Reusable wooden building elements: Burgenland innovation in construction

Reusable wooden building elements: Burgenland innovation in construction

The construction industry is under pressure due to climate change and the resulting poor environmental performance. To counteract this, two Burgenland companies, the Woschitz Group and Handler Bau, are relying on innovative solutions in timber construction. In their efforts, they aim to make wooden building elements reusable and thus make an active contribution to environmental protection.

An outstanding example of progress in this area is the HOHO in Vienna, which is considered the second tallest wooden skyscraper in the world. The civil engineer Richard Woschitz, who is also responsible for the construction and statics of the building, has already shown with his company, Handler Bau from Neutal, that timber construction offers much more than just simple constructions.

Revolutionary wooden construction modules

The two companies recently presented another innovative project in Neutal: a model house made of modular wooden components that can be assembled and dismantled as desired. This model is the result of a research project that has been running for three years in collaboration with the University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences Vienna. “The challenge is clear – namely to design the connecting element in such a way that it is not destroyed during dismantling and can be used again for another purpose,” explains Woschitz.

This modularity not only optimizes material consumption, but also increases the flexibility in the use of the structures. A building could therefore be enlarged or reduced as required. “The remaining elements could then be sold on, for example,” adds Michael Schranz from Handler Bau.

Focus on the environment and costs

A central goal of this project is to create standardized components that offer both ecological and economic benefits. The aim is to make wooden construction even more environmentally friendly and at the same time competitive in price. The ecological wooden components that bind CO2 should no longer end up as waste, but rather be reused. “It’s not just about private residential construction, it should also apply to company and office buildings,” emphasizes Schranz.

The model home is expected to be on display at the Handler location in Neutal until November. The plan is then to dismantle it and rebuild it at the location of the research partner “Wood K Plus” in Tulln (Lower Austria). A step that further advances the vision of more sustainable and resource-saving timber construction. This initiative not only represents progress for the construction industry, but could also serve as a model for future projects in the architecture and construction industry.

More information about these developments and advances in timber construction can be found at burgenland.orf.at.