The new building of the Stiftung Alpenruhe was awarded the label Schweizer Holz (Swiss timber). A total of 278.7 cubic metres of wood were used in the new construction and renovation of the Stiftung Alpenruhe in Saanen. Furthermore, 91.2 percent of the timber used in the construction came from Swiss forests.

Wood from the Lenk forest
The plaque, which was handed over with the award and is now displayed on the façade of the building, certifies that 254.2 cubic metres of the construction timber were sourced in the forest around the municipality of Lenk. Processing in Lenk also minimised transport routes.

Approximately 20 cubic metres of construction timber were not sourced from Swiss forests. This wood was mainly used for components such as purlins (roof beams), the production of which requires special equipment that is not available in Switzerland.

Around 200 tonnes of carbon dioxide are bound in the entire timber volume of the new building and thus removed from the atmosphere for decades. This is roughly equivalent to the amount produced by 40 Swiss citizens in one year.

Large wooden buildings more common
The label is awarded by Lignum Holzwirtschaft Schweiz, the umbrella organisation of the Swiss forestry and timber industry. It works closely with the Initiative Holz BE, the cantonal platform of the Bern forestry and timber industry, which brings together the interests of all the industry associations, from forests and sawmills to carpenters and joiners.

BASED ON AVS/JENNY STERCHI