“Wood is universally beautiful to man. It is the most humanly intimate of all materials.”
– Frank Lloyd Wright
HISTORY OF MUSHROOM WOOD
Otherwise known as hemlock reclaimed wood, mushroom wood has an inspiring and historical sustainability story attached to its derivation. This name is a bit misleading since the wood is not actually made from mushrooms. This wood is used to line the boxes of mushroom crops at mushroom growing facilities today and as far back in history as 1896.
WHAT IS MUSHROOM WOOD?
The wood’s unique character is crafted by nature through a process called fungiculture. During the mushroom growth cycle, the bin wood is exposed to years of acid laden sustainable compost, moisture, and abrasion. Those enzymes digest and gradually wear away the fibers in the top layer of softwood. Once the mushrooms are harvested and the wood is sorted and cleaned, the hardy, durable wood left behind displays a deep, hyper-textured, weathered, one of a kind earthy-caramel patina. Light and shadows dance throughout its rough-grained surface.
reSAWN is humbled to share that PI.KL architecture design studio in Baltimore Maryland chose our custom shou sugi ban charred Accoya® on their Broadway Market project.
2019 AIA Excellence in Design Awards
Broadway Market was recognized with two awards at the 2019 AIA Baltimore Excellence in Design Awards:
AIA Baltimore Excellence in Design Award Honorable Mention
AIA Baltimore Good Design = Good Business Award
It was included amongst so many deserving projects of all scales. We’re so happy to be a part of such an important community revitalization.
“The design team did a fantastic job updating the 200-year-old market to better support business and the community. They showed great attention to detail—the doorways are amazing. You can tell a lot of care went into restoring the market. The jury was impressed with the take on the “black box”—by providing a layer of glass between the box and the facade of the brick structure, the design acknowledges the history of the building and the woodshed structure. The jury appreciated how the shou sugi ban treatment draws the user to see the difference between old and new”. – AIA Baltimore
We’re so honored that Studio B Architects chose to specify reSAWN’s DUNCAN 2.0 shou sugi ban Western Red Cedar exterior cladding at the “Blur House” in Boulder, Colorado.
Studio B received 2 awards at the 2019 AIA Colorado design awards celebration for the project.
Award of Distinction for AIA – North
Award of Excellence for AIA Colorado
The AIA Colorado Annual Design Awards honor the most outstanding work of AIA Colorado members and their firms, which reinforces the value of great architecture and highlights members’ positive contributions to the community.
reSAWN’s custom shou sugi ban charred cypress is featured on the cover of the August 2019 Hamptons Cottages & Gardens Architecture issue. Similar in color and tone to our MURASAKI – this custom finish was designed by reSAWN specifically for this project. The blue/grey hue of this finish compliments the wood and will age gracefully in place. Burning helps to accentuate the natural grain pattern of the cypress and adds visual depth to the wood cladding.
“All exterior materials, from reSAWN’s custom shou sugi ban charred cypress to raw concrete walls, to the zinc roof, were chosen for their ability to weather and patina gracefully, naturally over time.” — Architect Maziar Behrooz (read the full article here)
MB Architecture chose to carry our custom shou sugi ban charred cypress throughout the interior of the home as well. They also incorporated our GOVERNOR European white oak flooring and custom North American white oak ceiling cladding.
reSAWN TIMBER co. is pleased to announce the addition of 4 rough-sawn weathered ATLANTIC WHITE CEDAR designs to our sought after cedar offering – for exterior cladding and interior wall/ceiling cladding. The new rough-sawn offering includes 4 designs: CHINOOK, FOEHN, OSTRO and SIROCCO.
WHY SPECIFY ATLANTIC WHITE CEDAR
We offer ATLANTIC WHITE CEDAR because of its propensity for resiliency, beauty, and versatility. Its lightweight, straight grain, ease of machining, ease of finishing, low shrinkage, and extreme resistance to decay make it a trusted and elegant option for both interior and exterior applications.
ATLANTIC WHITE CEDAR that is uncoated and exposed to weather over time will develop an attractive silver/gray patina.The rate of that color change depends on climate zones, the orientation of the home/structure and exposure to weather. reSAWN’s finishing process on our pre-weathered ATLANTIC WHITE CEDAR designs solve for wood’s natural propensity to grey out by resembling a weathered look at the time of installation, with little change as it ages in place.
An additional benefit to our pre-weathered designs is the ability to achieve consistent color on all differing exterior exposures and to attain a seamless interior/exterior aesthetic from day one when exterior cladding is brought to the interior (see the BRIZA image below for an example). From the start expect a soft, consistent weathered color and texture that looks natural, appealing and interesting. For interior applications, expect little to no change from the day of installation.
