EWEN embodies the organic union of considered design and heritage building techniques. Defined by its distinctive facade, the alliance of steel and reSAWN’s shou sugi ban charred wood paneling, Ewen’s expansive loft views frame the Williamsburg neighborhood it calls home.
A home is not made. It is born of its environs, reflecting and embracing the past as much as the future. Weaving a rich architectural heritage, time-honored craft, and informed by how we live today, Ewen stands as a marker.
Situated on Manhattan Avenue near Powers Street in Williamsburg, Brooklyn, Ewen represents a collection of 10 exceptional residences which provide a unique interpretation on classic theme. Until about 1886, Manhattan Avenue, or rather the route it would eventually follow, was known as Ewen Street (for 19th Century city surveyor Daniel Ewen). The building façade is carefully composed relationship of sustainably sourced – Japanese inspired shou sugi ban charred wood cladding from reSAWN TIMBER co., a reclaimed cypress wood canopy, steel, and glass. The homes include a mix of 2 and 3 bedroom residences, duplex townhomes with private street-level parking and landscaped gardens, and detailed penthouses with innovative building systems, floor-to-ceiling glass windows, landscaped terraces and a rooftop lounge. In addition, residences feature direct elevator access, open kitchens and modern custom baths.
EWEN features reSAWN’s MOYASU and TAIYO charred cypress – more project install photos coming soon.
Fast Company and the WSJ announced recently that in New York and Portland, two high-rise buildings will be made not from concrete or metal, but a throwback material: good old trees.
From Fast Company:
It seems as if New York City is always under construction. Every few blocks, steel frames and concrete beams are formed and stacked high in the air. Now a new 10-story building in Manhattan is planned that will be unlike any other in the U.S: It will be made almost entirely from wood.
Wood is an old building material that has been getting a new life in taller buildings over the last five years. Around the world, 17 wood buildings have been built that are between seven and 15 stories tall—many of them in Europe. A record-high 35-story wood building is in the planning stages in Paris. But the U.S. has been slow to start exploring the recent advancements in wood materials that have made these taller buildings possible. None exist here today.
Last year, in partnership with the lumber industry, the Department of Agriculture announced a $3 million prize intended to spur tall wood building designs in the U.S.. Today, it announced two winners that will split the money: The 10-story residential condo, slated for Manhattan’s Chelsea neighborhood, and a 12-story retail, office, and apartment building in Portland, Oregon.
In the interest of creating rural jobs, the Agriculture Department has a stake in promoting wood, as does the lumber industry—which has struggled since the housing crisis. But there can also be major sustainability benefits to wood as a building material.
“As cities are growing, they’re using a tremendous amount of concrete and steel, and the problem with that is that concrete and steel have a very big carbon footprint,” says Vishaan Chakrabarti, a principal at SHoP Architects, which designed the New York City project.
In manufacturing and construction, wood generally has a lower carbon footprint than other common building materials. In addition, the wood itself stores extra carbon (at least in the U.S., where logging regulations are strict and trees are farmed, not deforested). Diseased wood from western U.S. forests afflicted by pests such as mountain pine beetle can even be used in newer advanced wood products. Normally, this dead wood adds to the fire risk when left in place.
Building taller and larger structures with wood has only become possible in recent years, as the industry has created denser, engineered wood products that are more flexible, stronger, and more fire resistant than the traditional two-by-four beam. But current U.S. building codes generally allow wood buildings to be only six stories or less, and regulators and designers are naturally wary of trying new methods. The goal of the competition is to demonstrate it can be done.
“If you think about traveling through New York City and seeing buildings being made from steel and concrete, and all of the sudden in the middle of all this, you see this new wood constructed building—it’s going to catch your attention. I think it’s going to create some real interest,” says U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack.
The stylish, upscale, 10-story Forte apartment complex, near the water’s edge in Melbourne’s Victoria Harbour, was built in 2012 with cross laminated timber (CLT), whose structural strength is akin to that of concrete and steel
The Wood Innovation Design Centre (WIDC) serves as a gathering place for researchers, academics, design professionals and others interested in generating ideas for innovative uses of wood.
The Wood Innovation and Design Centre in downtown Prince George features inventive use of wood solutions to solve every-day design and construction challenges
The nine-storey building is the first of this height to construct load bearing walls and floor slabs as well as stair and lift cores entirely from timber.
66 Summer Street is a residential high-rise in the heart of Stamford, CT featuring reSAWN’s wide plank oak flooring. This engineered floor has a substantial 6mm wear layer and is 7″ wide to accentuate the unique character and grain pattern of white oak. The flooring was finished with a custom stain designed specifically for this project. Trinity Financial is the team behind the 15 story development, part of Stamford’s Park Square West redevelopment initiative.
