Tag: Wood Buildings

Certified Sustainable Children’s Museum Shows Off Beauty of Eco Wood

Posted on by Jeff Easterling

Hands On Childrens Museum

The Hands-On Children’s Museum of Olympia, Washington demonstrates the starring role that sustainable wood can take in modern eco-friendly construction. A partnership between McGraw Hill Construction and Hull Architects, the new 57,000-square-foot complex on the downtown waterfront achieved LEED Silver certification and features wood siding certified by the Sustainable Forestry Initiative (SFI.)

In addition to certified sustainable wood, the green features of the museum include reclaimed water, brownfield redevelopment, protection of restored habitat, water-efficient landscaping, low-emitting materials, lots of daylighting and a co-generation project that uses waste methane to heat and cool the museum.

Since it opened in 2011, the museum has become a model for seamlessly blending top-quality materials and functionality with environmental responsibility. A new wave of green construction in recent years demonstrates the versatility and sustainability of responsibly grown, harvested and processed wood, which is much less energy-intensive to manufacture than most other building materials.

The green building movement has driven a boom in sustainable forestry, leading many landowners to switch to earth-friendly practices not just because it’s the right thing to do, but because it makes financial sense.

Architectural Monographs: Country Meeting Houses of Massachusetts & New Hampshire

Posted on by S.A. Rogers

Monographs Churches Massachusetts 1

Along the border of Massachusetts and New Hampshire, in the towns of Ashby, Templeton, Fitzwillian and Westmoreland, some of the 19th century’s most beautiful wooden country meeting houses can be found. They’re beautiful examples of what can be created with wood, especially in terms of exterior detail and ornament. This issue of the historic White Pine Monographs, written in 1925, includes photos of standout structures as they could be seen in the early 20th century. The author notes that at that time, only the Templeton meeting house still stood without significant alteration.

Monographs Churches Massachusetts 3

“Built at the beginning of the last century, these simple structures are remarkable for the richness and originality of their exterior detail and ornament. They show the wooden country meeting house of a hundred or more years ago at its best. In many ways they are very similar. They are all set on high ground, fronting on village greens, with their backs to open meadow or woodland and, in two cases, a country graveyard. They can be seen from afar off and dominate, by bulk and height, each composition of town and landscape.”

Monographs Churches Massachusetts 2

Of Westmoreland, the author writes, “Here we encounter the Tuscan Doric in all its New Hampshire glory. The white woodwork, the dark green blinds, the slate roof and the red cupola make a pleasant picture at the upper end of the sloping column. We sought information from pleasant people living at the foot of the green who, giving us the key, told us to be sure to climb the tower. This we did and beheld the silvery beauty of the Connecticut Valley.”

Monographs Churches Massachusetts 4

Read more at the White Pine Monograph Library.

Architectural Monographs: Country Meeting Houses of Massachusetts & New Hampshire

Posted on by Jeff Easterling

Monographs Churches Massachusetts 1

Along the border of Massachusetts and New Hampshire, in the towns of Ashby, Templeton, Fitzwillian and Westmoreland, some of the 19th century’s most beautiful wooden country meeting houses can be found. They’re beautiful examples of what can be created with wood, especially in terms of exterior detail and ornament. This issue of the historic White Pine Monographs, written in 1925, includes photos of standout structures as they could be seen in the early 20th century. The author notes that at that time, only the Templeton meeting house still stood without significant alteration.

Monographs Churches Massachusetts 3

“Built at the beginning of the last century, these simple structures are remarkable for the richness and originality of their exterior detail and ornament. They show the wooden country meeting house of a hundred or more years ago at its best. In many ways they are very similar. They are all set on high ground, fronting on village greens, with their backs to open meadow or woodland and, in two cases, a country graveyard. They can be seen from afar off and dominate, by bulk and height, each composition of town and landscape.”

Monographs Churches Massachusetts 2

Of Westmoreland, the author writes, “Here we encounter the Tuscan Doric in all its New Hampshire glory. The white woodwork, the dark green blinds, the slate roof and the red cupola make a pleasant picture at the upper end of the sloping column. We sought information from pleasant people living at the foot of the green who, giving us the key, told us to be sure to climb the tower. This we did and beheld the silvery beauty of the Connecticut Valley.”

