This Swiss Building blew me away! All Wood and Concrete - NO Insulation

[@sushh1]

He didn't mention how beautiful and amazing the building was.

[@xw33b36]

Don't forget incredible.

[@Paskaloth]

Or that it was wood, I had to google that part myself.

[@Ottee2]

WooHoo, you guys made me yodel.

[@buiquocduy9518]

Awesome book that gives you step-by-step photos kzbin.infoUgkxTNB_zFBSnTo_O1PqfVUwgi7ityw0JlKt and directions to make every day project. I can see myself making a few of these projects and giving them as housewarming and holiday gifts!

[@MrLewispettite]

Such a gorgeous book - each shed is unique and inspiring, and I love all the tiny details Kotite features to help readers imagine how to create their own She Sheds kzbin.infoUgkxe9yi0sulKgsp0VJJCIrLWWkvVqcU7LFR . The feature on Dinah's Rustic Retreat is like something from a fairy tale. It's really inspiring to see how creative all these ordinary people are in making beautiful and useful spaces on a modest scale.

[@DLBBAM]

Many people here commenting on the perceived wastefulness of the extreme use of wood in this system Obviously, none of these people have ever been to Switzerland. I assure you, they are in no danger of using more wood than their forests are producing. Swiss forests are growing at a rate of several million cubic centimeters worth of lumber every year. The forestry program here is fantastic, profitable, and very sustainable. Almost like they've had 5000 years to figure it out or something... Switzerland has a VERY long tradition of buildings things with solid wood, 100% wood everywhere. What you are seeing here is a result of this wood culture, add to this the fact that wood is a resource which the country has an abundance of. They DON'T have an abundance of other materials like the United States, plus they don't want to mine away their mountains to make concrete. Argue about sustainability all you want, but please remember that what is sustainable in the US is not sustainable in Switzerland, and vice verse. Then add to this that Swiss builders absolutely despise any product that cannot be sourced from nature. So plastic insulation is pretty much out. All of the sort of engineered materials US carpenters use are out. The final factor when considering sustainability is this: Swiss buildings are built to last for 200 years or more. Literally, this is not an exaggeration. They build in ways that to you may seem excessive, but it's because they're built to last for so long. US homes in contrast are built to last 50-100 years, often less. This wouldn't make sense in the American mindset at all. Swiss won't use the insulation systems Americans use, because they don't trust these products to last. Their concerns are simply in different places than yours.

[@jopetroni]

I completely agree, Europeans design their houses for generations, and that's the best tactic sustainability-wise.

[@DRUGXXI]

Thank you for the class !

[@ahmedsaffah5222]

Thank you for this input. You sir, just opened my mind a bit wider.

[@CaptainLonestarr]

The oldest Wooden house in switzerland, people still live in there, is from 1287!

[@Sy2023hk]

The Swiss build and material quality is always of high standard. Very impressed with this building method. Its Precise, Robust, elegant, well planned and executed.

[@angryshrub1]

What the heck! Do they think all that wood just grows on trees?

[@EpicHardware]

it's literally what exactly is happening

[@loopymind]

@@EpicHardware r/wooosh

[@OXhuls]

@daylight moonlight woooosh

[@rodtemplado9453]

Its okay if you hate when you so it the right way.

[@HeikkiHeer]

Many countries in Europe have laws regarding growing trees. That way forrests are growing despite the use of wood for buildings.

[@erikengheim1106]

For people complaining about all the wood usage. There are advantages to doing it like this. It means one can replace concrete with wood. Concrete production is one of the largest emitters of CO2 in the world. In contrast, wood sucks up CO2. The more wood we put into our building mass, the more CO2 we get rid of from the atmosphere, assuming we regrow the forrest that was cut down. Most of the developed world has a health net growth in forrest though, so there is ample opportunity to use more wood for building construction. Technology has been developed today to use wood for building high rise buildings. Replacing concrete in high rises with wood could significantly cut down on CO2 emissions. The future of building is likely bricks, stone and wood over concrete.

[@TennantBuilds]

So essentially what you're saying is that I should reduce my focus of being a welder/fabricator and start another apprenticeship in masonry!? Only kidding... of course... in regards to my career choice. Our youth should really be listening close and participating in these conversations and research efforts.

[@dueldu70]

@@edencastillo4417 Yeah... I dunno but 5% is still a lot. And he never claimed it to be "the largest" just "one of the largest". And with your 25% Agriculture being only about 5x that much that isn't hard to assume.

[@erikengheim1106]

@@brightlamp2549 CO2 isn't good for plants. You make it sound like a health drink. Plants are simply made from CO2 and water mostly. What is "good" is a bit more complicated question. Plant growth is seldom inhibited by lack of CO2. It is of more significance the role CO2 plays as a green house gas. Your argument is about as sensible as saying that we should not be concerned with chloride gas pollution because salt is made of potassium and chloride gas.

