Concept of our project work (log cabins in Canada):
We will deal with the construction of log cabins. We want to show how environmentally friendly a construction for a home can be and what impact this has on the whole environment.
We did conduct an interview with a contact person in Canada.
Her name is Ruth Vontobel. She is living with her husband in Androssan, this is between Alberta and Calgary. For over 30 years she left her life in Switzerland behind and moved to Canada.
Change one’s lifestyle for the environment and still not give up everything.
Advantages – Disadvantages
climate-friendly, withstand natural diasters, pleasant indoor climate (cooling in summer, warmth in winter), automatic regulation of humidity, fast & efficient construction (time & money can be saved), natural building material, long life span, low costs for interior finishing, fear of fire (flammable raw material), thermal insulation somewhat lower, higher maintenance effort, more susceptible to standing damp & pestes, repairs to wood as a building material are complicated
Before the experience of the heart project
Through the topic “log cabins”, people are encouraged to think. The results of the survey will be very varied, as everyone has their own idea of what a home should be.
But this makes it exciting and we can let the different views be reflected and then think about which aspect we find best.
The contact with Canada brings us closer to the people who invented this “project” of log cabins and are already living it.
We can also learn more about the construction, as we have a contact in Switzerland. It is a company that builds such log cabins here in Switzerland.
A visit of social media
In a nutshell, if you have the time and the inclination, you are welcome to go to Instagram, where we are also represented. The account is called dontwaste_myenergy (instagram.com) –Have fun!
The Honka company is the perfect example of future-oriented building. They have designed their concept for environmentally friendly building. This company has particularly inspired and impressed us.
The whole process starts with the purchase of raw materials. They make sure that the wood they use comes from sustainably grown trees. Nevertheless, most of the wood comes from Finland. The forests from which the wood comes nevertheless show a high level of biodiversity. In addition, the suppliers are also checked to see if they can meet the company’s standards.
The next step is the production and processing of the wood components in the company’s own factories in Finland. The wood waste is used for thermal energy products and recycled products. This year the company buildings have switched completely to renewable electricity. All protective packaging is made of recycled plastic.
The lifespan of the log houses is constantly being improved, as is their energy efficiency. In 2021, Honka’s delivered houses will have sequestered 30,560,000 kg of CO2. This corresponds to the average CO2 emissions of 14’220 passenger cars. In another comparison, this would be the average annual CO2 footprint of 3,000 Finns.
Our conclusion of the project
As a team, we were able to gain a lot of experience. There were also some problems that we were able to solve together.
We sat down together and compiled all the experiences and information and put them in order. We also designed an information flyer to give people who don’t know log cabins an idea.
It was a big problem that people in Switzerland don’t really have a clue about log houses. So we couldn’t achieve much with our survey.
But in the end, with our contact person and the information on the internet, we were able to come to an end.
If you want to learn more about the subject and are interested, you are welcome to click on the links below to watch a video about building a log cabin.
SWR Handwerkskunst (youtube.com)
Building a traditional log cabin (youtube.com)
We’re glad you stopped by and hope you enjoyed it.
Project of Cheyenne Lea Henzelmann & Alexandra Eberle
Sources
Holzbau im großen Stil schädigt die Natur – wir sollten davon absehen, den Wald zu opfern (geo.de)
Nachhaltigkeit (honka.com)
Blockhaus – Energieeffizienz und Klimaschutz (blockhaus-kuusamo.de)
Kanadische Blockhäuser – Schick und energieffizient (t-online.de)
All pictures “selfmade”
On topic posts on dontwastemy.energy
Tiny Houses – An Environmental Movement
Reviewers
S. Rüegg
K. Zollinger
☷ See the project teams here »
☵ Some words about the contributions »
Thank you for your post – it is very interesting!
I noticed that you had put a lot of effort into it.
You were able to impart knowledge very well!
Very interesting post – I did not know that log cabins were so sustainable. Also cool, that you were able to interview someone that already lives the “log-cabin-lifestyle”.
Thank you for the great post.
The figures are clear and comprehensible.
The text is also not too long, which makes it fun to read.
I would have appreciated a direct link to your Instagram account.
But otherwise, high praise and thanks for the article.
The advantages and disadvantages are nicely pointed out and are understandable. The self-made pictures support the individual text passages perfectly. The text in general is nicely divided into individual sections. I would have been interested to know exactly what the room layout looks like from the inside. Whether this differs from a normal house layout or not. The project was very well implemented by the group.