wood Archives - Page 3 of 8

Sustainable Pine Rooftop Addition Turns Ordinary Residence into a Tree House

Posted on July 30, 2015 by Jeff Easterling

A squat brick house built as a getaway in the 1950s felt too dark and small for its modern-day owners, who envisioned something bright and open that preserves the existing structure. In making these renovation dreams come true, part of the challenge for Dutch firm Bloot Architecture was hewing to local laws restricting residential building heights and requiring a certain slope in the roof.

The result is essentially a modular pod placed right on top of the original home’s roof, with a huge window angled toward the sky and the canopies of the trees in the surrounding forest. The addition sits low enough to follow the law, but the clever angles make it seem higher than it really is. Climb the stairs to the lofted bed that sits on a platform just beneath that window, and you’ll feel like you’re in a tree house.

This sustainable addition makes extensive use of pine throughout the interior, with flax insulation and an untreated larch cladding exterior. It adds two bedrooms to the home, as well as a storage landing, a new laundry room and access to the roof. All storage and bed bases are built-in.

Renovations also made this forest home entirely self-sufficient, with a new solar power system, wood stove for heat, and wastewater filtering system. Check out another cool modern wood addition.

This Wooden Structure Has a Lower Carbon Footprint Than an iPhone 6

Posted on June 29, 2015 by Jeff Easterling

How can an architectural wooden structure that towers above the average person have a smaller carbon footprint than a gadget that fits into the palm of your hand? It’s all in the materials. An installation entitled ‘The Invisible Store of Happiness’ by designer Sebastian Cox and sculptor Laura Ellen Bacon stands as an example of the sustainability of wood, as well as its beauty and versatility, with ribbon-like sections of wood bent to create an intricate design within the structure’s core.

Standing beneath the 16th century arch of St. John’s Gate in London, the structure is made of steam-bent and twisted lengths of wood. Cox, who specializes in designing and building wooden furniture using traditional techniques, and Bacon, known for large site-specific sculptures made of woven and knotted wood, brought their complementary skills together to build a single structure. They got the idea after researching how much carbon is expended in the manufacture of Apple’s iPhone 6.

“We set ourselves the challenge of making the whole piece for less carbon than an iPhone 6,” Cox told Dezeen. “Every element in the making process was considered in the context of how it would affect the end figure of 100 kilograms of CO2.”

The structure ended up standing 9.2 feet tall, and acts as a metaphorical store of carbon, who recorded every kilogram of CO2 that was expended on the project during its manufacture and transport. Concentric layers of cherry and maple wood are set within the frame, attached by 380 clueless mortise and tenon joints. Each piece of wood was soaked in water overnight and then steamed at a very high temperature to make it pliable before being bent around formers and clamped in place as it cooled.

It’s a beautiful testament to the sustainability of wood, not to mention the lasting beauty and quality of time-honored wood joinery techniques.

This Week in Wood: Amazing Arboreous Bench is a Work of Art

Posted on May 22, 2015 by Jeff Easterling

When is a bench not just a bench? When it’s also a stunning sculptural work, blurring the lines between functional furniture and art. ‘Arboreous’ by Rota Lab is another great example of wood being used in unexpected ways, with the adaptability and beauty of the material taking center stage.

Installed in the apartment of a client, the bench was custom-made for the space, offering a place to take a seat in the foyer. Branch-like appendages seem to grow organically from the slats of the bench, crawling up the wall, curving into a corner and stretching up into a skylight.

The customer asked for a piece inspired by Pablo Reinoso’s Spaghetti Bench series in which the wooden or steel slats of a seat flow off to one side as if they have a life of their own.

According to the designers, the bench “required two months of intense experimentation on wood bending and one month to build and assemble it.”

Wooden Bicycle Frame Absorbs Vibration for a Smoother Ride

Posted on April 29, 2015 by Jeff Easterling

How many products could actually see an improvement in performance if they were made of wood? As this project proves, bicycles are a perfect example, with a solid wood frame absorbing vibrations for a smoother, more pleasant ride. Amsterdam-based designer Paul Timmer created a bicycle out of solid ash without any veneer or plywood enhancements, and the final product weighs just over 24 pounds.

The single-speed bike features an unusual forked design that results in a refreshingly simple silhouette. The wood is left natural, giving it visual dominance. It’s contrasted with matte black on the wheels, pedals, seat and handlebars.

Timber explains that wood wasn’t used simply because it’s affordable and easily accessible – he chose it because it’s the best material for the job. “It is the only construction material made by mother earth,” he says. “This bike can be as strong as a steel one. But it has to be designed better than a steel bike. As always, the challenges are in the details.”

What other everyday items that are typically made from other materials could be improved by the use of wood?

Wood House of the Future: Geometric Beach Cottage

Posted on April 23, 2015 by Jeff Easterling

The idea of what a wooden home looks like is shifting as contemporary architects use this natural, sustainable material in surprising new ways, contrasting its warmth with angular modern silhouettes. This incredible beach cottage by Marc Koehler Architects is a stellar example, using timber inside and out for a look that fits the sandy setting, yet is firmly rooted in the 21st century.

Wood continues to come into its own as a building material of the future, remaining one of the most environmentally friendly choices as well as the most beautiful. ‘Dune House,’ located on a northern Dutch island, shows off the capabilities of timber cladding across a faceted facade.

The shape of the house was designed to make the most of the plot’s views of the sea and landscape, with large windows along one of the angular surfaces capturing sunlight in the winter for passive heating.

Inside, split levels are arranged around a spiraling staircase, with large wooden beams, wide planks and unfinished plywood taking center stage.

This Week in Wood: Colorful Sound-Absorbing Tiles Made of Wood Wool

Posted on February 11, 2015 by Jeff Easterling

Wood wool, known as ‘excelsior,’ is a highly insulating and shock-absorbing material made from slivers of wood cut from logs. It’s been in use for decades for everything from packaging to erosion control mats, but when it’s integrated into architecture or interiors, it’s almost always out of sight. This product by Form Us With Love brings it out from behind the walls, showing off its texture and adding a splash of color.

Hexagon-shaped modular tiles are painted in a variety of colors in custom combinations and can be assembled in all sorts of patterns to create mural-like wall installations. Cement and water mixed with the wood fibers give it superior sound-absorbing properties, enhancing acoustics.

This innovative use of wood is aesthetically pleasing, environmentally friendly and easy to apply as well as being fire- and water-resistant. The project helped revitalize the sole manufacturer of wood wool in Sweden, giving them an intriguing new product to produce.