[@freezedeve3119]

all problems started when people stopped living from the living nature and started using other than stone, wood and other plants. What comes to thinking green these days makes world just worse, all those solar panels, windmills etc are just harmful waste in the nature, bio degradable plastic generate micro plastic which pollute everything etc, so please stop thinking green and build more nuclear plants. World is on constant change, no point to fight against change best is to adapt or die.

[@danielrose1392]

​@@edencastillo4417 forestry in total is about 6% but most of this comes from areas where trees are chopped down and burned for fire wood without replanting. Building wood is practically net zero if the trees are replanted.

[@andrewludwig9251]

No one even mentioned that the sand would act as a serious fireblock between floors -- genius

[@fromtheburbstothetetons8826]

I am building a workshop apartment (first-floor workshop, second-floor apartment) and very worried about the noise. The sand sounds like an awesome idea (pun intended 😛).

[@iblis89]

My apartment from The 60's has 7 centimeters of sand between a concrete floor and The Wonder floor.. It's not anything new

[@Jeppelelle]

@@iblis89 Never understand why people say "its nothing new" because people ALWAYS say that when no-one has even claimed it to be anything new.

[@HeikkiHeer]

Nothing new. There are buildings that are hundreds of years old with sand in the floor.

[@lukasadamson6091]

@@HeikkiHeer the idea is still genius. Whats your point?

[@chrisschmidt8182]

Wood done right is possible the best you can do. Sandfill is an old technology stays warm, lots of air in between and stays dry, water flows dowwards no mold build up. Looong time ago so in the 1950 th.when we buildt woodfloors in Austria we used wood stringers and they where filled in between with Hoch Ofen Schlacke ( steel mill slag ) was at that time the best deal and you used a otherwise unusable product. Super insulation and the floor stays warm, whats importand if you are on the groundfloor. Sand is as old as buildings are, in agent times they used it as buffer so the Tile or stone Floors dont break. Dont know who remembers stamped and compacted soil floors. Other countrys other methods. Hard to implicate in the US we are here a fast track building group. Have a nice weekend Chris Schmidt

[@skyphics270]

oh, Austria, the plague of europe, is good the wood from Romania?

[@nougatbitz]

The houses they show on their website are so refined and beautiful looking. Waving patterns on the walls, rounded transitions from wall to roof line, some true masterpieces on display...

[@rsage_]

There is a reverence to this building. The form bleeds through the function. The symmetry and use of bare materials forces any that can build to gasp in awe. The Helvetic Confederation is "[...] the light of the world. A [nation] built on top of a hill".

[@AF-O6]

Immaculate job site! Obviously there is a great deal of pride and craftsmanship poured into this building.

[@OU81TWO]

The work ethic of the Swiss is a far cry from the crap you see in North America. There's no comparison.

[@fabr5747]

@@OU81TWO Well, we also have corporations that want quality and safety. In the US, you cry about your ridiculously low level of safety at work with OSHA... Here is a safer construction site.

[@anonymousee716]

the major thing about this type of construction is that it combines what is renewable and relatively light with something long lasting, although energy intense. the trees grow, and can be planted again, and while they grow they provide oxygen and a multitude of other benefits to the environment for living creatures. genius! i believe that original stone floors in many middle ages buildings had alternating layers of sand and rocks of varying sizes at the ground level, for similar effect and to provide a kind of "foundation pad" much like modern concrete slab foundations. so interesting to see the evolution of that idea in this building, and used in upper floors!

[@raduteodorpetrica2344]

These series with the trades you're visiting, Las V, Munich, Switz and others are just gorgeous, it's such a joy to sit and watch all this info.Thanks for all this work.

[@rjtumble]

sand in the lattice floor seems like an awesome idea. Great way to add mass and sound proofing between floors.

[@HenryLoenwind]

Sand-filled floors have been more or less standard for ages here. The lattice instead of rows of beams is the innovation.

[@itsrobbin274]

HenryLoenwind Im trying to understand how the sand works as a fire retarder and the assembly itself (architecture student just trying to grasp it) I haven't seen anything this interesting in NorthAmerica. It's a fascinating floor system to be sure.

[@SwissCLine]

quality of Swiss products is 10000% trustable. I am not originally from Swiss, but after living here many years I say no 1 quality whatever they create ❤❤❤

[@nickv4073]

To date, 2,000 termites have given this video a thumbs up.

[@jaybosher6144]

J omg😂😂

[@erik....]

@J I'm not swiss so joke's on you funny guy.

