wood Archives - Page 5 of 8

Angular House Extension Brings Wooden Architecture to Urban Paris

Posted on March 19, 2014 by Jeff Easterling

All-wood additions have become a more common sight in suburban neighborhoods, and now, they’re popping up in urban locations, too. This modern, geometric wooden extension to a house in Paris contrasts with the more historical architecture seen next door and on much of the street. BANG architects is a single-story addition topping a two-story home to create a new central living space and terrace.

“We also opted for wood as the main construction material – in pat in order to limit the weight on the existing house, but also to have great flexibility in determining the volume of the new space, and in order to reduce the environmental impact of the construction project,” say the architects.

The addition is described as a heliotrope and was designed so that the windows look out onto the terrace and onto the classic Parisian plane trees planted along the avenue rather than into the neighboring buildings. Six meters of ceiling height are illuminated by a glass roof. The whole thing is clad in thin strips of untreated pine.

Wood facades are showing up more often in modern structures, eliminating the coldness of steel and concrete. Not only does it make these buildings feel more welcoming, it’s also more sustainable.

Modern Wooden Architecture: Complex Lattice Shop Facade

Posted on March 4, 2014 by Jeff Easterling

Architects continue to use wood in new and unexpected ways, integrating it into both interiors and exteriors as far more than just framing or decorative elements. This example by Kengo Kuma might be one of the most unexpected yet: a complex wooden lattice reminiscent of a basket, added to the exterior of a dessert shop in Japan.

The architect wanted to create the feel of a forest in the middle of the busy city with the interwoven wooden slats. Though the effect may be thoroughly modern, the technique used to create it is an ancient Japanese handicraft passed down between woodworkers and artisans called ‘Jiigokugumi.’ This method joins the slats without the use of glue or nails.

The latticework continues into the interior of the shop, set off by dark-painted walls and complemented by geometric wooden tabletops. While the screen certainly makes a big visual statement, it also serves the practical purpose of providing a little privacy and shade from the sun.

Check out more novel uses of wood in modern architecture.

This Week in Wood: U.S. Forest Service Creates Wood-Based Nanomaterial

Posted on January 24, 2014 by Jeff Easterling

Nanomaterials – which can be 100,000 times thinner than a strand of hair – are increasingly the basis of innovative products producing amazing advancements in fields like technology and medicine. But these materials are so tiny, there are concerns about the effects they could have on human health and the environment. They can be found in everything from sunscreen to lumber, and they’re set to make a big impact on the construction industry for applications like ultra-durable concrete and self-cleaning windows.

The U.S. Forest Service is working on a project that could be a major step forward for greener, more sustainable nanomaterials. For the past three years, researchers at the Forest Products Laboratory (FPL) have been developing cellulose nano-crystals made from wood fibers.

These fibers offer incredible strength equivalent to that of Kevlar, and they’re also surprisingly clear so they can be used for applications like composite windshields and other forms of reinforced glass.

“There are ways to engineer materials in advance to make them environmentally benign,” says Pedro Alvarez, the co-author of a study on the potential risks of nanomaterials. “There are also methods that allow us to consider the entire lifecycle of a product and to ensure that it can be recycled or reused rather than thrown away. The key is to understand the specific risks and implications of the product before it it is widely used.”

3 Unique Architectural Projects Highlighting the Beauty of Wood

Posted on January 14, 2014 by Jeff Easterling

How versatile can lumber be? These three incredible examples of contemporary wooden architecture answer that question in three very different ways, from an unusual take on traditional timber framing techniques to a stack of wooden beams carved into a functional sculpture. Intriguing and totally unexpected, these structures highlight both the powerful natural beauty and the endless possibilities of wood.

Unusual Wood Frame: Archery Hall & Boxing Club, Japan

This archery hall and boxing club in Tokyo by FT Architects takes an unusual approach to exposed wood framing. The client wanted a column-free space comparable in size to the sacred all of a traditional Japanese temple. In order to achieve this span without columns while keeping costs low, the architects investigated some novel structural forms. “Through collaborative exploration with timber experts, researchers, manufacturers and suppliers, we derived timber construction systems that are not commonly associated with structural or architectural usage,” they say. “Small timber sections, normally reserved for furniture making, were chosen for the archery hall, and timber members that were deemed defected because of insect damage, for the boxing club.”

Sculpted Wood: Norwegian Wild Reindeer Center Pavilion

Taking inspiration from the natural, cultural and mythical landscape in which it is set, this stunning pavilion features an organic inner core made of stacked timber that was carved and sanded to make it a massive functional sculpture. Made of pine, it was designed using digital 3D models and milled by Norwegian shipbuilders. The wood was assembled in the traditional way, using only wood pegs as fasteners, and was finished with oil.

Jenga-Like Beams: Final Wooden House by Sou Fujimoto

Potential inhabitants had better be prepared for an entirely new way of living in a home at ‘Final Wooden House,’ which consists of massive stacked beams creating shelves and niches going from the floor to the ceiling. Says the architect, “Lumber is extremely versatile. In ordinary wooden architecture, lumber is effectively differentiated according to functions in various localities precisely because it is so versatile. Columns, beams, foundations, exterior walls, interior walls, ceilings, floorings, insulations, furnishings, stairs, window frames, meaning all. However, I thought if lumber is indeed so versatile then why not create architecture by one rule that fulfills all of these functions.”

Wood Textiles: Innovative Uses for Timber Products

Posted on December 19, 2013 by Jeff Easterling

When we think of products made from wood, what generally comes to mind (other than architecture, of course) is furniture and decorative items like bird feeders and picture frames. But some designers are taking wood far beyond the norm in the most unexpected of applications, like textiles. Yes – textiles.

Elisa Strozyk has innovated a series of flexible blankets, rugs, bed rovers and table cloths made of geometric wooden panels. She uses slices of wood that are just .6mm thick, which provide a surprising amount of flexibility, making the textiles behave like those made of cloth.

The designer researched ways to create a flexible wooden surface that could be scrunched and folded. The different types of geometric shapes used for the wood panels give the resulting textiles varying degrees of flexibility.

Strozyk attaches the wooden panels to a textile backing to hold them together. The result is fresh, modern and totally unexpected. What other wonders could be made of wood?

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

Posted on December 9, 2013 by Jeff Easterling

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.