Tirol Lodge: Protection for sensitive wooden bathrooms
Direct
access to the ski slopes, panoramic views of the mountains from the sauna and
an outdoor pool that’s heated all year round: that’s just a taste of what the
Tirol Lodge in Ellmau on the Wilder Kaiser ridge has to offer. Yet the
one-stop-shop hotel with its 171 rooms is not a giant box, but rather a
complete chalet village – divided into three groups of four buildings. And
what’s more, it was constructed entirely of wood in a modular design. It took
the administration building of timber construction company Egger in the nearby
town of St. Johann as its inspiration.
In
hiring Tyrolean architect Bruno Moser, the developers also benefited from the
expertise of the very same builder who was responsible for the hotel’s
inspiration. And he was ideally placed to appreciate the challenges of such a
project: wood is always moving. That’s one consideration that can be
problematic, particularly in bathrooms, where movement can result in silicone
seals being pulled apart, leaking and causing water damage to the wood.
Reliable protection against moisture for wooden bathrooms
“That’s
why it was immensely important to us that we use a very reliable method of
moisture protection in such an extensive wooden construction project. The wet
area of the bathrooms in particular must be well sealed,” states Bruno Moser
knowledgeably. “There are two popular trends in Austria at the moment:
prefabrication and timber construction. Bette is particularly in demand in this
area, as the company offers custom solutions that are well suited to wooden
buildings,” says the architect, explaining the collaboration with the bathrooms
specialists from Delbrück, Germany.
From the
outset, tiles and joints in the shower area of the bathrooms were ruled out.
“Joints are always difficult, even in a structure built from solid materials.
But they’re especially risky when it comes to wood,” sums up Moser. To play it
safe with regard to the showers in the wooden bathrooms, the firm of architects
opted for a floor-level shower tray from Bette. To create the frame, the shower
tray is manufactured with its wall side curving upwards and the concave
moulding made of glazed titanium steel. The waterproof wall panelling is then
glued to the upper half of the frame. As a result, there are no silicone joints
to the wall and the structural design protects the wood against moisture
penetration.
But the shower trays are not only sealed on the
wall side by the upturned frame. Thanks to the sealing kit used for wooden
floors, a secure, leakproof connection to the wooden floor is also possible.
For this purpose, a waterproof panel is inserted into the floor below the
shower tray, with the edges of the panel being additionally sealed with
waterproofing compound and sealing fleece.
Rapid cleaning with little effort
Another
advantage of the floor-level shower trays is the material they’re made from,
which comes with a 30-year guarantee from Bette. Glazed titanium steel is
robust and stain-resistant, as well as being quick and easy to clean. The
frame-based solution also means that the regular costs of maintaining the
silicone joints between the wall and the shower tray are a thing of the past.
In addition, the slope needed to allow water to drain away is already
integrated into Bette’s shower trays, whereas it would’ve had to be
incorporated into the tiling first, had shower drainage channels been used.
For
Bruno Moser, there was never any question of using shower drainage channels in
the Tirol Lodge. “As well as the hygiene factor, the long-term watertightness
of shower channels is highly problematic. Also, the flooring under the shower
channel would’ve had to be cast in place, which would in turn have required
drying time in a procedure that is not usual in timber construction,” says the
architect, explaining his choice.
Wooden constructions don’t have to be noisy
Sound
travels particularly well in wooden buildings, and cascading showers can be
loud. The subject of sound insulation is therefore of great importance,
especially in hotel and in wooden buildings in particular. After all, no guest
wants to hear the person in the room next door showering at three in the
morning after an après-ski party. “Our BetteFloor Side shower trays are fitted
as standard with sound-dampening mats made of bitumen, which are glued to the
underside of each shower tray. This minimises the transmission of sound to the
wooden structure,” explains Sven Rensinghoff, Head of Marketing at Bette.
Bette’s showers with upturned frames are also always delivered with sealing
tape , which isolates them and blocks the transmission of sound into the wall.
Work can be done more economically in a factory
The
future rooms for the new hotel building were created in the workshops of the
contractors Holzbau Saurer from individual room modules, each measuring 30
square metres. The modules then only had to be positioned in their final
location, as they were delivered fully fitted to the construction site. The
high degree of prefabrication of the modular wooden construction and the
precise coordination of the logistics concept resulted in a number of
advantages for the firm of architects and the timber construction company – in
particular, the construction time of just under ten months was extremely
fast-paced for a project of this size.
“Groundworks
began in early March 2018, and the Tirol Lodge was already open by
mid-December. By constructing the wooden modules in the shelter of workshops,
there are no short-term project delays due to bad weather, and the modules are
all built to the same quality,” says Bruno Moser, summarising further
advantages of modular prefabrication.
“Building with wood is climate friendly and
sustainable,” adds Rensinghoff. “And there are tried-and-tested solutions for
bathrooms that take account of the special characteristics of the material and
ensure watertightness, sound insulation and hygiene. We’re delighted that the
Tirol Lodge put its faith in Bette’s expertise in this delicate area.”