Moonwood harvesting was not only utilized in ancient Rome. After the first book was published, Dr. Thoma was unexpectedly visited by a delegation from Japan, led by the highest monk of the Japanese Buddhist monastery Hōryū-ji. The monastery is home to the world's oldest wooden buildings, erected in 607 AD. As it turned out, those buildings had also been built from moonwood. The head of the monastery wanted to become acquainted with Dr. Thoma's technology, because one of his student had left him with Dr. Thoma's book.

After observing everything, the monks left with a word that Dr. Thoma is turning the wheels of something great, because Buddhists believed that one should live in such a way which does as not leave any traces behind. Since Dr. Thoma’s technology does not harm the environment and does not leave waste throughout its entire life cycle, it certainly aligns with their principles. At the end, the monk promised his support. Dr. Thoma said goodbye, but questioned how they would be able to support him all the way from Japan and did not expect to hear back from them.

However, two weeks later a Japanese publisher called to inform Dr. Thoma that he received publication orders for a Japanese translation of Dr. Thoma’s book. Following his publications in Japan, Dr. Thoma started receiving orders for Holz100 from Japan. At this time, entering the Japanese market for building materials was considered virtually impossible even for large corporations, let alone such a small company like Dr. Thoma's.

To build houses in Japan, however, one needed to obtain the most restrictive certificate for earthquake resistance. Japan has at its disposal the largest platform for simulating seismic shocks which was where Dr. Thoma’s employees built a Holz100 house for testing. Dr. Thoma could not be present for testing, and he was very surprised when his employee called him to say that they failed to get certified.

​The certificate is only issued when the tested house falls apart. It is then that the seismic level at which the construction fails is determined. However, Mr. Thoma’s house withstood the highest level of seismic shocks that could be simulated. The structure of the house had to be weakened by removing some of the connecting pegs for the house to fall apart, so that the certificate could be issued. The certificate received was of the highest safety class that can be obtained in Japan.

"We cannot stop natural disasters but we can arm ourselves with knowledge." - Petra Nemcova

As a reality to many countries and regions of the world, we must think about earthquake resistance when building a house. Holz100, among other building systems, has the highest earthquake resistance.

You find the oldest wooden buildings on earth in Japan, a region well-known for its earthquakes. Temples and pagodas up to six stories high were built without glue or metal and have survived the worst earthquakes for the past 1,600 years! Holz100 uses the same principle and it is not surprising that Holz100 homes easily fulfill the Japanese earthquake building standards which are the tightest and strictest in the world. By now, there are many Holz100 buildings in Japan which have already survived several earthquakes intact; one of which rated 8 on the Richter scale.

Holz100 is a method which brings together old traditional knowledge and modern technology. It provides protection and safety for people living in Holz100 houses. 12 years ago, the idea to build the most ecological house using untreated wood was ridiculed and looked down upon as a joke. Today, there are various established Holz100 manufacturers in Austria, Germany, and Norway. Furthermore, preparations for manufacturers in the United States and other countries are underway.

The Holz100 system is not absolutely "rigid". Due to the wall construction made of dowelled parts, flexibility is obtained in the case of an earthquake which has an extraordinary resistance to horizontal accelerations occurring during an earthquake.

By now, many then-unimaginable buildings have been built with untreated and natural wood including more than 1000 homes, large hotels in Italy, Austria and Norway, health clinics, hospitals, schools, mountain lodges, childcare centers, the University for Forestry and Timber in Oslo, and sacred buildings like churches in Japan. Working in tune with nature results in building the best houses where people feel comfort, safety and therefore stay healthy for many years to come.