[@rollsroyce7385]

Nick V 😂😂😂😂😂😂😂

[@HeikkiHeer]

Good one. Thumbs up from Switzerland. And yes: Swiss have suboptimal amount of humor built in at birth.

[@ReflectedMiles]

@@drtimbradbury So it's okay to rob nature of unique stone which isn't renewable as opposed to trees which are? Sure, that's brilliance. You might want to do a little reading about modern sourcing practices before making pronouncements that make you look more like your first sentence than others.

[@zaneh6224]

Only in Switzerland could you build such a building where money is no option, beautiful interior and I bet the workmanship was 200% accurate

[@ohauss]

It's to be the HQ of the company. It's meant to show off.

[@Elskandaria]

I‘m a civil Engineer in switzerland. And no, not everyone here got something like this. It‘s pretty expansiv, even for me! 😂

[@tomasvrabec1845]

😂 the rule Nice but expensive allies almost universally everywhere.

[@tommyboybr]

You couldn’t expect less from Switzerland! 🇨🇭 ♥️

[@speedbuggy16v]

Thanks for taking us along on your journey, its really neat to see how things can be and are done elsewhere.

[@N4w4k]

The *coolest* building you've ever seen has no insulation? Shocking! :)

[@na-ev2zj]

I'm from brazil and insulation isn't a thing here, so can anyone explain to me whats the point of it, does it have a real use?

[@kingpoooooo]

you're not going to get much better insulation than solid timber walls.

[@katinjegat]

@@na-ev2zj insulation is a way of avoiding heat going through the walls and thus escaping to outside. So if it's cold outside and the heater is on, the heater will have to do less work if the walls are well insulated compared to no insulation, because most of the energy put into the air can't escape. If it's hot outside and the building has airconditioning then insulation will help you keep it cold inside. So yes, it does have a use

[@gabrielp.179]

Wood is one of the best materials that you can use for insulation, if you didn't know that. And before you say that i don't know what i am talking about, i am from Austria

[@N4w4k]

@@kingpoooooo I was just making a joke about the wording chosen by Matt Risinger...

[@Befread]

Huh, Finish walls, I thought they we're Swiss?

[@chorze]

1$ inside the pun-jar. NOW!

[@dattepo7534]

Wwwaaaa waaaa wa waaaaaa

[@vooveks]

* cough *

[@1989catman]

Matt, I absolutely admire your commitment to the best of the best practice of building construction and your curiosity towards the better construction methods out there. Your video like this enlights many viewers like me of what US hasn’t seen before, nor vetted yet by the codes. CLT is starting to get momentum in US, particularly in the pacific northwest where I practice architecture. Code is being amended to allow for tall mass timber structure from this year. We will certainly see more fun and functional construction like this in US soon. I also commented on your previous video recommending you to visit Japan, where “precut” technology is widely used in residential construction. Wood posts and beams are CNCed in the factory to have Japanese wood joineries. Only mallets are used to join them in the field (except for seismic brackets are screw attached). I appreciate the direction of your channel where it is heading, to be the ambassador of those construction methods we’d better know, as architect and builder. And with the power of your voice, subscriber and follower, there is no better person than you (and Jordan and your team) to carry this on. Really appreciate your channel (since many many years ago).

[@1989catman]

Olagonin Chancer As far as I know there are other Koho (method) such as “Kanamono Precut” that does use metal to join wood, similar to simpson ties in US. Insurance I don’t know. Maybe you have a point. In terms of your last question, you can help me figure out. Doesn’t matter I appreciate Matt’s work, and how much I learned from his channel.

[@phil-blog]

Gorgeous! Those ceilings are out of this world!

[@PinwheelHomes]

Matt, I've been following your posts for a while. I run a small construction company in Canada and work predominantly with Europeans using European techniques. I was surprised to find out that you had never looked into these European methods, so I'm very happy about you posting this. What I find shocking though, is how closed minded many in your audience are. They seemed very open to your suggestions for "innovative" North American materials and techniques, but are very closed minded about European design. I'm sure you had many questions similar to theirs, and many were answered in person in Europe. The Swiss (and Germans) don't just do something because they think it's cool, or outrageous, or just because they can. They think very logical about issues of sustainability, energy efficiency, building health, etc. Wouldn't you agree? How can you convey that to so many in your audience that question the Europeans sanity? Keep up great work. Are you thinking of implementing some of those techniques? (If you ever get contacted by people wanting to build CLT in Canada, please send them our way. We've work with specialists (from Germany) with lots of experience under their belt. Cheers. Hans

[@G00G00L]

Full ack. People who think that this building has bad insulation, bad fire protection or air duct issues have no clue how we build houses in Switzerland and what regulations have to be followed. And the same people build houses that collapse in every hurricane.

