We met with the Austrian architect Werner Nussmüller, founder of the Nussmüller Architekten bureau and the SEEWOOD community during ARCH Moscow 2014 - at the Day of the Tree within the framework of the ARCHIWOOD prize organized by ROSSA RAKENNE SPB (HONKA). Then Werner Nussmüller and his colleagues took part in the exhibition "Contemporary Wooden Architecture in Austria" and the accompanying open discussions.
Archi.ru:
- The tradition of Austrian wooden architecture is widely known, and now, as far as I know, in Austria they build anything from wood. This modern interest in wood - did it arise in recent decades, in the era of "sustainability", or earlier, did modernism interrupt the old tradition, or has it survived to this day?
Werner Nussmüller:
- The tree had a very bad 'image' after the Second World War, because it was usually used to build barracks for the poor, and therefore it was considered to be material for the poor. Around 1975, after the first oil crisis, the issue of isolation began to be discussed. it has become very important to save energy and thus money. They started thinking about new materials, and it was then that the first architects began to build from wood. One of the best architects of the time, Hubert Ries, said in one of his lectures: "We must combine barracks and elegance." He insisted that it was necessary to look for new ways and approaches, to create modern lightweight buildings from wood. During this period, the first wooden single-family houses appeared.
The next important step was taken around 1990, and this was an initiative of the wood processing companies in Styria. They demanded from the politicians: "We provide jobs for so many people, so in return you have to use our tree!" Politicians agreed to this demand, realizing that if there is so much wood in our country, we must make good use of it. Construction was one of the options. The regulations have been changed to be less stringent. Many experiments and tests have been carried out in order to find out all the features and properties of wood as a building material. Since then, we really know how a tree behaves in a fire, how to solve a problem with acoustics, etc.
In 2006, we and the politicians drew up a plan that in five years, 25% of new housing was to be built from wood. And we have realized this idea: we actually build a quarter of all social housing from wood, including 4- and 5-storey buildings.
All these changes were small steps on the way forward, and now all young customers who come to our office want to get a house made of wood! So wood is really in vogue now. People treat it differently, it is no longer material for the poor. They understand that this is a fantastic material with a very pleasant smell and hundreds of other positive properties.
What about acoustic problems in multi-storey wooden buildings?
- Yes, acoustics in this context is difficult. Wood is a very light material, so we have to experiment with different shapes to solve this problem. But if we are building a house on a noisy street, we simply do not use wood. Each material has its own qualities and strengths, so we choose the material that best suits the specific context. This is our way of working.
In Russia, it is widely believed that wood is an unsafe material, because it easily catches fire, and not everyone knows about modern methods of solving this problem …
- You saw at the exhibition a wooden panel with a cross-layer orientation: try to burn it - it is simply impossible. She's too fat for that. In Germany, Austria and Switzerland, we have conducted so many experiments with fire on 1: 1 scale models that we now know exactly the ignition temperature of the tree. And fire is no longer a problem. We know that in half an hour a solid wood beam will burn by 2 cm. Therefore, we just need to add another layer to the beam or panel - 2 cm thick - and the problem is solved. And in order to make wood fireproof, we do not use any impregnation.
That is, it is truly "green" architecture
- Exactly.
We talked about noisy streets. What other restrictions are there on using wood? Are there building types that cannot be built with wood?
- If you want to make large spans at home, you can use wood, but it will not be cheap. Larger sizes are possible, but not a budget solution. It is always worth comparing materials and their properties. In one case, concrete may be the best solution, in another - wood. It always depends on the circumstances.
We have already touched on the topic of single-family houses. However, there is not a single such building in your portfolio. Why?
- I refuse to build them for environmental reasons. You can plan a wonderful eco-friendly private house somewhere on a green slope, but the owners cannot do without cars - they have to take the children to kindergarten, school, and so on … When all these moments are put together, it becomes clear that it is impossible to build for real green single-family house.
You have a very interesting project that will soon be commissioned - the Reininghaus complex in Graz, intended for senior residents. Homes for the elderly are a very topical topic for Russia, as our society is “aging”, but at the same time we do not have such projects. And you have already built such houses before. Why are they needed?
“In the past, children lived with their parents under the same roof, and when the parents grew old, the children and grandchildren took care of them at home. Now everything is different: children get to know the world around them somewhere, and their old parents are left alone at home. And we must somehow help them. If they live in private homes, away from friends and family, who will take care of them?
It is better to design an excellent residential complex for them, where it will be convenient for them to see neighbors, communicate and do something together. When they move into these apartments, they may not need much support at first. But as they get older and need help buying groceries, showering, etc., it is much easier for them to get that help if they live in a home designed specifically for the elderly. They will still be able to plan their lives step by step and feel quite active and included in its course. Naturally, these buildings are a barrier-free environment, they are suitable for wheelchair users, there are no steps, and so on.
