The use of wood as a natural and recyclable building material plays a central role in this project. A facade made of wooden shingles forms the exterior of the two-story tiny house, creating a connection to the traditional architecture of the Black Forest. The interior of the small vacation house is entirely made of wood. HIRAM Habitat solid wood planks and stairs made from silver fir complement other types of wood on the ceiling and walls, forming the natural core of the house.

The solid wood planks and stairs provided by HIRAM Habitat were treated with a white pigmented lye and extra white oil. Combined with the wooden furniture, the bright plank floor creates a clean design. The natural construction method continues outdoors. For the terrace area, the students used HIRAM Habitat Douglas fir decking boards, also treated with white lye and oil.

As a particular commitment to sustainable building, the design was largely realized using "pure-grade construction methods." This means the house can be completely dismantled without generating waste. As a result, hardly any adhesives or environmentally harmful building materials were used. The joints of the wooden framework were developed as prototypes in collaboration with the Structural Design Chair at KIT, utilizing significantly fewer metal connections than conventional joints.

In addition to its use as a vacation home, the house will be made available for eight weeks a year to KIT students in need of housing for charitable purposes. The project was created in cooperation with KIT and master carpentry students from the Friedrich-Weinbrenner-Gewerbeschule Freiburg. The project was supported by numerous sponsors and manufacturers.

Photos: Christoph Engel, Bernd Seeland