-storey apartment building with a flexible number of apartments. The design demonstrates the possibilities of forward-looking solid timber construction. It largely avoids the use of non-renewable raw materials in both its construction and its operation. Energy and heat energy are carbon neutral and derived from renewable sources. The "WOODCUBE" project is the first time that an apartment complex has been built that does not emit any greenhouse gases over its life cycle, and is almost completely biologically recyclable. All of the construction materials were therefore checked for their carbon potential and biological compatibility in building. A sophisticated building services concept with central building control and smart metering supports the consistently low energy consumption. Compared with conventional buildings, approximately 8,500 tonnes of carbon were saved during the construction phase alone. PASSIVE HOUSE ENERGY STANDARDS By eliminating fire-protective encapsulation, the building components could remain visible on the inside. This meant that there was no need for additional coatings or protective structures, while the indoor climate benefits from a structure that is open to diffusion, with a higher heat storage capacity. The building’s structural properties also allow construction without thick insulating material. Nevertheless, this project has similar energy properties to those of highly insulated Passive Houses. The model energy properties demonstrated here, along with the actual energy consumption, come below the calculation values stipulated by lending institutions. This has resulted in a system component that brings sustainability, fire safety, and favourable energy properties together in synergy, while maintaining the strict single-material approach. This saves resources while ensuring a high level of efficiency. The Thoma Holz100 system, which was thermally optimised in collaboration with various experts, now makes it possible for the “WOODCUBE” to achieve the KfW-40 standard. As several studies show, the considerable advantages offered by the positive material properties of solid wood construction in terms of energy efficiency cannot be attained through conventional methods. The actual energy consumption is likely to be similar to that of a Passive House. If we look at the building’s energy requirement purely in terms of the numbers, it comes to 18 kWh/m2 per year, which is roughly equivalent to the Passive House standard. ABOVE-AND-BEYOND The “WOODCUBE” makes an outstanding contribution to sustainable building typologies, while venturing far beyond prevailing construction standards and the current discourse surrounding sustainability in architecture. It is worth noting that the project did not receive the German Sustainable Building Council (DGNB) Gold Seal. This would have been possible if a preliminary investigation had been carried out, as its consistent environmental focus would have met the sustainability criteria, with energy savings of up to 95 per cent. Nevertheless, the DGNB nominated the “WOODCUBE” for the 2013 German Sustainability Prize, which it shared with two other buildings. Wood has been used as a construction material for thousands of years. Through a smart approach and the use of highly modern technology, it has been transformed into a smart material that can define inner city housing construction. The “WOODCUBE”, developed as part of the IBA Hamburg 2013, is a prominent example of this approach.
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Wood naturally insulates, stores and buffers by nature - every wooden house has the potential to become an oasis if the wood is installed unadulterated. Thanks to its patented design, Holz100 doubles the efficiency of full or glued wood, thus keeping the world record in thermal insulation. This makes energy-efficient housing, passive houses without insulation, and complicated building technologies possible. Yup, you'd better believe it - there are even Holz100 buildings that are built without insulation! We know what architects will ask right away when we tell them our material has an R value of 2.4 per inch: "How is it possible for 100% pure, natural wood to achieve that insulation value on its own?" and here is our answer: The Thoma Holz100 Thermal walls consist of layers of cross-laminated wooden boards with a thickness of 20mm to 80mm connected by wooden dowels. What’s different are the grooves milled into individual layers of wood. The grooves milled into the layers of wood (integrated structural insulation) function within the Holz100 wall to laminate as microscopic air cushions without circulation, and reduce the wall’s thermal conductivity which results in a substantially improved thermal insulation. At their full static load capacity, the Holz100 Thermal walls show parameters otherwise reserved solely to insulation materials (lambda value =0.079 W/m²K). It also makes it possible for external walls to have a very high energy standard with only a little additional thickness for insulation. Our research work combines excellent technical parameters with a background of building-specific physical properties, which at least minimizes the building cost. Here are some tests we took: 1. To achieve a thermal rating of U = 0.3 W/m2K, which is the current European norm aspired to build without insulation, would have to use the following wall thicknesses: Reinforced concrete: 726 cm Average brick: 60 cm Conventional timber & glue-laminated wood products: 47 cm Holz100: 27cm 2. This diagram shows how much material is needed to achieve the U-value of 0.22 W/m²K: Conclusion: an average Holz100 home only needs 1/3 of the heating system compared to a traditionally insulated home with the same R value and requires only 3/5 of wall thickness (laminated commercial timber) to achieve the same thermal rating. Holz100 is the only known construction methodology that can be built in multiple stories without additional insulation. Passive house standards are achieved by using 35cm of Holz100 (U-value approx. 