Timber Design & Technology Middle East - August 2018 by Andy MacGregor

UN Environment and Yale University demonstrate how to make modern living sustainable with new eco-housing module Malan Vorster’s tree house residence offers views of Cape Town forest New Practice Studio designs Hunan Slurp MIT Mass Timber Design aiming to solve the world's energy crisis with wooden buildings HENGE creates dining table with handmade ‘micro-mosaic’ wooden top standing on bronze sand-casted legs

Sound design. American hardwoods. American tulipwood acoustic panelling by Ben Percy uplifts and updates the performance hall at the Northern Beaches Colleges Senior Campus in Freshwater, Sydney. Architects and designers all over the world have embraced American hardwoods for the range of colours, grains and textures they offer, as well as for their consistency in grade, quality and supply and their sustainable credentials.

For more information visit www.americanhardwood.org

UN Environment and Yale University demonstrate how to make modern living sustainable with new eco-housing Malan Vorster's treehouse-like residence offers views of Cape Town forestThe mass-timber revolution is coming, says Clare Farrow New Practice Studio designs Hunan SlurpInterloop: connecting yesterday and tomorrow MIT Mass Timber Design aiming to solve the world's energy crisis with wooden buildings HENGE creates dining table with handmade ‘micro-mosaic’ wooden top standing on bronze sand-casted legs

Malan Vorster’s tree house © Adam Letch

August 2018 Issue 39 PUBLISHER Andy MacGregor publisher@citrusmediagroup.net +971 55 849 1574

MARKETING DIRECTOR Eric Hammond marketing@citrusmediagroup.net +971 4 455 8400 INTERNATIONAL SALES DIRECTOR James Hamilton james@timberdesignandtechnology.com EDITOR Tony Smith editor@timberdesignandtechnology.com INTERNATIONAL REPRESENTATIVES Rabia Alga AntExpo Org. | Turkey rabia@antexpo.net +90 216 541 0390 ELIAS AGGELOPOULOS Med Expo Greece info@epipleon.gr +30 210 2931011 Timber Design & Technology is published 5 times a year

EDITOR’S NOTE Held every two years, the Venice Architectural Biennale is a six-month long platform to address the academic side of architecture as well an opportunity for architects and designers to showcase new projects, arranged in different pavilions, each with different themes. Timber has always been a festival favourite and this year is no different. A collaborative effort between Swedish Wood, In Praise of Shadows, a leading architectural practice, and furniture manufacturer Källemo has helped throw the spotlight on Swedish pine at the Biennale. Inspired by the classic Swedish dance pavilion, In Praise of Shadows worked with Swedish Wood, Folkhem, Martinsons, Moelven and Källemo to create and furnish the Swedish association of architects’ exhibition piece at the Biennale Also unveiled at the Biennale earlier this year was ‘Weaving architecture’, an installation by the architecture studio Miralles Benedetta Tagliabue - EMBT. The installation, which will remain on display until November 26, 2018, encapsulates their philosophy of work and their innovative experiments on architecture as fabric, using American red oak and fiber glass thread. A participative space as a manifestation of freedom is the idea behind the installation. The poetic structure presented in Venice is composed by various elements intertwined in two levels. The higher level is built with American red oak modules and the lower one with steel modules; and both are woven with fiber glass of different colors, which softens the visual effect and blurs the boundaries created by the structure. On our cover this month is the stunning Paarman Treehouse designed by Cape Town-based architects - Malan Vorster. Having been involved with previous projects on this tree-rich property, the architects were commissioned to design a small contemporary house to complement the existing collection of buildings - spatially organized around a modern interpretation of the Cape Werf. Inspired by the trees on the estate, the family requested a cabin-like, one bedroomed hideaway resembling a tree house. The tree house is located in a small clearing amongst forest-like gardens overlooking a quartet of sharp-edged, square reflection ponds, and the aim was to respond to the height of the tall trees surrounding the clearing to maximize views from the highest part of the sloped site. Closer to home, Dubai Design District (d3), has announced the launch of ‘Design for Good’, a project seeking to connect the design community through creative collaborations that support and promote social change within the UAE. One project under Design for Good is entitled ‘Design 100’. d3 is inviting designers from across the UAE to design a piece of furniture or a functional object. An expert jury will select the winning piece from which 100 pieces are to be produced by d3 in alliance with knowledge partner - the American Hardwood Export Council (AHEC) - and sold to the general public during Dubai Design Week. All proceeds from the sale will be allocated to Dubai Cares towards education in developing countries. We are very excited with this project and look forward to covering it in more detail in our coming issues. As always, I would like to encourage you to log on to the website - www.timberdesignandtechnology.com - for the latest updates and please get in touch if you have any suggestions for subjects we should consider covering. In closing, I would like to thank our advertisers, our partners and our readers.

by Citrus Media Group (powered by WillyMac Associates FZ LLC) Level 14, Boulevard Plaza - Tower One, Emaar Boulevard, Downtown Dubai, PO Box 334155, Dubai, UAE Is designed by dozign and is printed by SUQOON Printing Press & Publishing Great care is taken to ensure the accuracy of the contents of Timber Design & Technology but the publishers accept no responsibility for any errors or omissions. All contents are © 2018 Citrus Media Group and may not be reproduced in any form without prior consent. Letters and readers’ contributions may be edited at our discretion.

