Fachwerk and Chalet: a Modern Interpretation of History
Architecture fashion is cyclic: historical styles are reinterpreted, supplemented and updated with modern developments. And this is exactly what we did with a uniquely beautiful fachwerk style: we set ourselves the task of adapting beautiful wooden houses to a cold and harsh winter and equipping them with panoramic windows.
Fachwerk houses are considerably old: even in the XIIth century such houses were extensively built in Germany. The word itself has German roots: Fach means panel, section, and Werk means construction. Nowadays, there are more than 2,5 million fachwerk houses in the country, and there is even a whole fachwerk “street” that is 2800 km long. The buildings look as if they have leaped from the pages of our favorite fairy-tales; they captivate visitors with their beauty, having preserved it for already 500 or 600 years. This is a strong argument in favor of reliability of such a design!
Style features
1. Fachwerk houses are based on wooden structures (beams, bars and braces). Today, in most cases they are made of glued laminated timber. The cells of the bearing framework are filled with other materials: in medieval Europe, very often a mixture of straw and limestone was used, while in England it was clay and brick. The facades were plastered and painted.
2. The basement was usually made of stone.
3. Land was expensive in the native country of fachwerk houses. Therefore, to save space, each floor was constructed having an area a little bit larger than that of a lower one; consequently, the appearance of the houses resulted very original because the walls of the upper floors protruded.
4. Another important feature of their architectural style is an overhanging roof. Its slopes provided protection from rain. And in the attic, a room or two were additionally made.
Fachwerk от Lumi Polar
Fachwerk and chalet-style houses perfectly match the philosophy of Lumi Polar: they organically fit into the natural landscape. To make them genuinely merge with nature, we elaborated our own collection of projects of fachwerk houses with panoramic windows. Made of solid glued laminated timber, they possess unique characteristics and prevent warmth from escaping even in harsh northern winters!
High-quality glass elements are attached directly to the non-shrinking structural grout of glued luminated timber, offering magnificent views and preventing heat loss! The space between the structures can be filled not only with glass but also with any other material possessing the necessary decorative aspects: stone, brick, metal and so forth. All wooden parts of our houses are made of the best Finnish wood that is durable, perfectly processed and has a noble texture.
A small chalet or a spacious house?
The chalet style initially meant small houses that needed to be fitted into the complex mountainous terrain. Among our architects’ projects, you will find both compact single-storey houses and spacious cottages two or three floors high, suitable for large families. Their appearance has been carefully thought out and complemented with the best Lumi Polar design ideas: bay windows, open and covered terraces, balconies. Functional layouts, spacious kitchens and dining rooms, several bathrooms, a lot of light and air, a fireplace with hot fire and a real Finnish sauna - eight centuries later, fachwerk houses continue to serve people in their new and exceptionally comfortable incarnation.
Interior solutions
The simpler, the better. In this respect, a European fachwerk resembles Finnish minimalism. The beauty of the natural texture of wood and stone is so expressive that it does not need any additional elements. Brutal ceiling beams, wooden walls and ceilings create an expressive background for the furniture. Here, both laconic furniture with strict geometry and massive wooden pieces will look equally spectacular. Warm brown and terracotta tones will “warm” the space, while the light ones will balance it and add light to it. Textile elements of cotton and linen of natural tones will become an appropriate complementary element.
What does your dream house in fachwerk style look like? Check out our collection on the website: you will surely find your ideal house among almost 50 projects. And in case you need something special, we will be happy to design a project especially for you!