"Building biology is part of the overall concept of BIO HOTELS®," explains organic hotelier Walter Theiner of Biorefugium theiner’s garten: "We want to offer our guests a holistically healthy and relaxing vacation. This does not stop at eating and drinking." Building biology describes a particularly sustainable construction method that is intended to have a positive influence on the well-being and health of people and nature. This begins with the choice of building materials: natural materials that are as low in pollutants as possible, such as wood and natural stone, are preferred for biological construction. This protects the environment and creates a natural indoor climate.
Biorefugium theiner’s garten in South Tyrol was built according to strict building biology guidelines. Throughout the house, natural building materials are processed, which do not release any harmful substances into the environment. Wood plays the most important role, because the hotel was built in the unique holzius solid wood construction method. The holzius company, based in South Tyrol, builds without metal or glue and uses wood only from sustainably managed forests.
The Blasla Hof in South Tyrol was also built in collaboration with holzius. In this project, the focus was particularly on regionality. It was important to the operators of the Blasla Hof that the wood only comes from their own surrounding forests and that it is cut during the full moon as well as processed themselves.
Building biology also pays attention to reducing harmful room factors such as radio waves and electrosmog to a large extent in interior design. Natural light, harmonious room acoustics and radiant heat influence well-being and support restful sleep. The Biohotel Mattlihüs in Bavaria relies on building biology to provide its guests with a positive attitude towards life. All rooms are optimized for electrosmog. Interference factors are minimized with measurement protocols, shielded cable systems and double building grounding. A special sleeping system with Swiss pine beds and Feng Shui mattresses provides additional relaxation.
At the Naturhotel Chesa Valisa in Kleinwalsertal, building biology has a lot to do with aesthetics. The host family is primarily concerned with being able to feel good in a harmonious, healthy environment. This thought also underlies the construction of the new employee houses. Built according to Vorarlberg timber architecture, they not only look appealing, but were also built in a climate-neutral manner. Thanks to CO2-neutral heating and hot water generation with photovoltaics, the Naturhotel Chesa Valisa also generates more electricity here than is consumed.
The carpentry Hafner, the hand weaving Moser, the glassworks Eisch and Poschinger and the glass school Zwiesel are just some of the regional manufactures with which the Biohotel Pausnhof cooperates. Here the naturalness of the forest was brought into the hotel. "The Bavarian Forest lives in our rooms," reveals the owner family Simmet. For the expansion of the hotel complex, there was even a nomination for the Bavarian Tourism Architecture Award "artouro" in 2016. There is much to discover at the spacious Paushof site: The new "Café Garden," a sun deck by the natural pond, a fireplace as a meeting place, a brine pool in the stone courtyard, and a "hanging garden" at the Austragshäusl are all waiting to be explored.
Tauber’s Bio-Vitalhotel in beautiful South Tyrol also shows time and again how sustainability can be actively lived and also integrated into everyday hotel life. The business has been run by Gerd and Margit Tauber since 1994 in accordance with the guidelines for closeness to nature and sustainability. Vitality, balance and joie de vivre are what the guests are supposed to refuel here during their vacation. Therefore, also in terms of building biology measures, consistent attention is paid to the environment. Thus, also in the conversion or extension completed in February 2019, care was taken to use simple, traditional building materials from the region such as concrete, wood, glass. Even with the non-visible building elements, the hosts relied on natural materials out of conviction.
Even directly in-house, the furniture from the Land Gut Höhne is manufactured in the in-house carpenter's workshop. Part of the down-to-earth core philosophy of the host family is to work sustainably with hand and heart. Therefore, the raw wood is carefully selected and processed directly at Land Gut Höhne. The wooden beds made of solid Swiss stone pine provide a good room climate and the right feel-good atmosphere.