House Builders Awards

Economic history lived and written

Koblenz Chamber of Crafts presents 184 Golden, 32 Diamond, nine Iron and two Platinum Master Letters - Franz Huf receives Diamond Master Letter.

50, 60, 65 and even 70 years ago, he received his master craftsman's diploma. Now 227 senior craftsmen have been honoured by the Chamber of Crafts (HwK) Koblenz in the presence of Hans Peter Wollseifer, President of the Central Association of German Crafts (ZDH). From the hands of HwK President Werner Wittlich, 184 old masters received their Golden, 32 the Diamond and nine the Iron Master Craftsman's Certificate. Master baker Erich Muscheid and master tailor Franz Dahlem can even look back on 70 years of championship. They passed their master's examination in the middle of the war. The Platinum Master Craftsman's Letter was awarded for this extraordinary lifetime achievement of the now 99 and 101 year old craftsman.

Being a master craftsman was and is sustainable

In his laudatory speech, Werner Wittlich referred to the life's work of each individual. In doing so, he placed the personal professional master path in the political and social context of these years. "The events of the day have shaped our society and also us. One such personal event was certainly the successful passing of your master craftsman's diploma. In doing so, you documented that you were prepared to drive the economic upswing forward. Over the past 50, 60, 65 or even 70 years, you have made a significant contribution to shaping society with your work, regardless of the field of craftsmanship. Being a master craftsman was and is sustainable. Many have thus laid the foundation stone in their companies on which the young masters are building today", says the Chamber President. He briefly looked back at the events that moved the world in those years. The football miracle of Berne in 1954 is one of them.

Lifetime achievement honoured

Hans Peter Wollseifer also focused on the lifetime achievement of the honoured in his welcoming address. "You have brought Germany forward. I hope that your commitment and your success will encourage young people to pursue a career in the skilled trades. We need journeymen and bachelors, masters and master craftsmen alike. Wollseifer once again emphasized the dual training system as a worthwhile alternative to university studies with a variety of career opportunities.

This year, due to the number of registrations, the honouring of the jubilees was again held on two subsequent days. Werner Wittlich personally presented the masters from the 1944, 1949, 1954 and 1964 classes with their awards. He congratulated them also on behalf of General Manager Alexander Baden as well as the HwK board of directors and found words of thanks and recognition for each of the jubilarians. Four anniversary masters - a master hairdresser, a master carpenter, a master upholsterer and a master watchmaker - were introduced in a short film. The contribution gave cause for smiles, reflection and recognition. It evoked memories. Above all, the personal fulfilment that was connected with the master craftsman's examination for the four masters and their summary after decades of mastery became clear. In the craft they became happy and satisfied. With foresight, passion and lifeblood they managed their company and some of them are still active.

Old masters remember

Master watchmaker Walter Friedrich Schmidt from Andernach and master butcher Günter Schütz from Bad Ems found moving words on behalf of the honoured seniors. Both thanked the Koblenz Chamber of Crafts and its employees for organising the festive celebration of the old masters, which is an expression of the appreciation of the senior craftsmen. They emphasized the role of the master craftsman's certificate as a challenge, but also as a symbol of quality work. Schmidt regretted that the crown had fallen in his craft as the basis for independence. "I am very happy when young people still strive for the master craftsman's crown."

The old master celebration was musically framed by the craftsmen's choir Birkenfeld and singer Maryna Bense, moderated by Stefanie Schmitz and Josef Gans, both employees of the HwK.

To the interview

German Sustainable Building Council issues gold certification for every newly built HUF House

Now it is official: Dr. Christine Lemaitre, Managing Director of the German Sustainable Building Council (DGNB), congratulated the HUF HAUS management on passing the conformity test and officially confirmed the series certification with the Gold award level.

HUF HAUS follows the strictest sustainability criteria in the planning and construction of its modern timber-frame houses made of wood and glass - this is impressively proven by the independent test result of the DGNB certification body: Gold for every HUF HAUS that leaves the factory at the company's Hartenfels location! This means that all projects of the traditional company from the Westerwald region can be awarded the gold plaque for sustainable building in the future.

"We made a conscious decision in favour of certification by the DGNB because this is about the overall performance of our houses, which is made up of many different and very complex components. You can compare this demanding testing process with a decathlon - just like a motivated athlete who has to prepare for many different disciplines in the best possible way, we work with great commitment and energy on every detail, no matter how small, to achieve our goal - the development of sustainable living concepts in a unique architectural language," summarises Christoph Schmidt, member of the HUF HAUS management board.

The certification process, which is carried out in parallel with daily operations, has been monitored in recent months by an independent auditor from the company thinkstep, Mr Attila Takacs. The auditor's task is to provide transparent and objective support for the process, from registration and analysis of test reports to the certification itself.

The DGNB's assessment is by no means based on individual measures; the strict certification criteria include the comprehensive sustainability concept and the so-called overall performance of the building. In addition to many other aspects, the environmentally compatible extraction of materials, the ecological balance sheet of the company and efficient processes in production are put through their paces by the responsible DGNB auditor.

Background information DGNB

The DGNB sees itself as a non-profit association for the promotion of sustainable construction and operation of the built environment. The registered association is not primarily committed to ecological or economic goals, but to social objectives. It is an organization supported by its members, which also sees sustainability as an extension of the understanding of democracy to future generations.

