Timber construction meets passion

When an architect meets a master carpenter, the result is more than just a house – it’s Querholz: a family business where planning, structural engineering, construction and a whole lot of passion come together under one roof. Julia – a civil engineer, an architect with honours and an expert in town centre development. Oliver – a master carpenter with decades of on-site experience, an entrepreneur through and through and currently studying for an MBA. Together, they not only tackle construction projects, but also the daily adventure of family life with children.

What unites you both is not only a passion for wood as a material, but also a determination to get things right – with intelligence, intuition and a good dose of humour. Whilst you clearly set the pace in the office – from design and submission right through to execution – Oliver takes care of the crucial details and provides the necessary pragmatism when things get tricky.

You’ve both gained experience in renowned architectural practices, on international building sites and through your own self-employment – before Oliver founded Querholz in 2019 and Julia joined him in 2022. Since then, you’ve been embracing timber construction in all its diversity – from small village structures to complex residential projects – and demonstrating how modern architecture, sustainable building methods and a genuine partnership can go hand in hand. Whether it’s bringing bold designs to life, dealing with demanding clients or juggling nursery drop-offs with client meetings – life is never dull for either of you. And that’s probably your greatest secret to success: you take building seriously, but not yourselves.

Thomas Hutzinger (SIHGA GmbH):
Julia, be honest: who had the final say during your home renovation – the architect or the carpenter? (Or to put it another way: how many times was the foundation redesigned after it had already been poured?)

DI Julia & Oliver (Querholz):
We: As a rule, cost-effectiveness had the final say – which in most cases was a pragmatic decision heavily influenced by Oliver’s expertise. Julia provided the vision, but Oliver ensured that the vision could be realised within the timeframe and budget without compromising on quality. There were therefore no second thoughts about the foundations. The debate took place more in the details of the finish: exposed concrete or timber formwork? Here, whoever had the better argument for the aesthetics of durability won (so in our case, that was mostly Julia). The real drama, as is so often the case, lay in the details – more specifically, in the taps! In the end, cost-effectiveness had the final say, specifically where Julia was seriously challenging the entrepreneur’s cost discipline. When it came to choosing the taps (or mixers, as the experts say), Oliver had to intervene, as the preferred models would have severely compromised the budget, if not blown it completely. #Darling, it’s just water coming out#

Thomas Hutzinger (SIHGA):
How do you manage to switch straight from making breakfast for the kids to coordinating a building site – and still keep track of whether you’re dealing with Lego or glulam?

DI Julia & Oliver (Querholz):
Us: The truth is, we have a clear division of roles internally: I (Oliver) am the guy for the glulam beams, but Julia is the chaos coordinator with superpowers. Julia: I have to admit, organisation is my responsibility. I keep track of all the nursery appointments, all the building meetings and all the dentist visits – usually all at the same time. Without my built-in superpower mum chip, nothing here would run smoothly. It’s a law of nature. Oliver: That’s true. We’re very, very glad about our synchronised calendar, because it’s the only place where we both have any idea what’s happening on the same day. We do share the work, but if we’re honest: Julia does more than I do, I have to admit that quite clearly. To me, my wife always seems like a Duracell bunny – endless energy! That’s also because Julia is, on top of everything else, very, very keen on a very healthy, balanced diet and health in general. That certainly plays a big part in keeping us going. Julia: Well, we just refuel differently to others! We don’t have coffee, but super smoothies. Oliver: And I really need one too! And here’s the proof of Julia’s superpowers: she completed her civil engineering training alongside her work as an architect, household duties, family life and while heavily pregnant with a one-and-a-half-year-old son. And recently, she’s also done a kinesiology course on the side! Julia: I rule the world with time blocks, but even the most powerful superheroine has a final boss. And for us, that’s the misplaced car keys! Every week, they’re the absolute “morning-time drama” of the early hours. We: So the trick is: superpowers, a synchronised calendar, healthy energy drinks and the hope that the keys will be in the coat pocket tomorrow.

Thomas Hutzinger (SIHGA GmbH):
Julia, you’re in charge of the design, submission and execution – how does that feel, Oliver, when you’re working as a “back-row contributor”? Is there ever a secret mutiny in the office?

DI Julia & Oliver (Querholz):
Oliver: That’s the strength of the Querholz partnership: it’s not a back seat, but a logical division of labour based on expertise. Julia’s role: She manages the process – from the vision through regulatory approval to detailed planning. Oliver’s role: He oversees feasibility and value creation, ensures the economic and technical viability of the design, and manages the construction site. A secret rebellion? No, because his many years of construction site experience serve as the necessary corrective authority for every design. The “rebellion” takes place openly at the drawing board when it comes to finding the best, most pragmatic and cost-effective solution.

