Archetypal indoor climate thanks to reed, straw, and Variotherm.

The small plot in Baden? It has always been there. It always belonged to the women of the family. Now Victoria is building on it. With her husband Lukas and Emil, the most relaxed baby in the world. "A two-month-old beginner Baby," Victoria smiles. "He just feels completely comfortable here – in our house made of straw."

The only conventional thing about this building is the concrete base. On this stands the timber construction in post-and-beam construction." When this was erected, a farmer drove up with his tractor. On the trailer at the back: pressed straw bales. "Within one day, with 18 helpers, we insulated the spaces between the rafters with the bales. A pretty good DIY job!

Close to nature and energy efficient

The jambs of the wooden windows are round. The edge of the house? Also round. An unusual house. We step over the threshold. It smells good. Like wood. Like straw. Like reed. Wonderful. We immediately feel comfortable in this house made of straw and clay.

Although "house" is not quite accurate. The ensemble is still a complete construction site. But the most beautiful and natural one we have ever entered. A building made of wood and straw? Almost without bricks? Can it really compete with modern construction methods? It can. And how it can!

I always wanted a nature-oriented house. But without Lukas, I probably would never have dared, admits Victoria. That Lukas had the idea for the house made of straw may be surprising. He studied at the Technical University in Vienna. He completed his master's degree at the University of Applied Sciences Burgenland. Since then, he has been working there in research and higher education. His specialty: building technology.

Do you think that people already knew two hundred years ago how to build in a nature-oriented and at the same time energy efficient way? we want to know from him. And indeed: The excellent properties of straw, reed, clay, and lime are beyond question for the researcher.

Particularly pleasant warmth and coolness

A high-tech scientist advocating for low-tech solutions? Let's take a look around. Electric blinds or venetian blinds? Not here. Instead, there are foldable shutters. They last forever. The roof over the west-facing terrace shields the sun, keeping the heat outside. Old knowledge combined with the most efficient home technology for heating and cooling. That's what matters.

The EasyFlex Wall Heating doesn't warm the air; it works through pleasant radiant heat: The infrared waves hit furnishings and unheated surfaces at a right angle. They release this energy again in the form of heat.

Thus, the human is "warmed from within." This warmth is particularly pleasant for us because it reminds us of the cozy warm sun rays on our skin. Another plus: Hardly any convection and therefore no overly dry indoor air in winter.

In the summer months, cooled water flows through the aluminium multi-layer composite pipes and cools the rooms pleasantly and healthily. Drafts and noises are a thing of the past – thus, the wall cooling can run at night as well. 

Cooling is twice as awesome!

Interesting: The building stores more CO2 through the natural building materials wood and straw than it consumes! The CO2 footprint of the used bricks and floor slabs is thus more than completely compensated. The walls are surprisingly thick, namely around 45 centimeters: “This results in a very good insulation value. In fact, a heat pump would not be worthwhile because our heating needs are so low. But in combination with cooling, you can use the heat pump twice,” says Victoria. “Cooling is doubly awesome.”

Speaking of awesome: What do the neighbors actually say about the extraordinary construction method? “They find our house very cool,” Victoria notes with a calm smile. “On a windy day, some straw blew over to the neighbors. But they didn’t mind at all and said: ‘Oh! That’s no problem. It’s just straw. At least the roses are fertilized!’ The natural materials simply make our construction site less bothersome to people.”