Swiss Beech for Apartment Building in Zurich

24.05.2016

In the course of the renovation of an apartment building belonging to the PWG Foundation, the architects' office "kämpfen für architektur ag" (Zurich) increased the living space by 30% by timber construction. Generous balconies have been added outside for all apartments. Pressure-impregnated beech was used for this.

Beech wood, the efficient, underestimated material that would be available in large quantities in Switzerland, but is currently hardly used. Many institutes are currently looking for applications for beech wood. One contribution by Timbatec is the exemplary use of beech wood for balconies, which is actually not weatherproof but can be impregnated very well. This makes it a weatherproof material for exterior components. Timbatec engineers have developed details that allow the beech wood to move freely and still fulfil its load-bearing function at all times.    

The approximately 40 m3 of wood used comes from Swiss forests and was processed in Switzerland. This ensures short distances and the storage of around 40 tons of CO2.      

Following the general meeting of the Lignum Zurich, this building project was awarded the'Swiss Wood Mark of Origin'.