Hotel made of wood

Damson and apple trees are heavy with fruit. Bees are buzzing around the sumptuous bushes and shrubs. Herbs and flowers are exuding their tempting fragrances: the garden is the central element of the project and is therefore the inspiration for the name of the first five-star superior hotel in Zell am Ziller. It's incredibly green in the "Green Spa". That's because MalisGarten is an ecological showcase project. A lighthouse for sustainability. Even though the mastermind behind this solid wood masterpiece doesn't really like to use such terms. For top Italian architect (and he doesn't like this description either) Matteo Thun, "green building" is the most normal thing in the world. Something that should be part and parcel of every architect's work – and there is only one material that even comes into question. Wood! "Wood is the only material I know of which has good long-term aesthetic and technical properties," he explains. This renewable raw material is "the material of the 21st century," he tells us with conviction. When he was contacted by acquaintances who wanted to develop an architectural concept for a hotel built completely out of wood, he was immediately interested. In particular because the idea didn't just come from anyone: wood is part of the family DNA of his client Christina Binder-Egger and her husband Reinhard Binder. After all, the latter runs the long-established company binderholz – and is thus an expert in working with this timeless material and the challenging major projects that arise through its use.

From the roots to the crown

Using Matteo Thun's architectural concept, a five-storey building was created that really is made 100% of wood: from the foundation boards to the roof, from the lift shafts to the herringbone parquet flooring – in every area of the building, native timber can be found showing evidence of its great performance. Architect's practice Meissl Architects in Seefeld were responsible for execution as a local partner. Under the watchful eye of Alexander Meissl, the Ziller Valley timber construction professionals from Holzbau Schweinberger erected the entire load-bearing structure from binderholz cross-laminated timber BBS elements and glued laminated timber made from spruce and larch. Over the course of an ambitious construction period of just 15 months, the building grew in height in the heart of Zell am Ziller.

Green SPA in red

In line with the building's green aspirations, there are now plants growing up the facade – but behind them you can see flashes of a powerful contrast colour: the wooden surfaces have been finished with ADLER's Lignovit Lasur and Lignovit Color in a rich burgundy red, creating a beautiful, harmonious look. For Malerei Presslaber who took on the task of applying the coatings, and likewise come from the Ziller Valley, this was a real challenge: in order that they could coat the large surfaces before assembly, the Presslaber team made the snap decision to move into a workshop on the premises of the timber construction company, taking with them all their equipment and a huge amount of covering materials. All those involved were absolutely impressed by their work with this water-based coating that fitted perfectly into the overall concept of sustainability.

Protected and given a great finish

As interior designer Harald Margreiter, who created an interior design to fit in with the overall concept and also opted to use ADLER wood finishing products, told us: "Together with the Binder family, I spent a long time looking for the right surface coating. Legno-Öl by ADLER proved quite unequivocally to be the best choice. So several thousand square metres of wall panelling and wooden ceilings were oiled by hand at binderholz using this great product," he reveals. Margreiter's designs were translated into high quality items of furniture in the workshops of the Wetscher furniture manufacturer in the Ziller Valley – and of course likewise finished off with paints and varnishes from ADLER: the native walnut cupboards were given the best possible protection with an almost invisible coating of ADLER PUR-Antiscratch HQ in the lowest level of gloss, G5. The same type of wood and coating was also chosen for the interior doors, which were made by Telser, a company from South Tyrol. And the warm and homely character of the Douglas fir window frames by Rieder has been underlined by a topcoat of ADLER Aquawood Öl-Finish. This is absolutely in line with Matteo Thun's ideas, and means that, as a wonderfully versatile material, the wood will retain its natural beauty long term.