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Wood: The Latest Architecture and News

Concave and Convex: Designing with Curved Wood

Concave and Convex: Designing with Curved Wood - Image 4 of 4
Sculptform Design Studio / Woods Bagot. Image © Peter Bennetts

Curved shapes have always sparked architects' fascination for evoking nature's beauty, fluidity, dynamism, and complexity. To replicate these shapes, however, is no easy task. From their two- or three-dimensional representation to their execution in their final materials, this represents an enormous difficulty, which requires technical expertise and a great amount of knowledge to achieve strong results. Thinking of new ways to produce organic shapes from natural materials is even more complicated.

In addition to this, working with a natural material such as wood carries its own set of peculiarities. Factors such as the species of wood, where the tree grew, what climate it faced, when it was cut, how it was sliced or dried, among many other variables, largely influence the final result. But it's hard for other materials to compare to the beauty and warmth that wooden surfaces bring to the built environment. If the appropriate processes are used, wood can be curved and remain in the desired shape - and for this, there is a number of known techniques which Australian company, Sculptform, has perfected.

Dear House / FUMIASO ARCHITECT & ASSOCIATES

Dear House / FUMIASO ARCHITECT & ASSOCIATES - Interior Photography, Houses, Beam, Chair, TableDear House / FUMIASO ARCHITECT & ASSOCIATES - Interior Photography, Houses, BeamDear House / FUMIASO ARCHITECT & ASSOCIATES - Interior Photography, Houses, Bedroom, Door, Facade, Beam, Arch, ChairDear House / FUMIASO ARCHITECT & ASSOCIATES - Interior Photography, Houses, Facade, ArchDear House / FUMIASO ARCHITECT & ASSOCIATES - More Images+ 14

Kanazawa, Japan
  • Area Area of this architecture project Area:  56
  • Year Completion year of this architecture project Year:  2019
  • Manufacturers Brands with products used in this architecture project
    Manufacturers:  Louis Poulsen

House in Hikarigaoka / f a r m

House in Hikarigaoka / f a r m - Interior Photography, Houses, Facade, Door, BeamHouse in Hikarigaoka / f a r m - Interior Photography, Houses, Kitchen, Door, Beam, Facade, Table, ChairHouse in Hikarigaoka / f a r m - Interior Photography, Houses, Beam, Stairs, Facade, HandrailHouse in Hikarigaoka / f a r m - Exterior Photography, Houses, Garden, Door, FacadeHouse in Hikarigaoka / f a r m - More Images+ 27

  • Architects: f a r m
  • Area Area of this architecture project Area:  99
  • Year Completion year of this architecture project Year:  2020
  • Manufacturers Brands with products used in this architecture project
    Manufacturers:  Jimbo, LIXIL , Toto
  • Professionals: Momi Architecture Office

I House in Izu-Kogen / Florian Busch Architects

I House in Izu-Kogen / Florian Busch Architects - Exterior Photography, Houses, Garden, Facade, ForestI House in Izu-Kogen / Florian Busch Architects - Interior Photography, Houses, Beam, Facade, Arch, HandrailI House in Izu-Kogen / Florian Busch Architects - Interior Photography, Houses, Stairs, FacadeI House in Izu-Kogen / Florian Busch Architects - Interior Photography, Houses, Arch, BeamI House in Izu-Kogen / Florian Busch Architects - More Images+ 34

Itō, Japan

Could Tall Wood Construction Be the Future of High-Rise Buildings?

Across the globe, tall wood structures have begun transforming the world of skyscrapers and high-rise buildings, ushering in an important shift to an architectural practice that has traditionally been dominated by steel and concrete. Typically defined as wood-constructed buildings over 14 stories or 50 meters high, the past six years have seen over 44 tall wood buildings built or underway around the world. Notable examples include Michael Green Architecture and DLR Group’s T3 and Team V Architectuur’s upcoming 73 meter residential tower HAUT.

Vaulted and Arched Ceilings in Argentine Houses: Examples Using Brick, Wood, and Concrete

Vaulted and Arched Ceilings in Argentine Houses: Examples Using Brick, Wood, and Concrete - Featured Image
Monopoli House / Fabrizio Pugliese. Image

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A vault is a constructive technique that is achieved by compressing the materials forming it together. While this technique has existed since the time of the ancient Romans, certain types of vaulted ceilings, such as the Catalan or Valencian timbral vault, only reached popularity in some areas of the world at the start of the 19th century thanks to their lost cost and ready availability. With the ability to span over 30 meters and add substantial height to structures, vaulted ceilings became a go-to for the construction of industrial spaces such as workshops, factories, and warehouses.

