The vision to build a hotel entirely of wood has become a reality in the 5* Green Spa Hotel MalisGarten. The hotel opened in June in the Zillertal valley in Austria.

MalisGarten is the world’s first 5-storey hotel made entirely of solid wood. 

PEFC-certified glue laminated timber (binderholz glulam) and cross laminated timber (binderholz CLT BBS) supplied by Binderholz Bausysteme GmbH were used for the entire supporting structure.

The inside of the building sees binderholz solid wood panels and profiled wood from native trees such as pine, nut, steamed spruce, larch and white fir. 

The doors, furniture and parquet floors are made of walnut and oak wood from local producers.

Wood was also used for the furniture and decoration in the hotel’s spacious lobby, and gives the rooms a warm atmosphere as well as a natural scent.

The Italian star architect Matteo Thun from Matteo Thun & Partners who planned MalisGarten especially appreciates the material’s unique versatility.

“Wood is the only material I know of that combines aesthetics and technical durability,” he highlighted.

Extraordinary inside and out

Not only the inside, also the building’s wooden exterior façade is eye-catching. The front of the hotel blends in with its garden, creating a natural oasis in the middle of the village.

At the back of the hotel, there is a 2,000 m² space with relaxation areas, a fruit and herb garden and a large pool. The wooden walls and ceilings give the impression of a wellness landscape in the middle of a forest.

Sustainability at its finest

The use of PEFC-certified solid wood and a sophisticated heating and cooling concept using geothermal energy and pellet heating make MalisGarten one of the most sustainable hotels in the area.

Thanks to the use of wood, the hotel has a larger net usable area due to leaner construction, and lower energy costs due to the wood’s natural insulation properties.

Wood stores CO₂ throughout its life cycle. In MalisGarten, more than 1,500 tons of CO₂ are stored in the solid wood elements. Solid wood structures can be prefabricated and assembled on site, allowing for a quiet, clean and fast construction.

Woods such as fir, spruce or pine give a room a warm atmosphere and have a calming effect on the mind and body, making wood the perfect material in every respect for Green Spa Hotel MalisGarten.

Facts

Builder: Family Binder-Egger | ZillerSeasons
Architecture: Matteo Thun Milano, Meissl Architects
Statics: Binderholz Bausysteme GmbH
Support structure planning: tragwerkspartner zt GmbH
Wood construction: Holzbau Schweinberger GmbH
Products used: binderholz CLT BBS, glulam, 3-layer solid wood panels and profiled timber

Source: PEFC