Double premiere in England: Platinum for HUF HAUS - DGNB celebrates first certification in England

The "Riverview" show house, planned and built by HUF HAUS at the Brooklands/Weybrigde location, was yesterday, Tuesday, the first project in England to be awarded the German Sustainable Building Council (Deutsche Gesellschaft für Nachhaltiges Bauen e.V. (DGNB) in the highest certification category "Platinum".

The first official certification in the English market for the DGNB and the European market leader for modern timber-frame architecture could not have been more successful. Dr. Christine Lemaitre, Managing Director of the DGNB, awarded the HUF House ART 6 the platinum plaque in person on site. For the DGNB, it is also the first single-family house ever to have gone through the evaluation process at an international level - until now, the institution has only certified multi-storey or commercial buildings abroad.
Architect Peter Huf, who received the certificate in the show house together with Christoph Schmidt, member of the HUF HAUS management board, also considers it a successful start for both partners, who also see sustainability as an extension of the understanding of democracy to future generations:

    "We are very proud to be the first DGNB-certified project in England. The platinum award is of course the greatest praise for us and proof that the efforts of recent years to implement the strictest sustainability criteria have paid off".

The DGNB certification system differs from other assessment systems in its holistic approach - it is internationally applicable. Since the system can be adapted to the climatic, structural, legal and cultural characteristics of other countries, the DGNB is able to certify worldwide.

    The platinum award for the HUF House ART 6 is representative of the first international award for a single-family home by the DGNB.
    "Thanks to the intensive cooperation with HUF HAUS in Germany and now also in England, we have the opportunity, together with a strong partner, to communicate the topic of sustainability and gain a foothold in the English market," said Dr Christine Lemaitre, summarising the eventful day.

The basis for renewed success was laid by the family business from the Westerwald region in autumn 2016 with the gold series certification for every HUF House that leaves the factory at the company's location in Hartenfels. This means that future HUF Haus builders are guaranteed a Gold Award, regardless of the size of the house or the floor plan.

Background information DGNB

The sustainability concept of the DGNB System is broadly defined - it takes a consistent view of all the key aspects of sustainable construction. These include the six thematic areas of ecology, economy, socio-cultural and functional aspects, technology, processes and location.
This makes the DGNB System the only one that attaches as much importance to the economic aspects of sustainable building as to ecological criteria. The assessments are always based on the entire life cycle of a building. The decisive factor here is that the DGNB system does not evaluate individual measures, but the overall performance of a building or neighbourhood.
The understanding of sustainability in this complex and comprehensive evaluation system is unique and has been successfully implemented by the DGNB in more than 20 countries to date.

HUF CITY LIVING with surface heating and cooling system awarded as a pioneering project

The Federal Association for Surface Heating and Surface Cooling (BVF) presented the BVF Award 2016 for pioneering panel heating and cooling systems to the exemplary residential project HUF City Living - planned and realised by the Westerwald family business HUF HAUS - in Berlin on 24 November 2016.

Spatial redensification in cities and municipalities is becoming increasingly important due to rapidly rising land prices and a lack of living space. The district town of Montabaur, perfectly connected to the metropolises of Cologne and Frankfurt, impressively demonstrates with the HUF City Living project with its four distinctive buildings and 44 residential units how energy self-sufficient living is already possible today.

The BVF presented the exemplary property with the BVF Award 2016 and thus honoured the building owner HUF HAUS on 24 November 2016 in Berlin, represented by Benedikt Huf (member of the management board), TGA specialist planner Thomas Runkel, managing director Christoph Esseling (Josef Willing GmbH) and Achim Schnell, marketing manager of the participating surface temperature control specialist aquatherm.

In addition to the flexible and contemporary floor plans, the apartments of the half-timbered house specialist HUF HAUS impress above all with a well thought-out air-conditioning concept, which draws the majority of the energy required for the buildings and outdoor areas from renewable energy sources. The central element here is the 500,000 litre Viessmann ice energy storage unit, which feeds several heat pumps in the technical rooms of the buildings and is linked to a total of 450 solar double modules on the monopitch roofs of the houses.

But the sophisticated system of ice storage cylinders, heat pumps and solar dual modules ensures pleasant temperatures not only in the winter months. The heat is distributed via "aquatherm black system", which is used for ceiling and floor tempering. The homogeneous heat distribution and the short reaction time of the system create a pleasant climate in the living rooms throughout the year.

A further special feature is the ventilation system: All apartments have a so-called health box, a demand-driven exhaust air unit, which together with ventilation systems in the window frame regulates the indoor air quality with sensor control. This interaction ensures the disposal of used air and the continuous and soundproofed supply of fresh air.

    Ulrich Stahl, Chairman of the Board of the BVF, sees the outstanding aspect of the HUF City Living project above all in the combination of sustainable energy sources with innovative systems from the fields of photovoltaics, solar thermal energy, ventilation systems and surface temperature control: "We are proud that we are able to present our BVF Award to such a groundbreaking project this year. Both the architectural concept and the constructional design and energy quality are exemplary and worthy of imitation. A significant part of this quality is the surface temperature control, for which our members in the BVF stand with their consulting and manufacturing know-how".

Further information can be found at: www.hufcityliving.com