Monographs Churches Massachusetts 4

Read more at the White Pine Monograph Library.

This Week in Wood: Earthquake Resistant Wooden House Design

Posted on by Jeff Easterling

Wooden Box Home Design 1

A new way of building houses, developed by Japanese architect Kiyoshi Kasai, uses no pillars, contains lots of built-in storage and is seismically resistant. ‘Wooden Box 212’ solves two big problems in designing houses for Japan: tiny lots, and the constant risk of damaging earthquakes. This design uses wood almost exclusively, but enables large spaces free of columns and partitions.

Wooden Box Home Design 2

Dense trusses clad with wood make up sturdy, seismic-resistant shear walls along the sides of the building, so the front and rear can be designed as desired with lots of glass for natural light and whatever architectural details the homeowner desires.

Wooden Box Home Design 3

The trusses are ganged together in a series and clad with structural plywood so that lateral motion is spread along many components, which are able to maintain their integrity. The entire structure can be made from 2×12 lumber, including both columns and beams. Any cut-offs are used to create shelving, virtually eliminating waste.

Wooden Box Home Design 4

The result is a contemporary home with an open feel and tons of shelving and niches for decor and personal belongings.  See lots more photos at Core 77.

Forest Facts: Making Green Buildings Greener with Wood

Posted on by Jeff Easterling

Green Wood Building

A lot of energy is spent in the green building industry on innovating new materials that made of eco-friendly materials, easy to transport, and reclaimable when a structure must be torn down. But many of these materials have problems of their own in the manufacturing process, and in the meantime, there’s a natural material that’s already strong, insulating, sustainable and recyclable: wood. Using more wood in both new construction and renovation can help make green buildings greener, driving demand for sustainable forestry.

All materials, no matter how sustainable, have some adverse impacts on the environment. The use of wood, when it’s not grown and harvested sustainably, can be devastating on an ecosystem and the surrounding community. But modern forestry practices ensure that even when wood is harvested in large quantities, healthy, balanced forests can be maintained. Maximizing timber yields might be important for a forest owner’s bottom line, but protecting rivers, the soil and wildlife habitats while minimizing erosion and planting plenty of new trees helps ensure their business will last well into the future.

Naturally occurring and renewable, wood does the important job of storing carbon from the atmosphere, playing a crucial role in the fight against climate change. The energy required to manage, cut, transport and process it is minimal compared to other popular building materials like steel. That energy can be minimized even further with the use of local wood species.

For all of these reasons, and simply its unparalleled beauty, wood is becoming even more popular to incorporate into modern architecture or even as the sole material for high-rises.

Photo: andrew_writer

Carbon-Neutral Woodcube Building Made Without Steel or Glue

Posted on by Jeff Easterling

WoodCube Sustainble Wood BlocK Building

Wood is starting to steal steel’s thunder. The latter’s popularity has fallen out of favor in recent years for large building projects, and the argument that it’s more sustainable than wood is questionable, to say the least. Now, structures and tower concepts made entirely of wood are proving that this natural, renewable material is more versatile than many people have imagined. Woodcube, a 5-story carbon-neutral apartment block in Germany, is one notable example.

Woodcube, by German architectural firm Architekturagentur, is made almost entirely of wood, with the exception of just a few parts like fixtures and the elevator shaft. It was built without glue or chemical treatment of any kind for a high-performance result that’s not just aesthetically pleasing, but also easier to recycle.

The 16,000-square-foot building contains eight residential units, and everything inside including beams and diving walls was made out of wood. Wooden dowels hold the various components together, resulting in thick, strong, naturally insulated walls that eliminate the need for toxic materials.

Wood is gaining traction as an attractive and environmentally responsible addition to modern architecture, showing up in beautifully carved exterior facades that provide shade and privacy, lowering a building’s energy consumption and adding visual interest. It’s also the focus of a new movement for sustainable super-structures, starting with a 30-story wooden skyscraper in Vancouver.