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CONTENTS

12 SUSTAINABILITY

40 TALL TIMBER

UN Environment and Yale University demonstrate how to make modern living sustainable with new ecohousing module

MIT Mass Timber Design aiming to solve the world's energy crisis with wooden buildings

18 ANALYSIS

50 WOOD WORKS

Malaysian Mouldings & BJC: Time-Proven & Reliable

HENGE creates dining table with handmade ‘micro-mosaic’ wooden top standing on bronze sandcasted legs

22 ANALYSIS

54 SHOWTIME CALENDAR

Poetic woven architecture features sustainable American red oak at the Venice Biennale

All the dates of the top industry exhibitions coming up this season

36 COMMENT A U.S. hardwood window to the world

DESIGN & DECOR

26 TREEHOUSE

TECHNOLOGY

32 HUNAN SLURP

Malan Vorster’s tree house New Practice Studio designs residence offers views of Cape Town Hunan Slurp forest

44 HOMAG

46 SCM

intelliDivide: HOMAG’s cloudbased optimization software

Binket Group partners with SCM for its biggest innovative turnkey factory

INDEX AND FIM TO OFFER A ONE-STOP SHOP FOR THE DESIGN INDUSTRY

INDEX - the Middle East’s largest interiors exhibition - is gearing up for its second design event of the year and will offer a fully rounded creative experience by running alongside its new sister show - FIM. While INDEX will continue to provide a sourcing platform for designers, architects and buyers from across the residential, retail, hospitality and commercial design sectors to find exclusive interiors products, FIM will showcase the base materials, parts and fittings required to manufacture those products from scratch. Together, the co-hosted exhibitions will cater to the whole design industry in a new way, offering a one-stop shop for finding both high-end and value driven furniture and décor - plus the wood, metallics, hinges and joints that will bring bespoke pieces from concept to reality. Event Director Samantha Kane-Macdonald, who is behind both shows, said: “September’s INDEX - our second of the year - and FIM running adjacent to one another makes it easier than ever for designers, architects, buyers or manufacturers to come and absorb an all-encompassing design showcase put together to help them achieve all their client ambitions. That can be from acquiring lighting, furniture or bedding for a hotel, villa or shop’s interior, to discovering the parts and fabrics needed to create that one-off armchair, pouf or walk-inwardrobe. To be able to serve up all of that for our visitors in one place is a real source of excitement for us - and our exhibitors. Our shows always attract a wide range of buyers, from designers to retailers and manufacturers, and by bringing two separate events like this together we’re hopeful we’ll open up many of our exhibitors to a whole new market.” While autumn’s INDEX will be a more compact edition of its flagship annual show, which took place in March of this year, the three-day exhibition will be held with its own theme: an exploration of the old Silk Road and its role both in the past, and in 21st century trade and design. The famous cross-continental design pathway opened up new markets for Asian and European design philosophies, and that East meets West narrative is behind how September’s show - taking place at the Dubai World Trade Center - will be presented. By bringing value-driven products and premium brands together in the Middle East, the show is presenting itself as a modern-day Silk Road, where value-driven products from the East will be exhibited alongside premium Western brands. Kane-Macdonald added: “The Silk Road started over 2,000 years ago,

INDEX will come alive with the colors, patterns and textures that encapsulated The Silk Road when it was its most densely trodden, and will be brought alive with a number of live features. Highlights include the Trend Hub - an interactive platform for designers and retailers that will feature seminar sessions on topics including 2020 design and color trends, experiential design, social media for business development and visual merchandising. The show floor will also host a curated showcase of local talent compiled by Tashkeel, plus a collaboration between Boxmark and South African designer Ronel Jordaan that will culminate in the creation of a ‘Wool Waterfall’. Running simultaneously, FIM will unite local furniture-makers, interior designers and architects with international providers of materials, tools and components who are looking to expand their reach across the Middle East. Kane-Macdonald said: “From wood, fabric and materials, to fittings, structural parts, 3D printing and upholstery tools, FIM will bring manufacturing to life in a way that compliments its position alongside INDEX. Where INDEX can provide inspiration and direct product sourcing, FIM will be the place where the creative minds behind our region’s growing catalogue of new build and refurbishment projects can source every part of any furnishing product they are trying to bring to life. This is the first time we have been able to incorporate these two separate design elements together in the same place, so September’s event is going to be something different for all our visitors. We feel it allows our exhibitors to provide an essential one-stop shop that hasn’t existed up until now.”

