A contemporary interpretation of Alpine vibes was what a building owner wanted for his holiday residence in Austrian Brixlegg. Modern, low-maintenance and durable materials were used during implementation. On two patios, one balcony, as well as a flight of stairs a total of 140 square metres of WPC specialist NATURinFORM’s portfolio, namely their NATURELINE decks in the colour chestnut brown, were laid.
Holiday residence in Brixlegg, Tirol
Patio decks
NATURELINE in Chestnut brown
Type of construction
Newbuild patio, balcony and stairs
Planning office
Konturgut, Manfed Walder, A-Wörgl
Construction year
2020
Location
Holiday residence in Brixlegg, Tirol
The market community Brixlegg with around 3,050 inhabitants lies in the Kufstein region in the Federal State Tirol. The popular holiday area is easily reachable via the Inntal motorway A 12 and offers everything a holiday requires: Walking paths into the mountains and gentle cycle routes through the valley, countless shopping opportunities and a high level of gastronomic offers.
Beautiful holiday residence with a view
At the edge of the village with a view to the Maria Hilf Mountain, the building owner bought an older family home in 2016 which the man, who was born in Austria but lives abroad most of the time, had stripped of everything but the foundation walls. A modern, generous holiday residence was built on the existing layout, made up of a twostorey building with a total of 180 square metres. The family spends most time there during the summer and during the skiing season.
Modern interpretation of Alpine vibes
For the implementation of his building project the building owner relied on Manfred Walder’s expertise. Walder’s planning office ’konturgut‘, founded in 2002 in Wörgl/Tirol, is characterised by integrated planning requirements and an extensive performance competence – from the first idea to the design, from competent advice and execution right up to project oriented, sharp and functionally precise solutions. During the process from the idea to the finished result Walder involves his network of partners and professionals.
’The client asked for a modernly equipped residence with several bedrooms and ensuite bathrooms, to be able to have enough comfortable space for the large family.’ Manfred Walder describes the task at hand. ‘And the exterior impression was to mirror a modern interpretation of the Alpine flair,’ says the interior architect and building coordinator.
In Tirol wood as a building material has a long tradition and at first sight the holiday residence looks as if it were clad with wood. But that is not true. The façade is made up of high-pressure laminate elements with weather protection made of doubly hardened acrylic polyurethane resins. And neither on the two extensive patios, the balcony, nor for an external flight of stairs was the ‘traditional material wood’ used. On a total of 140 square metres an expert company from the area laid the wood composite material decks NATURELINE by NATURinFORM.
‘Buildings have to function for a long time‘
’Building families want their houses to function as well and for as long a time as possible,’ knows Walder from his many years of experience. And when a material does not meet these expectations, one has to choose another. Today wood is by far no longer able to reach the quality expectations it could in the past, when it was only felled at certain times, was able to dry naturally and was stored for longer periods. Good timber is also no longer able to be produced in the amounts now required; instead, wood is delivered in containers, and it no longer has the required quality, complains the building expert.
Contemporary product generation for functioning outdoor surfaces
Whilst looking for fresh wood alternatives for patios and balconies he discovered Naturinform at the ‘BAU’ trade fair in Munich in 2010. Since that time Walder has been cooperating with the Bavarian specialist for wood composite materials. ‘The decks fulfill exactly the requirements that need to be met for a functioning outdoor flooring,’ says Walder. The producer is innovative and keeps up with the times. The quality of the products is obvious when you lay them, as they are aesthetically sophisticated and suitable for the objects. ‘Outdoor floor surfaces should be attractive and look as perfect as possible, be durable, weatherproof and robust. They must not splinter, but should be tread and slip resistant and be convincing with dimension and shape stability,’ Walder demands. And last but not least they should be as easy to clean as possible and ensure processing without maintenance.
Plea for using wood composite materials
Manfred Walder: ‘This all works with modern wood composite materials – which are also known as WPC, that are furthermore nonslippery when wet and unlike wood need hardly any maintenance.’ The decks do not require oiling or painting. ‘These are all factors that we take into account as planners when thinking about a patio, pool surroundings, or a jetty.’ In addition to this, Naturinform decks are resource friendly, available and sustainable. This opens up a gigantic design and application range. Walder sees an innovative interpretation of wood in the wood composite materials, an advanced product generation that completely and absolutely fulfills the requirements towards a contemporary outdoor surface.
The work on the outdoor areas in Brixlegg was executed in 2020. A regional expert laid the decks on the patios measuring 140 square metres, after the old layer of gravel had been removed and a concrete cover had been installed as a new underlying surface. A total of over 1,200 patio feet from NATURinFORM’s accessory range were installed onto which the underlying construction, as well as the decks, were laid. On the balcony the joint tube was also used, on the one hand to optically enhance the deck surface, but also to keep the surface ‘tight’, preventing water from dripping down through to below. ‘I am very content with the result and my customer is also enthusiastic,’ is Manfred Walder’s conclusion.
Natural wooden grain and barefoot friendly surface
NATURinFORM’s innovative production process guarantees a completely coloured massive deck made of wood composite material in a high quality which is striking through its individual, multicoloured wooden grain and barefoot friendly surface structure. NATURELINE can be laid on both sides and is inspired by nature for its colours, among which are warm wooden notes, such as oak, amber, and chestnut, but also cool tones, such as graphite and basalt. By combining two shades the high-quality deck gains a wooden grain with a natural colour gradient. The high-quality wood composite material consists of 70 percent of leftover wood fibres from sustainable, PEFC-certified, domestic forestry. By adding a pure polymer, the decks are made resistant to wet, damp and other weathering and environmental influences. The result is a high-performance material with a long life cycle (Durability class 1), extraordinarily high slip resistance (R12/R11) and a low level of required care. To achieve the slip resistant characteristics the surface is roughened and enhanced by brushes during production.
NATURinFORM offers products for DGNB-certified building. For all patio decks and façade profiles by NATURinFORM there are environmental product declarations, so-called EPDs, according to international standards. All products are continuously subjected to quality controls and strain tests to ensure a constant immaculate and first-class wood composite material quality. The company issues a five-year guarantee for its products.
Download: Press Release
Product information: Natureline