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Wood – the best reason to choose it as a building material is that it`s actually growing! 1. Wooden houses have low energy costs, because this material has a very low thermal conductivity. This feature not only saves money for the inhabitants, but also does less harm to the environment, by helping spare the heating fuel. 2. Wooden houses are acoustically comfortable, due to the properties of wood. Moreover, researchers have showed that in comparison with masonry houses, wooden houses are less stressing to live in. Their positive effects on the health is certified by the fact that wood is a hundred percent an organic material. And it is worth to mention here a distinct characteristic of wood - the capacity of absorbing unpleasant odors. 3. The range of plans and facades made possible by the use of wooden structures is very diverse. As this kind of structures is so light, it allows changes in the placement of the windows or doors, whenever necessary. 4. When the family gets bigger, the wooden house can also get bigger – because additions are easily feasible. 5. The esthetical aspect plays an important role in the choice of wood as a construction material. Wooden finishes are in fashion – walls, ceilings or floors covered in wood offer unforgettable interiors.


Building wooden houses in the city and even permanent residences in the country today represents a challenge, a return to the wooden building traditions, disconsidered without justification over the last century.

The long term use of wood in this domain is recognised - being one of the first materials precessed by man, because of the easiness of its procurations, of the possibilities of processing even with the simplest means, and also because of its multiple qualities.

 
 

There is no such category of household items in which wood has never been used (and in some of them wood is used even on this day). The wooden houses with a light structure, following the Transylvanian Saxon tradition, or those with walls of massive wood, following the Slavic tradition, have been rediscovered over the last decades - not only that their price is significantly lower than of the brick houses, but they also have remarkable qualities.

It is worth clarifying some of the most common prejudice related to this matter:

  1. wooden houses are earthquake resistant. In fact, the wooden structure is more elastic and takes over the seismic forces better than the rigid brick walls;
  2. wooden houses present fire risks no higher than the brick houses, if the material has been fireproofed preperly;
  3. wooden houses are durable. The processed wood presents an excellent behaviour towards wear and tear and severe weather in time (for instance, the massive wood parquet can last for over 100 years).

Wood – the best reason to choose it as a building material is that it`s actually growing! 1. Wooden houses have low energy costs, because this material has a very low thermal conductivity. This feature not only saves money for the inhabitants, but also does less harm to the environment, by helping spare the heating fuel. 2. Wooden houses are acoustically comfortable, due to the properties of wood. Moreover, researchers have showed that in comparison with masonry houses, wooden houses are less stressing to live in. Their positive effects on the health is certified by the fact that wood is a hundred percent an organic material. And it is worth to mention here a distinct characteristic of wood - the capacity of absorbing unpleasant odors. 3. The range of plans and facades made possible by the use of wooden structures is very diverse. As this kind of structures is so light, it allows changes in the placement of the windows or doors, whenever necessary. 4. When the family gets bigger, the wooden house can also get bigger – because additions are easily feasible. 5. The esthetical aspect plays an important role in the choice of wood as a construction material. Wooden finishes are in fashion – walls, ceilings or floors covered in wood offer unforgettable interiors.

 

The house in the photos is located on a sloped wooded piece of land in eastern France, in front of which is displayed a spectacular view of the Annecy Lake. The owner of the house, a Canadian married to a French woman, wished himself a wooden house, to remind him of his native country, yet equipped with all modern facilities.

The house takes over the slope while the main faηade opens up to with wide glazing surfaces to the Annecy lake. As it is perceived from a dynamic, ascending angle the house has a peculiar stateliness. Even though the photos don`t show it (they were made before completing the exterior) next to the wooden terrace used as a dining and lounge a swimming pool was designed.

The constructive system proposed by our company and approved by the owners was the traditional panel system – with vertical, horizontal and diagonal elements. This system offers the construction stability and structural resistance, as it assures the taking over of vertical charges (those of the weight of the floors and roof) and the horizontal ones too (from wind and earthquakes) and transmits them to the foundation.

Because the facades are finished with white plaster –which stands in a nice contrast with the surrounding green- the only thing that betrays the wooden structure from the outside is the fenestration.
The owners wanted to keep the spirit of the region alive in the exterior look of the house, so they chose a tiled roof. The foundation and the basement (with celery and garage) is made of reinforced concrete. The high socle has to key roles: to protect the ground floor walls from bad weather and to make the house more imposing.

With a total surface of ~250 sqm, the house has three bedrooms, all of them located on the upper floor. Taking into consideration the number of the family members two bathrooms were designed – one with a shower, the other with a tub. Except for the small studio, the ground floor is made up of the living room and kitchen which melt into each other. The staircase acts like a hub of this room. Due to the mild climate, the dining room is most of the year located on the wooden terrace.

 

 













  
The composition on the outside is discreet, yet attractive – the hues of white and blue-gray do not disturb the landscape.
An elegant look, a dominant position hides a friendly and a modern interior design. No matter the finishing of such a house, it is easy to notice that it possesses a beneficent energy, a feeling of being at home, given off by this rich and warm material – the wood. One feels at large in a house like this, without even being aware of the reason.
Another important theme in the design of this dwelling was the lighting. In a room finished in wood the positioning and dimensioning of the light sources has specific demands – the wood has a peculiar behavior in relationship with the light it absorbs and reflects.
This behavior depends on the species, the natural colour, the last protective layer. The light is reflected from a resinous wood surface in a different way than from a ceiling with a white painted roof boarding. For the interior finishing the dominant material is still wood – the wood panels of resinous wood of this house were especially designed in Romania, along with the rest of the house.

 

CITE DU BOIS is a Romanian company with French capital, whose young and talented team wishes constantly to provide their customers with quality services. We can buil the wooden house of your dream! And soon even its wooden furniture! From the first drafts to the last furnishings and the proper assembly, CITE DU BOIS is ready to undertake the responsability for each stage of the drafting and construction process. We are most interested in supplying out customers with quality materials and drafts, but we are at the same time concerned with the impact of such buildings on the environment. Given the fact that wood is a regenerable material and moreover it has positive effects on health, a wooden house has all the reasons to become and inspired investment, which will also contribute to the decrease of the cost of the heating bill. Wood returns to the public attention today, last but not least because of its potential comfort and intimacy that each of us withes to have.

Cetatea Lemnului

46 Cobalcescu Street, District 1, 010196 Bucharest, ROMANIA
Phone : +40 (21) 312.83.34
Fax : +40 (21) 312.88.09
E-mail: contact@cetatealemnului.com
   
   

     
               
 
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