[@skipper3355]

I'm from Russia. We have some strange wood construction standards that have been incorrectly translated from US standards. Basically, they build as they know how, and in 90% of houses there is no ventilation. I myself want to take care of houses, please tell me a link to the standards and rules for European, Swedish wooden houses. Thank!

[@skipper3355]

@@G00G00L I'm from Russia. We have some strange wood construction standards that have been incorrectly translated from US standards. Basically, they build as they know how, and in 90% of houses there is no ventilation. I myself want to take care of houses, please tell me a link to the standards and rules for European, Swedish wooden houses. Thank!

[@byeong-cheolyu5571]

Wonderful ~~~~ !!!! I'm Korean (South Korea) , I love this series... !!!

[@townsendliving9750]

Okay commentors that seem to hate this building method. Give me an example of a wall structure that is more environmentally friendly then this one. With similar R values. Let's say this building took X amount of acres of forest per sqft of space. You can replant that forest and have it fairly regrown in 15 years. This building should last 100 years maybe several hundred You can replace the wood that it used 6 times every 100 years, sequester carbon in the entire building in the mean time. Wood is 100 percent recyclable, it can be used as heating fuel, turned into OSB or particle board, mulch. Or you could re plane the wood and build another building from it in the future. The "sand" in the floors can also be reused in the future. The process to harvest the wood, say cutting them down, and transporting can be done by renewable energy. And all material require transport. Anyways, give me an example of a wall assembly.

[@trevorlambert4226]

I would question the sustainability of this construction method in large quantities. I kind of doubt you could grow trees fast enough to be churning out millions of these. Not to mention the expense. If I was extremely wealthy, I would love to build my house like this. Although R24 wouldn't be enough in my climate, so I'd need to sandwich some celluose in there somewhere.

[@firehorse66]

Concrete core acts as thermal mass store, genius thinking, let alone fully recycled materials.

[@hippo-potamus]

A modern concrete and metal Barndominium style. Far cheaper, faster build, scaleable, no trees cut.

[@townsendliving9750]

@@trevorlambert4226 I dont think anything is really sustainable in large quantities.

[@townsendliving9750]

@@hippo-potamus my house is made of concrete (ICF) I love it. I built it that way for a reason. But concrete ingredients have to be mined, which any form of mining has a large environmental impact, also it sounds crazy but they say the world is running out of sand, look up some documentaries on it, we are using faster then the world can produce it. Much like trees I suppose, and thirdly when concrete is mixed it produces high volumes of carbon (monoxide or dioxide?) So even concrete isn't sustainable in high volume. But we have invested so much in infrastructure and technology to build from concrete that we are able to build in quite large volume. We are pretty maxed out on our rate though. And I know ICF is a bad example, but I build my house out of it and the EPS is pretty bad to build with, there is still foam balls rolling around my house and yard and I built the house 5 years ago.

[@simple.architecture]

Swiss quality is overwhelming when saw in person. No video can transmit the feeling of those fine materials. Also, see how clean the building site is. Not all countries have so well organized work. Good presentation, nice project.

[@JFabric500]

Holy cow, filling with sand is awesome!

[@dalicloud9]

this is what architecture should be. this is *ing gorgeous; throughout: physically, aesthetically, and design.

[@fabr5747]

This is where engineers and architects work well together !

[@ilovesuisse1]

Floor heating has been popular in Switzerland for a long time. We use a lot of re-usable energy.

[@tenj00]

The concete-block has some serious Heat-Battery funktion. Warming the Building in Winter and cooling it in Summer. Great Idea.

[@fabr5747]

The sand in the floors is also used for that reason ! The thermal inertia is improved with it !

[@funny-video-YouTube-channel]

*Very smart floor design.* All the plumbing, cables and heating can be in that gravel floor sandwich. It's faster and cheaper than running cables, tubes and pipes in different walls.

[@stokes771]

Unless you have to add an outlet down the road lol. But still a beautiful design.

[@Andy-qk4bl]

02:43 that "cat litter" is actually mashed cellular concrete. The product is called "fermacell" and consists of a lightweight replacement for a concrete slab. On top of the mashed concrete are two 10mm gypsum boards tightly glued together with an optional sound insulating layer on the bottom. It can be compressed wood fibers or mineral wool.

[@rickallenphoto]

Would you consider doing a video on how to create that ceiling in an existing (or new) home? Even without radiant heat, it is a very pretty structure, but it was quite difficult to see the details in this video. Thanks for all the great videos.

[@CJWarlock]

Artfully beautiful! Thanks for showing it. Cheers! The sand filling in between the wooden floor elements - so much easier to remove then concrete in case of a repair or let's say implementing an idea of running an additional pipe or cable duct in the future. And so much simpler than mixing and pouring concrete. Good idea.

[@ScottyM1959]

Hey Matt I'd love to see you do a series on Japanese architecture and building techniques and how they are used here.

