Anyone interested in a healthy home environment, growing trees, sustainable lifestyle, working, designing and building with timber will find this an interesting and inspiring read.
‘Dich Sah Ich Wachsen’ by Dr Erwin Thoma has sold more than 90,000 copies in German-speaking countries.
‘A Future With Natural Wood’ is the English translation and available here and on Amazon.
Austrian author Dr Erwin Thoma grew up in the Austrian Alps and first worked as forestry ranger. He was lucky to have a carpenter granddad who passed on a wealth of traditional knowledge and experience. Erwin now has a deep understanding of trees, their growth cycles, natural timber production and building healthy homes.
It began with the illness of his son when Erwin discovered that modern building materials can cause serious health problems. On his quest to establish a healthy home environment for his family, he took time off work. He replaced all synthetic flooring, plywood and chipboard furniture in their home with natural and untreated timber. When his wife came back with the children, the boys stayed healthy!
As a result, Erwin developed the most successful building system. Holz 100 buildings are made purely of untreated timber and have a life expectancy of many generations to come. 1999 Erwin founded a Research centre in Goldegg, Austria, where he investigates traditional and modern methods scientifically with astounding results.
Anyone interested in a healthy home environment, growing trees, sustainable lifestyle, working, designing and building with timber will find this an interesting and inspiring read.
You will see trees, forests and your home environment in a new, better-informed way and feel inspired to build your future with natural timber.
Foreword by Gordon R. Pierce, US Architect:
Wow. Definition:
Exclamation: expressing astonishment or admiration
Noun: a sensational success
Verb: to impress and excite (someone) greatly
This informal word best expresses the reaction I share with all those who understand and appreciate the significance of Erwin Thoma’s creation – Holz 100. In this, the first of his books translated into English, you will find interesting and amusing stories that reveal Erwin’s wealth of knowledge regarding trees, forests and wood. Perhaps, for some readers, this book will contain more information than they imagined possible for such subjects. For others, this will be a welcome introduction to wood-related subjects and an inspiration for a future using natural timber. ”Written in a colloquial style, it offers an insight into his humble genius.
For an advocate of environmentalism, this book should not only help clear up those myths regarding the use of wood as a building material but also reinforce the fact that this totally sustainable, natural resource, when used responsibly, is the best alternative to all other construction materials.
As an architect, I wish to highlight one aspect of this book that explains the remarkable building system invented and manufactured by Erwin that has won numerous awards and a loyal following in Europe.
I met Erwin for the first time about fifteen years ago. I heard about his company that manufactured a structural building system using 100% wood. It was advertised to have no glues, toxic chemicals, resins or mechanical fasteners. A system so well engineered that it can be used to construct multi-story buildings or single-family homes in only days, not months.
Then I began to learn about the rest of the “wow” – remarkable sound attenuation, the thermal mass of the product providing comfort to the occupants while greatly reducing energy costs. Persons with allergies could live in these buildings without suffering from hidden toxins or allergens.
Hotels and spas built from this material were receiving rave reviews from guests who slept better, were more relaxed and enjoyed the smell of the forest unique to Holz 100 buildings. Finally, I learned that the manufacturing process was equally astonishing in that it recycles its waste wood in special clean-burn furnaces that, with supplemental solar panels, creating more than enough electricity and heat to operate the facility.
So here I was introduced to a major structural building system based on ancient construction techniques and using state-of-the-art technology. I expect to see this wonderful system – described thoughtfully and passionately in these pages – come to the attention of builders, developers, architects and homeowners looking for the ultimate green building material.
Gordon R. Pierce
US Architect