20.10.2023 Managing Director Thomas Hoinka’s building project won out against numerous other entries in the competition organized by the Deutsches Architekturmuseum and Callwey Verlag and was named House of the Year 2023.
In the center of Pfaffenhofen, near Stuttgart, Stroh insulates the 420 m² residential building with 4 residential units spread over two floors. Another special feature: each floor can be divided into two apartments. Practical if the children move out or you want to downsize.
By using natural resources, the “straw bale house” is a showcase project for a climate- and resource-friendly construction method. Compared to a conventional new build with conventional insulation, 95% of CO2 could be saved. The climate-neutral four-family house was built using timber construction. The load-bearing structure consists of a cross-laminated timber construction, the façade of a floor slab timber cladding. Insulation was provided with straw and wood fiber. Some of the structures were developed in-house. The interior surfaces are clad with clay building boards and plaster and exposed wood. To protect the straw bales in the floor slab from moisture, the house was raised by one storey on a concrete cross and four supports.
In contrast to industrially produced building materials, straw as a building material does not pollute the environment with CO2 emissions. As a by-product of agriculture, straw is abundant and regionally available. In addition, grain cultivation even binds CO2. One hectare of wheat, for example, binds around 9 tons of carbon dioxide. Thanks to its good insulation value, building straw also helps to reduce heating energy and thus reduce CO2 emissions during building operation. Building with straw and clay also has a positive effect on the indoor climate. Straw insulation is completely biodegradable, as straw is a natural building material without any synthetic chemical additives. Naturally, attention was also paid to a good ecological balance when selecting the other building materials. Most of the materials are also recyclable, as they can be processed separately. Building Material Scout was used for planning and documentation.
The project was initiated by Thomas Hoinka, Managing Director of HOINKA GmbH. The project was funded by the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) and the state of Baden-Württemberg as part of the Holzbau Innovativ program.
The Houses of the Year competition has been organized by the Deutsches Architekturmuseum and Callwey Verlag since 2011. The 50 best entries are presented in detail each year in a book volume.