[@zachp7603]

Europe is the Mecca of building technologies and standards. Germany is a worth while trip to study the craft and learn new things.

[@man1nam]

You could do an entire episode on that floor... Maybe even a mini series

[@joelg1318]

I worked with industrial insulation. That cat litter insulation is called perlite, it comes in sand form, baked on site till it pops like popcorn, then vacuume pumped to desired location.

[@triumphmanful]

Visited CH once. It was so clean and beautiful. Everyone cares. No trash. No cigs. When I got off the plane I could not believe how clean the airport was. Black soft floors too. No noise or dirt. We stayed with friends in a farmhouse. Went to town for shopping. An apple tree branch was down on the ground. When we came back it was cleaned up ! No plastic bags either. You must bring your own bags to grocery shop ! Back to NY . the airport was filthy and employees just laying around not working ! Two different worlds ! Swiss houses are bomb proof too. They last hundreds of years !

[@BlackHeart_YouTube_Channel]

Yeah. And switzerland has one the highest suicide rate worldwide because of this shortminded law and order way. We got clean streets but no freedom and everything is restricted, controlled or not allowed. Think about it. Greetz from Thun

[@kiwdwks]

Wow...never seen anything like that. Thanks for showing it.

[@YouTobePudi]

I'm an european and I love this series, Thanks Matt

[@premiercconstruction]

Cool 😎 love it and love the amazing comments ...lol. If this building is up for 300 years then it’s totally worth it. Even 500 years from now the wood can be repurposed if not allowed to rot.

[@CaptainLonestarr]

The oldest wooden house still in use! in switzerland is from 1287!

[@joshpit2003]

This is a great example of a "Doing less with more" approach to building. If anyone wants to see an example of a "Doing more with less" approach they can go check out Joe Lstiburek's "Perfect Wall" (which Matt has previously covered, but seems to have forgotten). Just to put this in perspective: The all-wood 18" wall shown in this video is ~R24. An 18" thick "Perfect wall" would be ~R60 to R80 depending on your insulation choice. The "Perfect Wall" would: - Be a fraction of the cost, both initially and over-time. (Thanks to significantly less material and tipple the R value) - Be way more eco-friendly (especially if you use cork-batt insulation), both initially and over time. (Yes, wood is renewable. But only if you are using it in a way that scales) - Last just as long, if not longer. (Due to the "perfect wall" nature of protecting the structure itself from heat fluctuation) Yes, what Matt is showing here is interesting, unique, and fun to look at. But in today's climate, construction like this is increasingly hard to justify or glorify.

[@AlphaMachina]

True on all accounts. I totally agree. It's a unique looking building, but it's not exactly innovative.

[@Rezman55]

Came here to say this, especially after the first floor laminated 2x8 system. Seems extremely wasteful and unnecessary.

[@PinwheelHomes]

I'd challenge you to have this conversation with them in person. The research into this will blow you away and the reasoning behind it is sound.

[@Rezman55]

@@PinwheelHomes Matt made an entire video on advanced framing and why it is superior to traditional 16 OC framing, including how wood has a poor R value compared to insulation. So I would love to have this conversation with them in person.

[@MW-gh1mo]

I agree with your first sentence. When money doesn''t matter, one can build it however they wish. Not a lot of heat is lost through walls, when compared to a roof, or windows, so R60 or R80 would be way over engineered in most places here in the US.

[@PhantomSavage]

... I bet this would be excellent construction materials to build a recording studio out of.

[@retireddriver16]

Lots better than the osb crap our homes are built with 👍👍👍👍👍

[@10HW]

Your passion is truly contagious

[@joshsimpson10]

I feel like the buildings are so stout that tornadoe alley needs this type of building

[@andreaslarsson3999]

The light sand might be a foam material made of recycled glass.Sometimes there is a material like that that is used when making roads.It is used instead of stone when the ground is sensitive to heavy weights.

[@constantinosschinas4503]

you should visit Tamedia Office Building by Shigeru Ban Architects in centre of Zurich. 7 floor all wooden conctruction (structural timber only).

[@siriosstar4789]

Most CLT buildings in Switzerland , germany and austria apply insulation on the outside of the building and siding over that to protect the CLT panels and the insulation. The “ you don’t need insulation “ thing by these companies is mostly for a selling point. To get a really good insulation value from a CLT house you would need about a 30 centimeter thick wall. this drives the cost up to a level that most people aren’t willing to pay and beside that you can achieve a waay better insulation value using a thinner clt wall with equal amounts of insulation on the outside .

[@d.grigsby8211]

This is a building designed and built to last centuries. It’s an investment for their society; not a cost. Considering the design life of the building and the future value of money; is this building really any more expensive to build and maintain than a typical code compliant building of the same size in the USA? It may even be less expensive among other performance benefits.