In partnership with a local builder and interior designers, Philadelphia magazine creates Design Home, an extraordinary showcase of craftsmanship, architecture, and design. With a new location each year, the project brings something new to the regional home market. The home is open for 3 weeks with tours and special events that allow you to admire the details which will leave you feeling inspired. We invite you to tour this exceptional home where modern design meets traditional living.
Now in its 16th year, the Philadelphia Magazine Design Home is always an extraordinary example of luxury living in the Philadelphia region. Doors open to the public starting October 12th, with all ticket proceeds benefitting MANNA (Metropolitan Area Neighborhood Nutrition Alliance).
reSAWN TIMBER co. chose Western Hemlock for interior applications due to its impeccably straight uniform grain structure, fine texture and its creamy white to light gold color, which lends itself to a modern clean aesthetic.
Western Hemlock is typically found on the Pacific North West coast of North America and is one of the most valuable sources of lumber in the northern hemisphere and is the largest of the hemlock species. Specimens range from 90 to 150 feet tall and 3 to 4.5 feet wide, though some specimens have been known to grow to heights of 250 feet and diameters approaching 9 feet. The wood is usually odorless when dry and free of resin.
reSAWN’s Western Hemlock offering includes three CHARRED shou sugi ban designs — KITSAP, YAKIMA and KITTITAS — and six designs that are non-CHARRED — MASON, GRAYS HARBOR, LEWIS, SNOHOMISH, OKANOGAN, and WHITMAN. All nine products are available for sampling and specification.
“Summer afternoon—summer afternoon; to me those have always been the two most beautiful words in the English language.”
― Henry James
The first day of Summer isn’t quite here yet, but as of late, we’ve been day-dreaming about sun-drenched afternoons, relaxing by the pool with a good book, reconnecting with friends and family, and last but certainly not least, packing our bags and making a carefree escape to a summer house destination.
Whether it’s a home with pristine beachfront views or stunning a lakeside retreat, we’ve rounded up 8 architecturally pleasing abodes that satisfy our lust to wander. These picturesque homes will get your design pulses racing.
New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio plans to introduce a bill banning new construction of glass skyscrapers as part of his efforts to reduce citywide greenhouse emissions by 30 percent.
In announcing his Green New Deal on Monday, the democratic mayor says all-glass facade skyscrapers are “incredibly inefficient” because so much energy escapes through the glass. He says buildings are the No. 1 cause of greenhouse emissions in New York.
While we prefer to steer clear of the politics of this announcement, it does raise an interesting question of what the future of New York will look like as new building materials are continually being explored.
reSAWN has the pleasure of working with SHoP architects on a conceptual structure using reSAWN’s shou sugi ban charring technique on mass timbers.
Called 475 West 18th, this was a unique research & development project exploring the use of mass-timber construction on a proposed 10-story building in New York City. Ultimately the project did not go through, but the invaluable lessons learned by SHoP and reSAWN are being applied to other innovative wood projects.
Mass-timber also acts to actively sequester carbon (approximately one ton per cubic meter), offering an exciting new path for designers everywhere who seek to meet ambitious sustainability goals.
Here are 3 other hi-rise wood projects in development or built – from leading architects around the US and Canada:
FRAMEWORK :: LEVER ARCHITECTURE :: Portland, OR
Framework is the first wood high-rise design in the US to receive approval for construction. The project seeks to be a catalyst that connects sustainable urban development to rural economic growth regionally and nationally. Framework is supported by a 1.5 million dollar award from the US Tall Wood Building Prize Competition to offset the costs of testing and peer review necessary to pursue a performance-based project beyond what is permitted in current building codes.
Framework Model from LEVER architectureFramework Rendering from LEVER architecture
T3 MINNEAPOLIS :: MGA architecture :: Minneapolis, MN
T3, our new LEED Gold Certified mass timber office building in Minneapolis, is a game changer for the commercial building industry and a milestone for mass timber construction in the United States. It is the first modern timber building to be built in the United States in more than 100 years, and at the time of completion (Sept 2016) the largest in North America.
BROCK COMMONS :: ACTON OSTRY Architects :: Vancouver, BC
Completed in 2017, Brock Commons Tallwood House is an 18 storey, LEED Gold target, 404-bed student residence building located at the University of British Columbia in Vancouver, BC. Extraordinary for its height, making it the world’s tallest mass wood tower at the time of its completion, Tallwood House is also extraordinary for the speed the timber structure and prefabricated facade went up in only 66 days.
On April 4 and 5, Facades+ is hosting their premiere conference on high-performance building enclosures in New York, NY. Bringing together some of the world’s most productive building professionals, Facades+ includes a full day of in-depth workshops designed to teach crucial skills and tools to help architects advance their practice. Facades+ workshops feature an intimate class size and hands-on learning to create an environment conductive to innovation and creative problem-solving.
reSAWN TIMBER co. is partnering with Accoya to present a workshop on Sustainable Building with Modified Wood.