Why Should Architects Understand and Care About Carbon and Life Cycle Assessment?

Yes, we know. We have been talking a lot about carbon. Not only here, but everywhere people seem to be discussing the greenhouse effect, carbon dioxide, fossil fuels, carbon sequestration, and several other seemingly esoteric terms that have increasingly permeated our daily lives. But why is carbon so important and why do we, as architects, architecture students, or architecture enthusiasts, have to care about something that seems so intangible?

Mass Timber: Shattering the Myth of Code Exceptions

Structural timber is in the midst of a renaissance; an ironic trend given that timber is arguably the most ancient of building materials. But new innovations in structural timber design have inspired a range of boundary-pushing plans for the age-old material, including everything from bridges to skyscrapers. Even more crucially, these designs are on the path to realization, acceding to building codes that many (mistakenly) view as restrictive to the point of impossibility.

The timber structures of today aren't just breaking records - they're doing it without breaking the rules. 

Brazilian Houses: 10 Homes Using Rustic Wood

Wood is, without a doubt, one of the most versatile building materials there is. Treated lumber, boards, composites, or rustic hardwood, have structural and visual qualities that attract architects and clients searching for a wide range of possible applications and designs. Logs are one of the oldest ways of using this material since they require very little treatment and processing after the tree is cut and are the most natural form of lumber.

Rustic lumber is often used in vacation homes, but not only for this purpose. Below, we have gathered Brazilian houses that use rustic wood elements either in their structure or walls and finishings.

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Engineered Timber Helps Indigenous Architecture in North America to Emphasize Resilience

The rising popularity of mass timber products in Canada and the United States has led to a rediscovery of fundamentals among architects. Not least Indigenous architects, for whom engineered wood offers a pathway to recover and advance the building traditions of their ancestors. Because timber is both a natural, renewable resource and a source of forestry jobs, it aligns with Indigenous values of stewardship and community long obscured by the 20th century’s dominant construction practices.

Juniper House / Murman Arkitekter

Juniper House / Murman Arkitekter - HousesJuniper House / Murman Arkitekter - HousesJuniper House / Murman Arkitekter - HousesJuniper House / Murman Arkitekter - HousesJuniper House / Murman Arkitekter - More Images+ 20

Katthammarsvik, Sweden
  • Architects: Murman Arkitekter
  • Area Area of this architecture project Area:  50
  • Year Completion year of this architecture project Year:  2007

Timber’s Prefab Advantage: How Offsite Prefabrication and Wood Construction can Boost Quality and Construction Speed

Prefabrication is not a new concept for architects, but its usage is evidently on the rise. With today’s limited spatial capacity and need for cost efficiency, the industrial strategy of architectural production has shifted towards an all-around-efficient approach, in some cases assembling projects in a matter of days or weeks [1][2].

Prefabricated wood components, used in both wooden frames and mass timber constructions, have helped solve many design and engineering challenges. In addition to material and time efficiency, reduced waste, and cost control [1][2], prefabricated wood elements offer the advantages of high performing and energy efficient passive designs [3].

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BIM and Digital Design: A Closer Look at How Mass Timber goes from Factory to Building Site

Le Corbusier's fascination with the automobile is evident in the architect's various photographic records of him posing proudly next to a car in front of his architectural work. According to the Franco-Swiss architect, in addition to enabling more efficient and economical construction, the industrialization of architecture could form the basis of improved aesthetic results in the same way the modern car chassis supports the creative and modern design of the automobile body. Yet, while vehicles have experienced impressive changes since the 1930s, it can be said that architecture has been slower to adopt the advances of other industries.

But that has been changing little by little. Driven by concerns around sustainability, the use of non-renewable fossil resources, and efficiency, coupled with accelerating demand to build new buildings and more accessible infrastructure, the construction industry has been incorporating numerous new technologies, including those adopted from other industries. In addition, renewable materials such as wood have been identified as an ideal construction material—especially when incorporating innovative mass timber products such as CLT and glulam, design methods and processes like BIM and DfMA, tools for visualization such as VDC, and tools for manufacturing such as CNC. We know, these are a lot of acronyms, but we will try to clarify them throughout this article.