[@NoRoads2AllRoads]

thats the thing. In a previous video an american user was stating how much more expensive it was bla bla... and how he rather have the american buldings. I don't agree. Again, of course this video that Matt did, is a very niche and architectural custom bulding however a lot of the techniques are standard in Europe. Building costs are not much different that US, even when building with full concrete,brick and stone and no wood used. Switzerland, building costs are higher due mostly to higher costs of labour. But even then it's about 160$ per sq ft for a detached house. And you are right in terms of maintenance. When I moved to the US I never understood why everyone in the rental business of real estate kept telling me that 50% of the rents should be considered COSTS/Maintenance. I am sure in Europe these costs are much lower - we dont have to change roofs, holes in the walls from bad tenants are pretty much impossible unless you use a jackhammer, etc. We own a few rentals in Europe and throughout the years, the maintenance costs are minimal... most costs came from upgrades - mostly due to appearance and to keep design up to date. My grandmothers apartment is going 70 years now almost and never had major maintenance other than new paint, changing the design of a bathroom or so. The roof is still original one and I am sure it will last many more decades - roof tile.

[@ckm-mkc]

Too true - I'm currently working on several multi-billion dollar projects, all of which have a design lifetime of 30 years.....

[@hans1993hans]

@Haris Manou it will last more than a century. Most homes in Switzerland are old. The average house is 70 - 100 years old before it gets replaced. The old towns of our cities are often over 200 years old. Some buildings are over 700 years old.

[@kuba2ve]

@@ckm-mkc That is so that people have jobs to do, if we did everything to last forever then eventually we would caught up with the needs of population but then there would not be jobs, and rich people earnings would decrease substantially, so that's why they do things this way.

[@hans1993hans]

@Haris Manou the first link i found on the Internet puts the life expectancy of concrete walls in Switzerland to 100-150 years. You can build concrete to last. The hoover dam has a life expectancy of a couple thousand years, and i would call that a wet "climate".

[@ssippishark]

Thank you for mentioning the Architect 👍 Great work, great video!

[@HaasGrotesk]

The sand method really sucks cause over time in high traffic areas the sand shifts and the floor becomes like a sponge. I've had to redo so many of these types of floor in Sweden. This method is no longer used here. But it sure does make the floor quieter. Not worth it though.

[@tigersharkzh]

Although rare there are a few tornadoes a year in Switzerland and Germany. You will be amazed at how well these buildings stand up against f2 tornadoes.

[@TobIas-or9dj]

„Healthy, energy efficient, beautiful, long lasting“ You just described Swiss, Austrian and German buildings. It’s not too important to have the biggest house with the biggest fake Chrystal chandelier. We call it quality when my great grandson is the first person to worry about 1/7 of the roof tiles

[@bikerchrisukk]

That intro made me laugh, great video and hope you enjoyed your time off your local patch!

[@magnus5356]

The 2x8 style floors was fairly common here in Seattle back in the day. Not many left since they are tearing down everything to build shitty, 'OSB everything' appartments...

[@jaimerascon9805]

Fast and cheap.

[@magnus5356]

Jaime Rascon a.k.a. shity. Because they sure charge you for it when done!

[@MrBeaux]

That is a shame that the build quality and architecture of Seattle's new housing is absolute garbage, but the city is growing like crazy and does need a shit ton of new housing.

[@magnus5356]

It's reversing now, house prices drops faster than anywhere in the nation right now. So in 10-15 years they'll be down to what they are actually worth...

[@0x73V14]

this is patently false, they use plenty of MDF, hardibacker and PVC too :P

[@nightmodem]

Absolutely fantastic and so inspirational!

[@kamcg1049]

Matt, Can you explain how they deliver services - power, network cabling etc out the floor areas? Seems this is not catered for in floor or the overhead roof design on each floor. How about Q&A to answer the follow-up questions to the video? Keep up the good work.

[@tophan5146]

Incredibly beautiful.

[@kylemacht]

Very interesting floor system, thanks for sharing Matt!

[@thomasmcarthur5436]

This is beautiful! Inspiring! Thanks Matt

[@lukasbrazdil3997]

Surprised they have only R24 walls. It is pretty common even in central Europe to have R40 walls and R60 roof. And it will be mandatory since 2020 in many EU countries.

[@fabr5747]

Central Europe is MUCH colder than Switzerland, and much hotter as well !

[@wolfenstien13]

That building is the future of architecture. Take notes.

[@jeffreyspence7717]

Home building in America is horrendous. Homes slapped up in a week. Shoddy work.

[@europeanamerican4253]

Find a contractor that isn't staffed entirely of Mexicans... problem fixed!