Thomas Hutzinger. (SIHGA GmbH):
What has been your “biggest construction site nightmare” so far? Has there ever been a project where you thought: OK, maybe we should stick to plants instead?

DI Julia & Oliver (Querholz):
Oliver: Thank goodness we’ve been spared the really big technical nightmares so far. That’s probably because, in my many years on site, I’ve seen quite a lot and, over time, I’ve developed a certain resilience to shocks. Most of the time, it’s just a few rotten, decayed beams in existing building conversions that we have to replace – that’s part of the job. Typically, the biggest ‘mysteries’ arise where existing structures meet new plans. This is often a project where unforeseen contamination has turned up in the ground or the structural integrity of an existing building was much worse than anticipated. These are the moments when we briefly thought: “Right, we’d better stick to plants.” But then we both have to switch gears quickly: Julia’s pragmatic re-planning and my swift, technically sound problem-solving on site must go hand in hand to prevent delays and cost overruns. 

Julia: But the real, much bigger “thriller” that has emerged in recent years is the payment behaviour of some clients and the way they treat the skilled workers on site. 

Oliver: Exactly. My view is: You should only afford what you can actually finance! We’re increasingly encountering clients who, in the end, try to put us through the wringer so that we take a proper hit on the final bill. They complain about things that really just make you shake your head – such as knots in the timber or small cracks. 

We (in unison, but seriously): Timber is a natural product! Most people forget that. 

Oliver (quite loudly): And anyone who doesn’t get that should just have their place tiled, and do the rest with interior plaster, a petrol-based façade and plastic windows. 

Julia: That’s why our work at Querholz is also a mission: we stand for fair appreciation of the material and the craftsmanship.

Thomas Hutzinger (SIHGA GmbH):
How do you juggle family, the office and the building site under one (wooden) roof? Is there a trick to it – or just a lot of coffee?

DI Julia & Oliver (Querholz):
We: Unfortunately, there isn’t one single ‘trick’ – it’s more of a highly complex time-management framework that needs to be constantly readjusted. We work with the iron discipline of time blocks: we divide our working hours into strictly defined periods of concentration.& nbsp;

Oliver: But when I’m working on a site and my two little ones come along, holding a little wooden hammer in their hands, and shout “Daddy, stay a bit longer, let’s build something!” or just want a quick cuddle, then I can’t just walk away. Family is more important than work after all! That’s a top priority for us. The little ones are only little once; you’re given this time as a gift, but it never comes back if you waste it. That means I occasionally deliberately turn up late, but of course make up for that time in the evening.& nbsp;

When I’m working on a building site, Julia (or vice versa) is fully in charge of the children and vice versa. This is the so-called shared care concept, in which responsibility for the children is not just shared, but clearly assigned: who is today’s general contractor for the paediatrician or the nursery emergency? At the very least, this prevents the invisible mental burden of constantly having to ask. The clichéthat the man goes to work Monday to Saturday and the woman does everything at home is absolutely not the casefor us! Self-employment can certainly be reconciled with a healthy, happy and mutually fair family life – you just have to want it.

The third and most honest pillar of our system is the buffer. You simply need buffer times, because things never go exactly to plan, whether on the building site or in the office. These buffers are (very) often the evenings when the children are finally in bed, the early hours of the morning and, yes, unfortunately, sometimes even Sunday evenings. Otherwise, it’s simply a matter of hoping that the family’s structure holds up.

Thomas Hutzinger (SIHGA GmbH):
You live and work with timber – what are currently the biggest challenges in the planning and implementation of timber buildings?

DI Julia & Oliver (Querholz):

We: We see three main technical points and two major structural challenges:

Technical & Professional Challenges:

• The ‘fire myth’ and building regulations: Although timber structures are now extremely safe thanks to modern fire protection concepts (encapsulation, cross-sectional dimensioning), resistance in the planning approval process and amongst some clients remains a challenge.
• Skills shortage and training: The rising demand for timber construction requires highly qualified specialists and planners who have a firm grasp of the specific structural physics (moisture, sound) and structural engineering (joints, tolerances) details.
• Interface and digitalisation: The perfect digitalised interface between architectural design (BIM), timber construction CAD and the CNC-controlled joinery plant is still an area for optimisation.

