The origins of the Massiv-Holz-Mauer®

Behind the letter combination “MHM” are many years of experience in mechanical engineering and the timber processing industry and, not least, the inquiring mind and tireless, inventive ambition of founder Hans Hundegger. The Massiv-Holz-Mauer® construction concept was developed as the result of a long-held desire to offer the advantages of natural, solid timber to a wider clientèle in the form of a cost-effective building material.

Already in the year in which the Massiv-Holz-Mauer® was patented, around 20 buildings were erected in an extremely short construction time for trendsetting developers. There are now more than 7,000 MHM buildings throughout Europe (as of 2020), and Massiv-Holz-Mauer® production lines at around 30 locations supply the construction industry with high-quality and ecologically valuable wall elements.

The successful history of MHM Entwicklungs GmbH is part of the story of both founder Hans Hundegger and the company’s big sister Hundegger Maschinenbau GmbH, which was founded in 1978. Today, Hans Hundegger AG is the world’s leading manufacturer of fully automatic wood processing machines.

In a 2011 interview, our company founder Hans Hundegger explained what drove him to invent the Massiv-Holz-Mauer®. Here is an excerpt from the interview:

“Over several years I noticed that although many developers had a positive attitude towards timber, they did not want a house with hollow walls. They even preferred cold, brittle stone simply because of the solidness of warm wood. I then began searching for a way to develop a solid, cost-effective timber wall made of natural wood, without glue or steel. The premises for a such a wall quickly revealed themselves: absolutely ecological, solid, very stable, warm and machinable with standard woodworking tools.

Of course, this wall should not be more expensive than other high-quality construction systems. After I had failed to find a way to bind wood shavings and chips into a stable wall without glue, I discovered that the sawmill offers boards of different lengths and widths at a very reasonable price.

To achieve the greatest possible stability and eliminate the swelling and shrinkage of cross beams, an arrangement in crosswise layers was the only option in consideration from the start. The only possible material for the fasteners that would fulfil every requirement was aluminium. Aluminium is a completely ecologically sound building material and also does not disturb the natural magnetic field. The Massiv-Holz-Mauer® was born.

Already in the first year around 20 building were erected in an extremely short construction time and to the fullest satisfaction of the developers. The 250th house had already been produced by October 2006. At the beginning of 2010 we were able to celebrate the erection of MHM house number 1,500 in Germany. All the developers were delighted with the pleasant climate in the house already during the shell construction phase and swore by the advantages of using timber. This shows that the Massiv-Holz-Mauer® is no flash in the pan and actually delivers on its promises.

Due to the buoyant demand, the Massiv-Holz-Mauer® manufacturing line has been built in series since January 2004. Currently, wall elements are successfully manufactured internationally by various timber construction companies on around 30 production lines (updated information as of 2021). The demand for the Massiv-Holz-Mauer® in such a short time is a vindication of this product. Surveys have shown that many other potential developers want to build their houses with this kind of wall.

Our stated aim is to introduce a lot more people to the clear advantages of this system. The healthy, ecological building material timber should be even more deeply ingrained in peoples’ minds. We aim to reach a target group that until now has only been aware of conventional construction methods.”

Find out more about Hans Hundegger AG on the website www.hundegger.de.