SquashBusters – Boston, MA

DETAILS

Exterior Wall Cladding:

AJI shou sugi ban charred Accoya®
Burnt on face only, sealed face and back
3/4″ thick X 5-3/8″ wide X 8′-16′ random lengths
Standard Shiplap

Founded in 1996 by former squash professional Greg Zaff, SquashBusters set out to connect two seemingly different worlds by introducing the sport of squash to young people in urban public schools. In 2003, SquashBusters partnered with Northeastern University to build a youth center on its campus. The facility allowed SquashBusters to increase its enrollment and introduce a high school component to the program.

In 2017, they decided to expand the facility to erase the boundary between the interior program—offices, multipurpose space and lobby—and the exterior functional training space. During a series of space-planning workshops with Merge Architects, SquashBusters articulated their desire to have a greater public presence at the southern edge of the site. Merge proposed a wedge-shaped addition that relocated the lobby from the center of the building to the public face: increasing visibility from the street and shaping a more spacious entry.

This project aims to blur the boundary between inside and outside through a unified formal and material language. The addition is clad in vertically-installed AJI shou sugi ban burnt Accoya shiplap siding to differentiate it from the metal panel of the building above through its warmth and natural patina.

AJI features shou sugi ban CHARRED Accoya® wood burnt in the Japanese style of shou sugi ban.  AJI can be used for interior or exterior wall cladding.  Accoya® wood is the result of decades of research and development that has brought together a long-established, extensively proven wood modification technique and leading-edge patented technology – acetylation to create a high performance wood, ideal for outdoor use and challenging applications.

By significantly enhancing the durability and dimensional stability of fast-growing and abundantly available certified wood species, Accoya® wood provides compelling environmental advantages over slow-growing hardwoods (which are often unsustainably sourced), woods treated with toxic preservative chemicals, and non-renewable carbon-intensive materials such as plastics, steel and concrete.

• The Accoya® wood patented modification process adds nothing to the wood that does not already naturally occur in it
• Class 1 durability – facilitating a longer lifespan, improved carbon sequestration potential and lower lifetime material consumption versus other materials
• Outstanding dimensional stability, resulting in lower maintenance frequency and therefore less coating over the lifetime of the product
• Superior thermal insulation, providing energy conservation advantages when used for applications such as windows and doors
• All Accoya® wood is produced from well managed sustainable sources including FSC® and other regionally certified woods
• Low carbon footprint: Accoya® wood is an environmentally compatible substitute for carbon intensive materials
• Environmentally compatible: 100% recyclable and reusable, naturally renewable
• Rapidly renewable materials: use of abundantly available and fast-growing source species

Accoya wood has been tested over prolonged periods in all types of weathering conditions – above ground, below ground and even in water – and has been proven to withstand even the toughest of external environments. Not only is its durability proven, but it has also been shown to retain its appearance, requiring much less frequent maintenance than other wood species. This gives added reassurance to the manufacturers, architects, specifiers, builders and property owners who have chosen Accoya® wood for a diverse range of projects. Accoya® wood is also being tested for additional uses by leading independent institutes worldwide.

EXPECT BEAUTIFUL WEATHERED WOOD
Our charring & sealing process makes for beautifully designed exterior wood siding.  Like any exterior wood siding prefinished or finished in place, these materials will weather naturally over time and will require maintenance.  For interior applications, expect little to no change.  

reSAWN’s CHARRED offering features cypress, western red cedar, Accoya, Kebony, black walnut, red oak, white oak and reclaimed hemlock that is burnt in the Japanese tradition of shou sugi ban.  Our award-winning CHARRED products pay homage to the traditional Japanese technique of “shou-sugi-ban” aka “yakisugi” without being literal.  Historically very specific in their definition, “shou-sugi-ban” and “yakisugi” have become common nomenclature for modern charred wood designs in general.  All of reSAWN’s CHARRED products are made in the USA, in our facility in Telford, PA.