Kaufmann himself sees his roots specifically in the handicraft tradition of Bregenzerwald – not so much in the tradition of historical forms but in the proven spiritual capital. “Handicraft is a school for thinking,” he says, “and as such it is the best and most durable: it teaches us concretely, ruthlessly, and in an incredible way, to follow precisely the material-technological logic, in other words, the basics of good workmanship – how and from what something is made, and it also teaches us cultural-technical wisdom, the applied principles of sensible workmanship and design – why and for what purpose something is made. The structural doctrine of handicraft is intimately connected to the dialogue with the material: the suitability of each and every technical and formal choice is assessed in the manufacturing and functional processes immediately and exactingly – not only at the present moment but also in the future. One must continuously consider how each idea and each new or altered use influences the entire know-how, and then reinforces, improves, expands and establishes it in many future uses. Handicraft teaches us additionally about the intelligent economy of the consumption, working and use of the material – the intention is to achieve a maximal result, a maximal performance, with as little consumption as possible. Everything in the ethics of handicraft that requires or leads to waste becomes obsolete. On the contrary, the greatest pleasure, genuine efficiency and beauty come about when the product is genuinely ‘intelligent’ and designed, thought through and cleverly realised with respect to the aforementioned values. A good craftsman does not draw his ideas from the continuous repetition of what has already been proven to work, but remains active and oriented towards the future by continuously undertaking considered experimentation – not for the sake of experimentation but purposefully from a concrete starting point, with the intention to optimise, develop and differentiate the whole system. Looked at in this way, handicraft is an evolutionary system invented and developed by man, which is parallel to the evolutionary processes of nature. There is nothing new here, these subjects have been recognised long ago by well-known architects and technical and cultural reformers. I have suckled this in my mother’s milk, from the many discussions with my father and uncle, from the everyday presence of the wood industry enterprises of my relatives, and from the still visible practical life of the mountain peasants of our own area, Bregenzerwald.”

Architect and university professor Ernst Hiesmayr, a person greatly respected by Hermann Kaufmann, has stated: “The level of culture is the joint product of the community, craftsmen and designers. The craftsmen have always used the world’s natural resources extremely frugally. They are the ecological models of the future.” Hiesmayr has also explained the success of the new “Vorarlberg School of Architecture” as follows: “Due to people’s sense of reality, the architects and the receptive middle classes, development has taken place despite stubborn resistance. Artisan architecture has been created rather than artistic architecture put together in experimental laboratories. In this way, the connections to tradition have been successful, while not forgetting modern-day life.”

There have always been several decisive factors in the new wooden architecture of Vorarlberg that are connected to the renewal of the whole wood technology: firstly, from the 1960s onwards, architects had spoken in favour of rational wood frame building, so that self-build construction would become possible, particularly for young clients; secondly, in the beginning of the 1970s, an environmental movement was born in the region which also sought construction alternatives and took a slightly deeper interest than people elsewhere in solar-energy building, natural building materials and the careful utilization of the climate, natural resources and landscape (a third of the area of the federal state is forest!)

Hermann Kaufmann began his career at the very moment when the projects of so-called “Baukünstler” received a more widely approved professional acceptance, so that from 1985-86 onwards also heating efficiency calculations and industrial wood construction techniques were made use of, and also carpenters and timber producers began on their own initiative to strengthen the position of contemporary materials and structures and to develop them themselves. In 1985 an energy research institute was established in Dornbirn and the first solar-energy house was built in Lauterach in the district of Bregenz. In 1987-90 Hermann Kaufmann, together with Sture Larsen and Walter Unterrainer, built a school in Dafins, the first solar-energy public building in Austria. The building has an insulated wood frame construction with the whole of the south façade functioning as a solar heat-collector, and with a gravel storage system and hypocaust system in the internal walls. Also at that time, Kaufman created (together with Christian Lenz) new industrial wood applications by developing large-sized bearing structures suitable for industrial buildings for Holzbauwerk Kaufmann, as well as for the workshop of his brother, Michael Kaufmann, and for several large parish halls.