FACHWERK HOUSE CONSTRUCTION

Fachwerk construction is a type of building structure based on a rigid power frame made of glued laminated timber. Panoramic glazing, prefabricated frame wall panels or glued beam infill are used as wall infill. The visible frame of a fachwerk house, both inside and outside, gives it a special charm, uniqueness and originality.

Tall houses with sloping roofs, lightly painted walls and intersecting dark wooden beams immediately catch the eye when walking through old German villages. Fachwerk houses have been built in Germany since the 15th century. Over time, the style gained popularity in many European countries. Its elements are still actively used in architectural design today.

The main characteristics of the fachwerk construction style.

• Open load-bearing beams that divide the building into segments. In the classical version, they were made of stained dark wood. Medieval structures were a frame of longitudinal, transverse and diagonal beams, the cavities between which were filled with a hardening filler based on straw or clay. In modern construction, it is possible to fill the voids with bricks and other materials. Often, wooden structures are not load-bearing, but play a purely decorative role, being mounted on the facade over the cladding.
• Clear colour separation. Light plastered walls contrast with the dark frame. Historically, this was due to the high cost of coloured plaster and the peculiarities of woodworking. Nowadays, it is a tribute to tradition; you can use almost any wood and paint the walls in any colour. It is even possible to use inverted colours (dark walls, light beams), but it is worth remembering the need to preserve the style atmosphere.
• Vertical orientation. Old German towns are characterised by narrow streets with closely spaced buildings. Initially, this made it possible to take up more usable space in a cramped European city. Nowadays, even one-storey fachwerk houses are often built, but it does not hurt to add at least one turret as a tribute to the specifics.
• Lots of small windows. Initially, this feature was associated with the inability to make large windows, the inaccessibility of glass as a material, and sometimes the large number of small rooms on the floor played a role. Modern technologies make it possible to install panoramic windows without any problems, but this will kill the whole style. It is better to replace them with several small windows arranged in a row. This solution is more aesthetically pleasing, better in terms of ventilation and gives the facade a cosy look.
• The second floor overhangs the first. In the Middle Ages, this was due to the need to protect the wood from precipitation – the water would run off without affecting the lower floors. This design feature creates a distinctive silhouette of the building and allows for an elegant canopy over the entrance. Nowadays, the point of extending the top is mainly to preserve authenticity, although it also allows you to make a canopy over a veranda or porch, and increase the usable area.
• High and mansard roofs. The shape of the roof provides good drainage during rain, rapid snowmelt, and the presence of an attic allows for increased living space. A pointed roof is a mandatory attribute of a fachwerk building; the attic can be arranged as desired.

Fachwerk houses have been built for many hundreds of years. Back in the 19th century, it was the most common type of building. The idea of the construction is very simple: a frame is assembled from wooden beams of square cross-section, the walls have a lattice structure, and the gaps between the beams were filled with clay mixed with straw. The beams were painted with black paint, and the clay passages with white paint, hence the pattern of intersecting stripes on the wall of the house. Today, however, new fachwerk houses are built infrequently.