Company history

After graduating from high school, Peter Breidenbach was not drawn to study, but to practice. At the beginning of the 1980s, many people were already willing to authentically renovate half-timbered houses and try out alternative construction methods for new buildings. In the process, attention was repeatedly drawn to clay as a building material. However, there was a lack of logistical, mechanical and personnel infrastructure. This was the gap in the market. So, at the age of 21, Peter Breidenbach founded the construction company Lehmbau Breidenbach and took on his first major building contract. The issue of craft law was clarified with the support of friends from the heritage conservation, cultural and university sectors. In 1985, the company was entered in the register of craftsmen at the Düsseldorf Chamber of Crafts, the first company ever to be active in earth building in Germany. Right from the start, Lehmbau Breidenbach had its own specially designed machines. They had to be newly developed. There had never been a mechanized modern earth building before. Suitable employees also had to be found. These included Ulrich Röhlen, who had meanwhile started studying architecture in Aachen.

As building contracts in the 1980s were still spread across the whole of Germany, clay construction meant working away from home. Monument renovations were mainly located in the low mountain ranges with their distinctive half-timbered culture. When it came to new buildings, the location was determined by pioneering builders. Over time, those earth building methods that were suitable for the building tasks of the present crystallized from the multitude of possibilities. In half-timbered construction, traditional infill methods were supplemented by clay block masonry. Lightweight loam was used for interior insulation in old buildings and as an exterior wall filling for timber frames in new buildings. It became clear that earth was less in demand for the shell of new buildings than for finishing. Clay plaster became the most important area of application, with more and more builders being won over by its climatic and visual appeal, and mixing took place on the building site for both practical and idealistic reasons. However, this came at the cost of great organizational effort: clay, sand and straw had to be available on site in the right quantities, as well as a strong water and electricity supply, and the company was involved in the renovation of important half-timbered town houses. One outstanding example is the Römer 2-4-6 house in Limburg, built in 1289. At the time of its renovation, it was considered the oldest half-timbered house in Germany. Among the new construction projects, the Ökosoziale Siedlung in Cologne-Chorweiler, an ensemble of 18 large timber-framed buildings, is noteworthy.

Peter Breidenbach founded Lehmbau Breidenbach on April 1, 1984, directly after graduating from high school. The first equipment for producing clay mixtures is quickly developed.

Clay and straw are not raw materials that can be processed with standard construction equipment, so a high-performance industrial mixer from Eirich is mounted on a trailer construction.

In the years that followed, the company grew continuously. With up to 30 employees, in up to 5 columns, Lehmbau-Breidenbach is on the road throughout Germany.

In Viersen, the restoration of the old ring kiln brickworks is completed by the town under the direction of architect Inge Breidenbach. Lehmbau Breidenbach initially moves in as a tenant.

Training courses are held on the company premises so that our customers do not have to find their own solutions. These events will be expanded in the coming years.

The clay building board is a milestone in the development of modern clay building materials. Clay building has finally arrived in drywall construction, opening up new building applications.

The decision is made to offer ClayTec clay building materials exclusively through specialist builders’ merchants. The trade continues to be closely involved through partnerships.

The old, slowly growing production plant reaches the limits of its capacity. A completely new production plant is designed and built. This incorporates all the experience gained in previous years.

The Koblenz branch is opened close to important raw material deposits in the Westerwald and due to its convenient location. The move to the current location in Ransbach-Baumbach takes place in 2012.

The branch office in Egeln near Magdeburg is founded to relieve the burden on production in Viersen and Ransbach-Baumbach and to better reach the eastern German states.

The next generation joins the family business. After studying business administration, son Maximilian takes over the logistics, international and IT departments. In 2016, he becomes Managing Director of ClayTec Lehmbaustoffe