[@charris942]

@@europeanamerican4253 doesn't have to be fully staffed of Hispanics, shady work is still shady no matter who does it

[@Steven-xf8mz]

@@europeanamerican4253 lmao. what does it have to do with mexicans? trust me when i say it's white people who hired them and picked the material used, mexicans didn't have a say in quality and quantity.

[@jc-aguilar]

WTF? Have you talked to somebody from Mexico who works on construction in USA? Most of them also think the home building here is horrendous.

[@europeanamerican4253]

@@Steven-xf8mz I agree but when you see a contractor that has all Mexican staff that usually means they are cheap and the workers and not very skilled. They probably grabbed them off the street near their local home depot.

[@anonymousee716]

"Riiiiiicolaaaaaa!" sorry, could not resist. great video, great building.

[@MikeGillett58]

Appreciate your sharing of information. Very curious about ventilation, cooling, as well as the electrical? Not a plug in sight. The buildings that I have seen with seemly construction simply nail the wire to the walls, talk about ugly, besides a commercial building, can't imagine it would not have conduit? I know they are 50 hz 220 volts, the building seems very isolated in terms of a path to ground, possibly incorporated into the flooring system?

[@olirueda6907]

i believe that since a lot of the wood is touching it then behaves like a larger piece, andthus is more fire resistant than some in the comments think. think about the difficulty of trying to light a 2x4 with a lighter, almost impossible

[@kaster03]

Do you have plans to make a video of the specific changes you would suggest to make to typical American construction standards after your trip?

[@TrogdorBurnin8or]

I agree, followup videos on the upsides and downsides of these techniques after you've had time to do research would be nice, though I understand it's hard to get that sort of thing sponsored.

[@myCloudWatcher]

Please follow up with side by side cost/feature with US ideas.

[@jarthuroriginal]

@@myCloudWatcher How much did this building cost?

[@augustreil]

Great video, beautiful building.

[@paleikas3180]

Switzerland, Austria and Germany can build. Much to learn

[@BlackHeart_YouTube_Channel]

They've learned from italy.

[@orreng]

Nice Matt & Jordan!!

[@2thelight]

Incredibly it's just all too incredible incredibleistic possibly I just can't handle The Incredibles is that credible?

[@shadowblack1987]

Incredibly incredible.

[@HayzerX]

Incredible..? Incredible

[@junkdna9093]

in saudi arabia we use the sand in floor from a long time more than 60 years ago . but we cover it with concrete and one lane of liquid asphalt to make it waterproof .... but if u use wood it will be wet ( cleaning floor , etc ..... )

[@danielwijk5010]

I think he loves this building XD

[@redsquirrelftw]

Damn that is awesome! Very interesting and efficient design. I do wonder though if there is any form of vapour barrier, or if the wood sealer will be enough. Definitely a neat concept. A standard wall with batt insulation is like R12.

[@kingofDF]

Damn... that's awesome!

[@40cents993]

I am pretty sure from the looks of it, that it is not normal sand. In Austria we call it "Estrich" and in Switzerland its called "Unterlagsboden". It is very lightweight and will flow in every crack, like sand. Then it is cured and hardenend, i think with conrete-like chemical compound inside. After the curing prozess its solid, noise dampening and lightweigth. Its pretty much the Standard in Germany, Austria and i guess Switzerland as well since decades!! ;-) Greetings from Austria.

[@timothyames8385]

Very cool...and looks great! Seems to be nearly what would be called a...bunker? lol

[@sirhux]

The way you started the overview reminded me of Gladiator, “are you not entertained?”

[@MRSketch09]

It is really nice. I still like that barn more though. The overhangs really sold me. Anyways, I wish you would comment on how they deal with wood pest where they are. OR is that even an issue? I know it's winter time over their right now, but what about the summer time?

[@WAJK2030]

MRSketch09 no termites. But we have smth called „Hausbock“ de.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hausbock - but since we are keeping wood constructions minimum 30cm from the ground and since we always have massive basements or foundations, we rarely have trouble with our wooden buildings. And since most wooden constructions are kept sealed from the outside, we are mainly good.

[@MRSketch09]

@@WAJK2030 Thanks for the reply, and sharing. That beetle looks like it can do some nasty damage. Where I live we have "termites".. hate them.

[@spudluver47]

A good argument has been made that concrete is more environmentally friendly than wood because young trees take so many years to uptake much carbon, and the average house takes a football field worth of trees to build. Plus concrete lasts 2x-3x as long, so the comparison is really between one concrete structure and 2 or 3 equivalent wood structures

[@josephcano8074]

Those windows are pretty big.

[@jorisknuts9662]

Whe have 3 pane windows in europe, so pretty well insulated. Heavy though

[@pierredelecto7069]

Sand is the best for sound. Used to fill voids in cmu for the same effect. Quieter than grout cores.

