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The Challenge: Building on a Steep Hillside

Single-family detached house in Albstadt, Germany excels with overhangs and

green construction

In the town of Albstadt in Southern Germany’s Swabian Jura region, roughly halfway

between Stuttgart and Lake Constance, a newly built house seems to loom right out of

a hillside. Some 10 cubic metres of timber and seven tonnes of steel went into

constructing it.

House on a Steep Slope

Practically the entire lot slopes steeply towards the south. The special thing about this

piece of ground is that it affords an exceptional view of the town and surrounding

forested mountains.

It isn’t the first house to be built on a steep incline. But the typical approach is to hug

the slope. Not so in Albstadt.

The clients wanted three storeys so the family would have enough room to grow.

Departing from usual practice, architect Suljo Candic proposed making them protrude

from the hillside as overhangs. “This creates the illusion that the house is projecting

right out into empty space,” he explains. “Besides providing more living space, the

house is a real visual highlight.”

It is notable that even the bottom storey has an overhang, supported by an elegant

steel construction. The roomy deck attacked to the middle storey is also propped by a

roughly 11-metre-high steel column. “Here too, we employed an overhang as a

structural and design element,” says Candic.

Modern Architecture with Ingenuity

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The overall building has a modern, cubistic shape. Straight lines and many parallel

elements characterise its exterior. Its straightforward, clear design dispenses

completely with intricate ornamentation and primarily involves rectangular forms.

The side of the house facing the hill slants to provide a counterpoint to this strict right-

angled regime. At first glance, the middle storey and attached deck seem to be

staggered with respect to one another. This clever idea prevents the building from

looking excessively massive. The planking in parts of the façade additionally helps to

create a relaxed overall impression.

The house’s south side features attractive large plate-glass windows and doors. They

were added at the express wish of the clients, who wanted to be able to enjoy the

magnificent view.

Healthy, Eco-Friendly Timber Construction

From the start, the clients were adamant about building their new home using

resource-conserving timber construction methods. They had experienced this approach

in the homes of relatives and acquaintances, and were convinced that it would meet

their expectations in terms of environmental friendliness, healthy living and quality.

The firm contracted to carry out the ecological timber construction work was Balingen-

based Sauter Zimmerei – Holzbau GmbH, which also did all of the planning for the

timber house and steel constructions using CAD tools. KRONOPLY engineered wood

products were chosen for the project. For example, all of the exterior walls consist of

KRONOPLY OSB/3, which has a stiffening effect, and KRONOTHERM flex wood-fibre

insulation. The ceilings are made of glued Brettstapel elements. The above-ground

ceilings are also made of KRONOPLY OSB/3 and insulated with KRONOTHERM flex.

Wood-based materials from KRONOPLY boast outstanding functional properties.

KRONOTHERM flex consists of natural wood fibre. Being flexible, highly insulating and

permeable to water vapour, it provides reliable protection against cold, heat and noise.

Low thermal conductivity, a high heat storage capacity and a high sorption capability

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give rise to a healthy and comfortable indoor climate. It has received the natureplus

certificate, which is an international quality label bestowed on sustainable construction

products for outstanding functionality and health and environmental benefits. Both

KRONOPLY OSB/3 and KRONOTHERM flex have declarations of performance and

CE markings in compliance with the European Union’s new building products directive.

The wood used is from sustainably managed forests and bears the PEFC seal.

A total of about 400 square metres of stiffened interior and exterior walls were made for

this house. The insulated surface area amounts to about 360 sq.m. In addition, some

120 cubic metres of wood were processed to make KRONOPLY OSB/3 and

KRONOTHERM flex for the house. This amount of wood lastingly entraps around 148

tonnes of carbon dioxide, thus reducing negative repercussions on the earth’s

atmosphere.

Focus on Self-Generated Energy

An array of solar panels with a peak output of 5.145 kilowatts has been installed on the

house’s flat roof to meet its electric power and hot water requirements. The heating

system is supplied via an air source heat pump. As a result, the house’s occupants

meet a major part of their energy needs from renewable sources, thus making a

significant contribution to protecting the environment.

Facts & Figures at a Glance:

Building type Single-family detached house with about 200 sq.m of living space

Built in 2012-2013

Planning company Suljo Candic, Dipl-Ing. (FH), freelance architect, Karlstrasse 19, 72336 Balingen, Germany,

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www.candic-architektur.de

Executing company Sauter Zimmerei – Holzbau GmbH, Streichener Strasse 51, 72336 Balingen, Germany, www.zimmerei-sauter.de

Walls About 400 sq.m of exterior and interior walls stiffed with KRONOPLY OSB/3 (15 mm thick)

Ceilings and roof

Solid-wood (spruce) Brettstapel elements

Above-ground ceilings: additionally insulated with KRONOTHERM flex (180 mm) and finished with KRONOPLY OSB/3 (15 mm thick)

Insulation Approx. 360 sq.m of KRONOTHERM flex (180 mm thick) in exterior walls and above-ground ceilings

Reduction in atmospheric CO2 achieved by timber construction

Approx. 120 cu.m of wood (plus KRONOPLY OSB/3 and KRONOTHERM flex) – that is equivalent to sequestering about 148 tonnes of carbon dioxide

Pictures

The following photographs and blueprints may be reproduced in trade publications

provided that they are attributed to KRONOPLY GmbH and Sauter Zimmerei – Holzbau

GmbH.

http://www.candic-architektur.de/http://www.zimmerei-sauter.de/

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An impressive sight: from underneath, the overhanging elements and steel supports are in plain

view.

Construction: the single-family house being built using eco-friendly timber construction.

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The carpenters of Sauter Zimmerei – Holzbau GmbH built the house with timber construction

methods, also using KRONOPLY OSB/3 and KRONOTHERM flex.

View of the entrance area (left) and the solar panels on the flat roof (right).

Plate-glass windows and doors reaching almost to the ceiling and a spacious deck afford a

panoramic view of the town and surrounding forests.

Layouts of the three levels.

About KRONOPLY GmbH

Heiligengrabe, Germany-based KRONOPLY GmbH was established in 2000 and belongs to the

SWISS KRONO GROUP, one of the world’s leading specialists in wood-based materials.

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KRONOPLY GmbH is one of the most successful producers of OSB boards in Europe. Its core

competencies also include producing MDF and HDF as well as high-quality wood-fibre

insulation. The firm offers customer-focused solutions involving innovative, environmentally

friendly products backed by comprehensive consulting and support. In awareness of its

responsibility to society, KRONOPLY GmbH makes flexibly deployable, custom-tailored wood-

based materials from wood, a natural raw material. www.kronoply.com

Contact Marketing Director Uwe Petzold Tel.: +49 (0) 33 962 69 163 Fax: +49 (0) 33 962 69 380 uwe.petzold@kronoply.de

KRONOPLY GmbH

Wittstocker Chaussee 1 16909 Heiligengrabe

Germany www.kronoply.com

http://www.kronoply.com/mailto:uwe.petzold@kronoply.dehttp://www.kronoply.com/