0.22). This energy saving phenomenon is possible by routing small air-pockets between the timber layers in the solid wood elements. Wood also acclimatizes a building more efficiently. Not only in winter when it acts as a heat conductor but during summer too. It is thermally slow and more effective than any other building material. This led us to build more and more roofs with solid wood panels in warmer areas which achieved much better ratings than with roof trusses, because they acted like wood frame walls. This is only 1 out of 12 great benefits of Holz100! See what other benefits make Holz100 an unparalleled multi-purpose building solution for healthier, greener, and safer living spaces. Undoubtedly, wood is the best building material when it comes to the health and well-being of its inhabitants. Especially with Thoma Holz100, you're surrounded by a solid wooden shell devoid of any volatile organic compounds, chemicals, toxins, preservatives, resin, or glue. You're basically sleeping in the forest. Even better, many research studies in various countries prove that living in a solid wooden home brings harmony and relaxation socially, mentally, and physically. People interact positively with one another more often and their anxiety/stress levels are lowered. Being surrounded by pure wood slows down our heart rate, boosts our immune system, and provides restorative sleep at its best. Combined with Holz100's record-breaking soundproof and high-radiation resistant walls, the way you sleep and how you feel every morning will change drastically. It's also fungal resistant and naturally reduces dust significantly - that's why our homes come with a 50-year guarantee against mold and condensation. If you're by any chance allergic or sensitive to mold, dust, or even smell, this will probably feel like sleeping in the clouds. Thoma Holz100 hotels built to our high standards have year round occupancy rates of 90% - far above the industry average. The best compliment for the sense of well-being, atmosphere, and quality of sleep in our hotels is the high number of regular customers. We know of no other construction method which can claim this. Some of those who come to our ski resorts end up coming back just to sleep. “The studies examining the effects of wooden rooms and furnishings clearly demonstrate that the presence of wood has positive physiological and psychological benefits that mimic the effect of spending time outside in nature,” - Planet Ark Experience Holz100 for yourself. Can a living space become the source of health and wellbeing for its inhabitants? More and more, homeowners desire for indoor environments which mimic the beauty and benefits of nature, especially those regarding our health and wellbeing. At Thoma Holz100, this is our vision - to bring healthy homes to families and communities around the world - and we have been working towards this goal for over 25 years. Today, there are over 1,000 completed, successful Holz100 projects in over 30+ countries we would be happy to share with you. Inventor and Founder of Thoma Holz100, Dr. Erwin Thoma introduced a new era of quality wood construction with a 100% pure wood building system like no other. Without a trace of metal nails, glue, chemicals, or preservatives, the Holz100 prefabricated components yield impressive results (as well as a few world records) in:
The internationally patented Thoma Holz100 building system wraps its inhabitants in pure solid wood with no chemical pollutants whatsoever. Thoma Holz100 combines state-of-the -art engineering with natural characteristics and benefits of wood at its finest. The powerful testimonials from thousands of happy Holz100 homeowners are our best advertisement. Why not build yourself an oasis of wellbeing and enjoy life in good health? Our goal is to build the healthiest houses from sustainable wood. We know that we can’t continue to exploit nature to simply make profit. We looked at the marvels of nature and the trees that surround us and realized that they demonstrate every day the very things we search for in our products and technologies: waste-free closed-loop recycling, self-healing and natural remedies, energy independence based on intelligent use of solar and other sources of green energy. A Thoma Holz100 home is suitable for generations to come, because its components are based on nature’s wisdom.
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AuthorHolz100 Canada Inc. Archives
July 2019
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