Conscience Counts

Abode2 sits down with Oliver Rehm, Baufritz CEO, to find out more about how to seamlessly bring together natural non-toxic materials, bespoke design and innovative construction techniques to build dream homes

What is at the core of a Baufritz home?

We aim to build houses that fit the needs of our client. There is no such thing as a Baufritz style house. Our approach is to design and construct houses which meet our clients’ needs. Therefore no 2 houses are the same. We believe your house should be free from the harmful chemicals which have become standard in traditional building methods. Climate Change mitigation has placed a focus on the energy consumption of buildings. New builds must deliver significant energy efficiency improvements. Traditional house designs and construction methods simply cannot meet these standards. All our houses have excellent energy efficiency ratings.

Tell us more about ‘The Three Pillars’ of your philosophy’

HEALTH

What are we working for? What do we stand for? And what sets us apart from other house builders? We are convinced that healthiness is the foundation to a happy life. To that end we continually develop and innovate. We have buildings consultants who can advise client about healthy construction and living. This includes the materials and internal ambience. Many synthetic materials stop houses from breathing this leads to a very unhealthy internal environment. Our houses naturally remove moisture, and our ventilation systems deliver the best internal environment. Some clients are worried about electromagnet radiation, and we have developed systems to reduce internal levels.

INNOVATION

Being completely satisfied with our work would mean stagnation. We prefer to think into the future all the time, to research, to develop. Because of what we created yesterday we know how to take the next steps tomorrow. We like to work as a homebuilding thinktank with tradition. Striving to continuously improve our construction process is something that shaped Baufritz from the start of the company. Baufritz building scientists have been researching and designing sustainable houses since the 1970s. As a house manufacturer we operate a closed loop manufacturing process whereby our waste is re-used. Energy efficiency is key to tackling climate change and our houses are extremely well insulated. We use triple glazing, and our award-winning natural insulation is incredibly efficient, this is then supported by including elements such as Heat Pumps, PV and Heat Recovery technology.

QUALITY & RESPONSIBILITY

We only plan and build houses that meet our own high-quality standards: 100% healthy, climate-friendly and energy-efficient home building. We have one thing in mind: To build your home as if it were our own. As a manufacturer we believe in being honest and open with our clients. Creating houses to match their requirements is ethically correct. We sign a fixed price contract at the very start of the process, so costs are fully understood, and risks mitigated. Processes and materials are externally certified to ensure the quality and sustainability of our buildings. Our reputation has been built on being able to deliver, which is especially important in times of uncertainty. Home and Family can be a challenge and we have a crèche as well as providing flexible working options for our employees to balance home and family living. We have a well-recognised apprentice scheme where we are training the next generation of craftspeople and designers without gender prejudice. We believe in supporting our local community and our network of crafts people include local suppliers. A number of our clients come to us with mobility challenges, and we designed our interiors and access to support wheelchairs and physical impairment. Our CEO Dagmar Fritz-Kramer is a recognised advocate for the role of women in business.

How has Baufritz evolved since its founding in 1896?

When our founder master carpenter Sylvester Fritz opened the carpenter's workshop in 1896, he understood that a combination of quality materials and continuous development is needed to become recognised as the finest house builder. Now over 125 years later these principles make Baufritz the European leader in prefabricated timber framed eco houses. The materials used and principles of the company have remained constant. Today’s modern computer driven factory with its technologically advanced machines is something that Frits may not recognise.  The skilled crafts people, completing elements of the project are still a key part of the process.

How do you make sure Baufritz remains at the cutting edge of the industry?

The establishment of our innovation and design function in the 1970es has been key to our ongoing success, we are continuously evolving our processes and materials to make sure that our designs and building remain innovative and fresh in what is a continuously evolving industry. To stay still would mean being left behind and being at the forefront of innovation is what has allowed our company to survive and thrive for so long.

What does the future hold for Baufritz?

There is always new requirement for a house manufacture. Today one of the defining challenges is climate change mitigation. Currently Buildings are one of the larges greenhouse gas emitters both in terms of construction and living. We are already one of the top eco house manufacturers, but this must be improved if we are going to achieve net 0. We are starting to see the importance of technology in the modern smart home as owners are changing how they manage their living spaces; the adoption of Digital is becoming more important both at the design and construction stage. We have released our “My Smart Green Home Configurator”, which allows clients to configure and price a 3d version of their house. We are developing the prefabrication process and our latest innovation is a factory configured plant room containing all the services needed in a modern smart home. Heating, electricity, building control systems.

If we come back to the first point at the start of these questions. The definition of home is changing, and this can be seen in the designs of houses we are creating with our clients. The Hybrid working model post Covid, means that houses need to have workspaces and the change in leisure means that our houses now have studio, fitness, and relaxation areas as part of the designs. Finally, the relationship between our clients and the natural world drives our house designs to fit with their surrounding and provide that proximity between internal and external spaces.