With a unit mix of 112 one-bedrooms, 12 one-bedrooms with den, 68 two-bedrooms, 12 studios and five two-level townhomes, the new residential high-rise boasts solid construction quality with a concrete and steel frame building and exceptional amenities.The development offers breathtaking park, city and water views with spacious layouts.Only the highest quality materials were used – not only to ensure a building with integrity, but also to provide a quiet, more energy-efficient environment for residents.
Each floor alternates between light and dark interiors designed by SLADE architecture in NYC including reSAWN’s wide plank oak flooring.Residents can enjoy exclusive access to community amenity spaces including the Velocity fitness center, Solstice three season roof-deck, library lounge, club room and yoga studio.
Recently installed at corporate headquarters for confidential client, this beautiful conference table by RSTco. features North American White Oak bookmatched slabs with live edge and matte conversion varnish finish. Bookmatching is the practice of matching two wood slabs so that adjoining surfaces mirror each other, giving the impression of an opened book.
All RSTco. furniture is custom built and finished in our woodshop from locally sourced and sustainably harvested wood species. we prefer and specialize in solid wood construction as well as using traditionally joinery wherever possible. we offer a variety of finishes that are both durable and complimentary to the wood. other media in addition to wood are often incorporated into designs such as steel.
Visit our FURNITURE page for inspiration and then contact us to discuss your project needs.
The new headquarters build out for beverage technology company Keurig Green Mountain exemplifies how smart design can foster communal growth in a corporate setting. Visnick & Caulfield’s final 430,000-square-foot design for the second phase of the multi-phase build out focuses greatly on reinforcing corporate brand, culture and community.
STOUT antique reclaimed hickory from the enCORE collection by reSAWN TIMBER co. was used as wall cladding and as a main feature wall. Hickory is known for its strength and durability as well as the strong contrast between lighter sapwood and darker heartwood. Reclaimed Hickory displays rich color tones, irregular grain patterns and plenty of character marks including mineral staining, color changes, weathering, checking, nail holes, knots and sometimes wormholes. For Keurig, the wood was treated by reSAWN to achieve a Class A Fire Rating and prefinished with hardwax oil.
A major focus of design was on connectivity, encouraging interaction amongst employees distributed across six floors and two buildings. To enhance this, each floor within the buildings features a lounge space at the core to allow for vertical adjacencies and movement. Moreover, each lounge has a unique scheme that relates to Keurig Green Mountain’s business, ranging from a soda shop to a coffee bar with customized units to hold the numerous varieties of beverage products.
The finished 6-floor main building, which is LEED Gold Certified, also features highly designed amenities including two conference centers, an executive floor, a fitness center and a 10,000-square-foot cafeteria and multifunction space. The lighting design houses all LED light fixtures with daylight harvesting features. To connect the first phase project, a 100,000-square-foot R&D lab area including a 50,000-square-foot high bay facility and 50,000-square-foot office space that was LEED Silver certified, the team designed a branded skybridge linking the two buildings together.
CBT specified reSAWN’s STEAMBOAT wide plank character grade white oak flooring throughout this Boston law firm’s offices. STEAMBOAT is part of the RUSTIC MODERN collection which features uniquely prefinished character grade woods for flooring, wall cladding and ceiling cladding.
Recently named to INTERIOR DESIGN magazine’s “Top 100 Giants” list of the top 100 interior design firms, based on design fees, square feet designed, and design staff, CBT’s design for Boston law firm Goulston & Storrs features reSAWN TIMBER co.’s STEAMBOAT wide plank white oak flooring, bringing character and warmth to this space:
CBT’s design got us dreaming about redesigning our office. Here are 20 office interior designs that make us gaga:
FAUX BOX BEAMS are a great design solution to achieve the aesthetic you are after in customizable dimensions.
SOLID BEAMS are only available so long and so wide and you may be limited by availability. BOX BEAMS however allow you to customize widths, lengths and finish to your exacting specs. These designs provide plenty of inspiration including blackened beams. reSAWN offers a wide array of new and reclaimed woods that can be ordered as custom built box beams for your project.
The EXPATS collection from reSAWN TIMBER co. features wide plank white oak flooring & interior wall cladding that is prefinished and available in engineered construction. The engineered material comes standard at 5/8” thick with a substantial 4 mm wear layer, or 3/4” thick with a full 6 mm wear layer for a truly superior product. The 7” face width showcases the full character and grain pattern that european white oak has to offer. All designs are available as FSC ® upon request.
