Get active on holiday: skiing, hiking, and caring for the environment
Around Arlberg and in the Lech Valley between Vorarlberg and Tyrol you can enjoy wonderful hiking and mountain biking in summer. In winter, a multitude of runs invite you to go skiing. At the Gehren Nature Guesthouse, you will also get active in another way: environmental protection! The guesthouse, comprised of four holiday flats, fulfils 15 sustainability criteria – everything from sustainable construction, to resource-saving operation, and support of regional businesses.
Environmental protection engineered for maximum comfort
Constructing and operating buildings in a conventional way has a huge Carbon footprint – the production of the building materials, the energy consumption, but also the poor recyclability at the end of the building’s life.
Your hosts Jeanette Hollaus and Ulrich Fritz are an example of how things can be done differently. The guesthouse, with two large and two smaller holiday flats, was built entirely of wood by Holzbau Lindner. The result is a typical Tyrolean house with a wooden façade, balconies, a gable roof and a spacious canopy.
Inside, clay earth joins the wood. All of the interior walls are plastered with earthen-clay plaster. The ecological building material naturally freshens the air throughout the house. The carefully selected varieties of wood used, such as spruce, oak and larch, are all untreated. The healthy indoor climate created by earthen-clay plaster and untreated wood allows you to breathe freely indoors.
Clay earth is one of the few building materials that can be recycled again and again without any loss of quality. Even after centuries, it can be removed from the wall, rewetted with water and then reused.
Enjoying and preserving the picturesque surroundings
The hosts use resources that nature provides for the running of the guesthouse – helping you to enjoy your holiday with a clear conscience. Green electricity is produced and hot water is supplied by the guesthouse’s own photovoltaic system. Rainwater is collected and treated for use.
Another important sustainability measure the guesthouse focuses on is the cooperation with local businesses and producers. This way you can also enjoy the culinary richness of the region and support the local economy.
The best souvenir: environmental awareness
All four holiday flats offer not only a pollutant-free and healthy indoor climate but also a very cosy and comfortable atmosphere. After a day in the great outdoors, you can kick-back and reflect on all the wonderful experiences that you have collected. The Gehren Nature Guesthouse invites you to also take home a few ideas for improving sustainability in your daily life.
Read more »Exemplary building biology standards with clay plaster from Claytec
In the Gehren Nature Guesthouse, the plastered wall surfaces were given a finish with YOSIMA clay designer plaster in white and a bold red. Wood was used not only as a construction material but also as a design element. The floors and ceiling are made of wood, as are some walls.
Following the guiding principles of building biology, the selection of a plaster that is natural, and pollutant-free was important. YOSIMA designer plasters are all free of dyes or pigments. The 146 shades are made using only the natural colours of clay earth, mixed accordingly.
The guesthouse owners applied the plaster themselves – and were ecstatic with the ease of use and the results. They were able to do the work themselves without any problems due to the good workability of earthen-clay building materials. In this way, they were able to create exactly the surface structure they had envisioned. One that had a texture to match their mountain landscape.
Share your experience
Back to overview
Back to Discoverie Description
Share what you experienced during your visit:
Other discoveries in this region: