MAGU – Smart Home Building, Tradition, and Passion
Smart Home Building
At MAGU, homebuilding is always just that little bit more practical, economical, and sustainable. We don’t settle for the standard approach, because everyone in our family-owned business is also a committed and hands-on do-it-yourselfer. So we work with you to find solutions, continue to refine our building systems for your needs, and roll up our sleeves to help wherever you need it. So you can live out your dream of owning your own home.
With a MAGU kit home, you can build efficiently, sustainably, and largely on your own—using a system that has evolved over decades.
MAGU – The Family-Owned Company with an Inventive Spirit
At MAGU, homebuilding is always just that little bit more practical, economical, and sustainable. We don’t settle for the standard approach, because everyone in our family-owned business is also a committed and hands-on do-it-yourselfer. So we work with you to find solutions, continue to refine our building systems for your needs, and roll up our sleeves to help wherever you need it. So you can live out your dream of owning your own home.
With a MAGU kit home, you can build efficiently, sustainably, and largely on your own—using a system that has evolved over decades.
How It All Began with a Roller Shutter Box
When founder Max Gut began casting concrete roller shutter boxes in 1968, he probably had no idea that, nearly 50 years later, MAGU would be offering a complete—and, moreover, energy-efficient—home construction kit. And yet he laid the foundation for the history of MAGU—a medium-sized family-owned business—to become a story of clever and far-sighted inventions.
The Discovery of Neopor® for Home Construction
Max Gut purchased the license—which was still expensive at the time—to process polystyrene, a plastic developed by BASF. He then began molding it into shapes and manufacturing lightweight, dimensionally stable, and highly insulated built-in boxes for roller shutters and venetian blinds, instead of heavy, uninsulated roller shutter boxes.
One Innovation, Many Uses
In the late 1970s, Max Gut began looking for a suitable successor for his successful MAGU company due to health reasons. The Günthner family brought with them the “can-do” attitude and passion for construction that were so important to him, and they took over the company and its workforce. The new owner, Otto Günthner, soon built on Max Gut’s experiments with polystyrene. He developed formwork blocks that could be easily stacked on top of one another and simply remained on the wall to provide direct thermal insulation. This made MAGU a pioneer in energy-efficient construction—long before energy conservation became part of society’s broader environmental consciousness.
From home accessories to home construction kits
Neopor®, a polystyrene-based material now used so successfully by MAGU, proved to be virtually universally applicable in home construction. And so it was only natural to systematically expand the product line. Today, MAGU is led by Stefan Günthner, the third generation of the family, and uses this ultra-lightweight, highly insulating material to manufacture nearly everything a house needs.
An Overview of MAGU's Success Story
Styrofoam – Formwork Blocks
MAGU Building Systems has its origins in the innovative use of polystyrene to manufacture formwork elements with a mineral-based plaster base. It became clear early on that the material offers enormous potential for thermally insulated and energy-efficient construction.
From our own production
For decades, MAGU has been manufacturing its components at its own plant in Hüfingen. This in-house production ensures the highest level of quality control, short lead times, and a reliable supply—all from a single source.
Energy-efficient
With a focus on insulation performance and sustainability, MAGU has set new standards in energy-efficient construction. Through in-house innovations and continuous improvement, the company has created a building system that combines environmental responsibility with economic efficiency.
Since 1980
MAGU homes have been built since the early 1980s. The first fully equipped MAGU home is a prime example of the durability, build quality, and functionality of these products—many of which are still in use today.
To this day
Today, families across Europe are building with MAGU—from DIY projects to turnkey modular homes. With modern architecture, high-quality insulation, and an efficient modular system, MAGU offers solutions for future-proof construction.
Why MAGU Chooses Neopor®
Neopor® is a material made from polystyrene that is completely safe for human health. It is used in many areas of everyday life, such as in the production of food packaging and nursing pillows.
The Neopor® we use in home construction consists of only 2 % polystyrene cellular structure—a full 98 % is air. As a result, the actual raw material consumption in construction using Neopor® is extremely low. The insulating properties of Neopor®, on the other hand, are outstanding. Tiny graphite particles ensure that the transfer of thermal energy within the material is reduced. In addition, the material creates a very comfortable indoor climate.
Headquarters in the Black Forest
MAGU is headquartered in Hüfingen in the beautiful Black Forest. However, our extended reach now extends to Corsica, southern France, the Betragne region, Denmark, and Norway. And MAGU licensees can even be found in Australia, Bahrain, and Dubai.
