Ecology

There he stands, the Balthasar Volcano. But not on its two legs. A foam glass panel forms its foundation. One of several constructional and ecological features that Balthasar Volcano in St. Wolfgang has to offer. With another, it has even become a showcase project in house construction.

But first his name. It was given to him by builder Anna and builder Max. A fusion of his first name and her grandfather's surname. This is how the name and figure were created around the unique vacation apartments, which welcomed their guests for the first time in St. Wolfgang in September 2021. Balthasar Volcano is special in more ways than one.

Each of its four premium vacation apartments, all set in the wonderful natural surroundings of Upper Austria with a view of Lake Wolfgangsee, reflects a characteristic feature of the Balthasar Volcano. Modern interiors, local natural materials of the highest quality and individual design ensure an unforgettable living experience at the highest level. The wooden house, built in 2021, impresses above all with its ecological construction. A key focus of Anna Winkler and Maximilian Eisl.

The building had to be sustainable and environmentally friendly. Its advertising claim "Inspired by Nature and Design" aptly sums up the message.

It started with the foundation of the cross-laminated timber building, which they had been advised against several times for cost reasons. However, abandoning the usual strip foundation for the floor slab and breaking new ground with compacted foam glass gravel made from recycled glass proved to be more cost-effective and far more environmentally friendly in the end. An incentive for the developer couple that justified their research work and perseverance. The project is particularly unique due to the external insulation. Developed by timber construction pioneer Günther Kain from Bad Goisern, Balthasar Volcano is the first building to use larch bark insulation, a purely natural product, as its outer shell.

With the same function as conventional façade insulation, Balthasar Volcano protects against the cold and keeps out the heat. The Salzburg start-up Barkinsulation presses pieces of larch bark into solid 8 cm thick panels, which are doubled up and applied as an external facade - equipped with several sensors. This makes Balthasar Volcano a much-noticed research object at Salzburg University of Applied Sciences. After all, it's not just Anna and Max who want to know how the new insulating material behaves on their vacation apartments. Behavioral observations and measurements by the University of Applied Sciences will provide information on what development studies and laboratory tests have so far promised. Outstanding insulation performance from a purely natural product.