Structural & Cultural Challenges:

• Persuading the public sector: There is still a great deal of persuasion required to get the public sector to embrace timber construction more – for example, in the construction of nurseries, schools or care homes. Furthermore, smaller communities in particular, which have been commissioning the same architect for decades, should also dare to hold an architectural competition to bring a breath of fresh air to their towns.
• Planning methodology: timber house versus solid-construction house: It must be made clear that a house plan is not always a timber house plan. Our view is: A detached house designed using solid construction methods does not always work well when converted to timber construction. If you try to implement a concrete plan one-to-one in timber and problems then arise, people will once again say ‘this bloody timber construction!’
• Prejudices against timber frame construction: Timber frame construction (or as it is commonly known: post-and-beam construction) has also evolved significantly. Nevertheless, it is often disparaged by most older generations who are not from the construction industry. This leads to their children, friends and acquaintances approaching this material-efficient construction method with a negative bias, even though it is a great alternative to conventional concrete construction.

Thomas Hutzinger (SIHGA GmbH):
How do you see the future of timber construction – particularly in relation to town centre development? Can timber buildings help to revitalise villages?

DI Julia & Oliver (Querholz):

Redensification and adding storeys: Wood has a low dead weight, making it ideal for adding storeys to existing buildings (keyword: brick or concrete) without the need for major reinforcement of the foundations. This is the key to space efficiency in town centres. (Which may not be entirely accurate, as the live loads remain the same as in new builds and the saving in dead load is only half the story.)

Short construction times and prefabrication: Timber construction elements are often prefabricated in the factory. This means shorter construction times and less construction noise in the cramped, busy town centre – a huge advantage for residents and businesses.

Climate protection and aesthetics: Timber conveys sustainability and creates a warmth and aesthetic appeal that blends perfectly into traditional village structures. It helps to reconcile modern requirements with the historical context.

A ‘small’ aside from Oliver on the skills shortage:

The shortage of skilled workers in timber construction, lamented by many companies, is not an inevitable necessity, but can be mitigated through a strategic rethink in personnel planning and work organisation. The high degree of prefabrication in modern timber construction provides the ideal basis for an age-specific division of labour, which reduces physical strain and makes optimal use of experience.

The concept of the “dual working world” in timber construction

This model divides skilled workers into two complementary areas based on their current strengths and needs:

I. Workshop/Hall (The Old Guard)

• Target group: Experienced skilled workers with age-related or health-related limitations.
• Focus & Advantage:
  • Utilisation of experience and precision for complex prefabrication, the assembly of elements and loading.
  • Work takes place regardless of the weather and in an air-conditioned environment. This drastically reduces physical strain and increases loyalty to the company.

II. Construction Site/Assembly (The Young Warriors)

• Target group: Young, physically fit and inquisitive skilled workers.
• Focus & benefits:
  • Gaining important construction site experience under real-world conditions.
  • Utilising physical fitness for demanding assembly work (roofs, heights, wind and weather).
  • Fulfilling the need for variety and freedom through off-site construction projects (the ‘Young, Wild & Free’ factor).

Added value for the business

The introduction of this age-specific rotation in timber construction firms would solve several challenges at once:

1. Preservation of know-how: The older generation’s years of experience remain within the company by channelling it into high-precision prefabrication or simply by serving as a point of contact for the younger workers over a beer after work – a direct leap in quality for the end product.
2. Attractiveness for young talent: Young people are motivated by the opportunity to quickly gain their own on-site experience and experience the trade in practice, which is essential for dual training.
3. Health management: The measure proactively counteracts premature occupational disability and ensures a healthy and long-term retention of older skilled workers.

Conclusion: Timber construction should leverage its own technological strength (prefabrication) to offer flexible career path planning that secures a suitable role in the value chain for every employee, regardless of age.

Academic studies meets master craftsman’s examination: How do your different educational backgrounds influence your collaboration – are there more technical discussions or rather diplomatic crisis meetings over dinner?  

DI Julia & Oliver (Querholz):

The fact that we use our holidays, walks and excursions to inspect buildings together with an open mind is the real driving force behind our partnership.

• Here, the architect’s design-oriented perspective meets directly with the technical and pragmatic expertise of the experienced master carpenter.
• As long as the building demonstrates material integrity, structural logic and aesthetic quality, we reach an immediate consensus. The exchange is a joint, appreciative analysis.

The ‘disaster’ consensus (developer-driven architecture)

The point at which this harmonious discussion comes to an abrupt end is the building dominated by a logic of maximum space optimisation – where ‘every single mm² of space gained counts’ and the visual design suffers massively.

This type of architecture, which we refer to as a ‘moderate disaster’, often arises when the design vision and the craftsmanship are completely subordinated to a purely cost and return calculation.

Our strong, shared consensus in criticising these projects is the mission of our company Querholz: we use our diverse professional backgrounds to actively correct such missteps and instead realise sustainable, aesthetic and technically high-quality timber buildings.

Our technical discussions are therefore generally efficient, as we are in complete agreement regarding the quality standard.