[@danield2774]

Looks like they used half the forest, as long as it dosnt leak should last a long time for sure.

[@fr0stmourn3]

Cutting down trees is fine as long as you replant.

[@RobWhittlestone]

Love this series! Greetings from Switzerland, Rob

[@corivian]

“NO insulation”, and the floor will have an insulationlayer 😏

[@Kekeripo]

As someone born and living in switzerland, i've seen some houses build 200 years ago still standing strong and then some 30 years ago being torn down. The house we live in (rent) is from the 1880s and the only thing i hate is the noise coming through the top floor of the neighbors. I'ts super warm in the winter, never feels cold like our house in my parents homecountry made out of brick and concrete. Shame that the cool stuff shown in this video isn't wide spread and concrete/brick apartments are popping up everywhere.

[@easterlingderek34]

So is this the same guy who said it was better to build with less wood and more insulation?

[@dustonscharbrough3013]

awesome!!!

[@tinasun6909]

If you don't have a lot of money 🤣.

[@chrisfreemesser5707]

24" on center for exterior walls, IIRC :|

[@arturozons151]

Yes he is

[@walturburk]

Link?

[@Kareszkoma]

Great video and really nice house!

[@doctorangry3227]

"no insulation" >precedes to review the most insulated building since fort knox

[@moviemakerwannabe]

I'd like to see an update with the finished building.

[@tylercousins7779]

I have a better idea for N America to be more environmentally friendly. STOP building massive homes and reduce the amount of wasted space and materials. I live near Vancouver B.C. It it very common here for homes to be 7-15,000 sq ft. It is ridiculous. I don't care how rich you are, it is NOT NEEDED. 600-1000 sq ft per person is more than enough space. I grew up as a family of 4 in a 2400 sq ft home. We had rooms we never used. I really hate seeing articles about giant homes that claim to be energy efficient or environmentally friendly.

[@gantmj]

It's not all about need, and it's none of your business what others want to do.

[@DarkAshenfall]

You also should take into account how people have grown up. Just because some people/cultures can be happy/healthy in small spaces, doesn't mean it will work for others. Most people have grown up in 4-5 family households. With each kid having their own room, or having to share with a sibling, but with plenty of space elsewhere in the house. Suddenly shifting everyone down a size, will cause a lot of friction and mental discomfort. Some might say 'tough it out', its not that easy. Nor is it easy for an immigrant to suddenly acclimatize to another culture. Nor for some simply shifting jobs, after they've had a career for a long period of their life. Also, here in the US, the concept of individuality and privacy is a very strong part of the culture. Having small spaces and less privacy is a serious issue. Especially among neighbors. Its cause for a lot of community issues. Pressing your own culture/upbringing onto others is a sure fire recipe for disaster.

[@ArnoldQMudskipper]

@@anothermidlifecrisis McMansions

[@gantmj]

@DNA "So if I posit a non sequitur, thereby removing all context from what you said, it doesn't then magically make what you said incorrect?" It was implied that I meant that it's none of that person's business what size house others choose to build, just because they personally think it isn't "needed". Furthermore, it's caustic, radical left-wing thinking to try to police how big houses are because of their subjective idea of what the consequences to the environment "should be" If someone wants to have a 15,000 square feet house, that's their prerogative as a free human being. It's a positive if those people also want to build and operate them in the most environmentally friendly manner as possible (within the confines of their vision).

[@CaalamusTube]

600SQ'?! Wow! I wish! I'm in 440SQ' & I've seen *MUCH* smaller!

[@RoboticusMusic]

This would make for a decent listening room as is because of the diffusion on the floor and ceiling.

[@johnranalletta9249]

What would be comparable cost/sq" if built likewise in US? $3000?

[@heresmytake2782]

This Building cost has got to be just an obscene amount of cash

[@TrogdorBurnin8or]

Few factories in the US even bother with second floors. If they can't get what floor they need out of six inches of aggregate, six inches of sand, and six inches of concrete, they *don't build*. This is more comparable to a US office building.

[@sevencolours5014]

Why 3000? Around 500$ I think.

[@zachp7603]

Much more expensive in Switzerland than it would be anywhere in the US

[@johnranalletta9249]

@@sevencolours5014 #2 pine, let alone birch sells for about $4/board foot. Each square foot of wall at 16" thick costs $64 not including labor for installation, finishing, etc. - and that's just a wall!

[@FredMcIntyre]

Really cool Matt! 👍🏻👊🏻

[@charlesalexanderable]

"that uses what looks like a 5 quarter by 8 material".. I'm sure they're in metric

[@zacharyugarriza8701]

I'd love to see more on the finished building too