The tree whisperers: Pur Natur
Text by Atrium Magazin für Wohnkultur, Design und Architektur
Schlieren, Switzerland
28.05.19
For PUR NATUR, a deep-rooted, responsible approach to nature is a guiding principle – founded on a love of wood.
Ruthard Männle, Anita Männle, Steffan Männle (l-r)
“At pur natur, we believe that natural beauty is the highest form of beauty. That’s what we want to get across to people with our products.” These words paint a vivid and convincing picture of the Männle family’s passion for their work and love of wood – the driving forces that motivate father Ruthard, mother Anita and their son Steffen every single day.
The allure of wood: every single tree that’s processed at the factory in Memprechtshofen has been personally inspected by Ruthard Männle
The allure of wood: every single tree that’s processed at the factory in Memprechtshofen has been personally inspected by Ruthard Männle
×Since childhood, Ruthard Männle has been captivated by the gentle giants that provide his raw materials. So it comes as no surprise that, in 1988, he founded pur natur in the town of Zell am Harmersbach and dedicated his working life entirely to wood. Today, the family company produces and distributes floorboards made of Douglas fir and oak: “Douglas fir floorboards can be manufactured with a length of up to 15 metres and a width of 200 to 450 millimetres, oak floorboards with a length of up to 10 metres and a width of 150 to 500 millimetres,” says his son Steffen, who is in charge of marketing, sales and corporate development.
Sustainable: produced largely by hand with the aid of precision technology, the solid wood and three-ply floorboards made at the factory contain no chemicals whatsoever
Sustainable: produced largely by hand with the aid of precision technology, the solid wood and three-ply floorboards made at the factory contain no chemicals whatsoever
×These incredible possibilities set the pulse of building owners and architects racing and mean that, in the vast majority of rooms, the floorboards can be laid in a single piece. In order to achieve this, every single tree trunk that’s processed in the Memprechtshofen works is personally inspected by Ruthard Männle. “We buy our wood in southern Germany,” says the company founder. “Long distances don’t make any sense for us.” The Männles care deeply about the environment, and treating it with consideration is part of the company’s DNA. The raw materials come from sustainable sources, and it goes without saying that transport distances are kept short.
Perfectly finished: the oak floorboards come from sustainably managed German forests (top); Versatile: even in the bathroom, the hardwearing Douglas fir floorboards cut a fine figure (above)
Perfectly finished: the oak floorboards come from sustainably managed German forests (top); Versatile: even in the bathroom, the hardwearing Douglas fir floorboards cut a fine figure (above)
דSomething else that makes pur natur unique is that, on request, customers can find out exactly where the tree for their floorboards grew,” remarks Anita Männle, project director sales. The Männles pursue this philosophy in the factory as well. The solid and three-ply floorboards are produced largely by hand; after sawing, they are dried in ultramodern drying chambers to ready them for an indoor climate – a speciality of pur natur. It’s essential that no chemicals are used at any stage in the process. “Nature remains nature. The wood is treated with lye, oil and soap,” says Ruthard Männle. Flooring by pur natur is made for more than a lifetime – and represents excellent value for money. Only as they age do the floorboards reveal their true beauty – that’s patina, that’s life.
Exquisite: floorboards made of Douglas fir can be produced in lengths of up to 15 metres
Text: RM
Photos: Matthias Dietiker (production and portrait), pur natur
pur natur Holzprodukte
Ruthard Männle e. K.
Auf der Hausmatt 6
77736 Zell am Harmersbach
Tel.: +49 (0) 7835 42 699 0