Image © INDEX

and through its many routes became the first way that Europe and the West was introduced to the likes of silk, dyes, precious stones, porcelain, spices and perfumes. In return, the route took western goods like glassware, woollen textiles, rugs, carpets animal furs and skins to a new market in the East, making it the world’s first and then premiere trade route – at the heart of which was design and creativity. Its path ventured through the deserts of the Middle East. Two millennia on and the region - the UAE especially - plays equally as central a role now as being the hub between the two continents. The INDEX show will focus on individual designs and value driven products from Asia, sat alongside premium products from Europe, with design houses from the likes of Italy, India and China giving us great variance. Together, they will allow the show to present a wide selection of interior products to suit the taste and budgets of all our visitors, covering every buyer’s needs as the design industry heads into the final quarter of the year.”

Image © AHEC

DUBAI DESIGN DISTRICT LAUNCHES ‘DESIGN FOR GOOD’

Dubai Design District (d3), has announced the launch of ‘Design for Good’, a project seeking to connect the design community through creative collaborations that support and promote social change within the UAE. Design for Good is based on three key pillars. The first pillar, Design for placemaking prioritizes design solutions that encourage creativity and collaboration in public environments. The second pillar, Design for sustainability establishes that the design solutions presented should maximize long-term economic, social and environmental value. The third and final pillar, Design for empowerment reiterates that design solutions submitted should empower people and challenge perceptions. Speaking about the cause, Mohammad Saeed Al-Shehhi, CEO of d3, said: “Design offers solutions to any problem and through the power of design we can ensure a positive impact on various communities. Collaboration has also proven to achieve greater creativity and improved solutions. Our decision at d3 to launch Design for Good is based on these fundamentals. We are confident such efforts will bring the local design community together to work towards the cause of supporting and encouraging social change.” Under the Design for Good programme, two projects will be rolled out in 2018. The first entitled ‘The Mesh’ will include a collaboration between the Fatima Bint Mohamed Bin Zayed Initiative (FBMI) and Emirati designer Roudha Al Shamsi. d3 has commissioned Roudha to design

three shading structures for the d3 community that will be produced by Afghani women through FBMI. The proceeds will be utilized for the education of the women to further develop and enhance their skillsets. The three structures will be displayed at Dubai Design Week in November 2018 and then permanently placed in Dubai Design District. The second project is entitled ‘Design 100’. As such, d3 is inviting designers from across the UAE to design a piece of furniture or a functional object. An expert jury will select the winning piece from which 100 pieces are to be produced by d3 in alliance with knowledge partner the American Hardwood Export Council (AHEC) and sold to the general public during Dubai Design Week. All proceeds from the sale will be allocated to Dubai Cares towards education in developing countries. The deadline for entries is August 16, 2018. In line with its social change mandate, d3 in collaboration with Nakkash Gallery presented a public art installation that involved placing 100 ‘Chic Sheep’ statues around the district to symbolise giving and new beginnings in 2016. The collaborative community project engaged many of d3’s creative partners including All Things Mochi, Ayah Al Bitar, Fadi Sarieddine, Monogram and Sauce, who helped to design the sheep statues. All proceeds from the auction of the statues were awarded to the Al Jalila Foundation.

WAUGH THISTLETON ARCHITECTS COLLABORATE WITH ARUP TO BUILD LANDMARK PAVILION IN AMERICAN HARDWOODS FOR THE LONDON DESIGN FESTIVAL Waugh Thistleton Architects, the American Hardwood Export Council (AHEC) and ARUP are collaborating to present ‘MultiPly’, a modular cross-laminated tulipwood pavilion, in the Sackler courtyard of the V&A from September 15, 2018. MultiPly, one of the London Design Festival’s Landmark projects, will be comprised of a maze-like series of interconnected spaces that overlap and intertwine, and will encourage visitors to re-think the way we design and build our homes and cities. The three-dimensional structure will be built out of a flexible system, made of 17 modules of American tulipwood cross-laminated timber (CLT) with digitally fabricated joints. Like a piece of flat-packed furniture, it will arrive as a kit of parts and will be simply and quietly assembled in under a week. Since it is built out of modules, the pavilion can be taken apart and reassembled in a new home after the London Design Festival. MultiPly confronts two of the current age’s biggest challenges - the dire need for housing and the urgency to fight climate change and presents the fusion of modular systems and sustainable construction materials as a solution. “The main ambition of this project is to publicly debate how environmental challenges can be addressed through innovative, affordable construction,” says Andrew Waugh, Co-founder of Waugh Thistleton. “We are at a crisis point in terms of both housing and CO2 emissions and we believe that building in a versatile, sustainable material such as tulipwood is an important way of addressing these issues.” During the day, the 9-meter high American tulipwood installation promises to be fun and playful. The labyrinthine spaces will lead visitors through a series of stairs, corridors and open spaces, inviting them to explore the potential of wood in architecture. In the evenings, with subtle lighting, the pavilion will become a quiet and contemplative space, allowing visitors to reflect on the beauty of its natural material.

Image © Waugh Thistleton Architects

According to Waugh, the structure will lead people on a merry dance up and down staircases and across bridges exploring space and light. MultiPly has a high level of permeability to allow views through to the facade and courtyard, but also to entice viewers into the structure, so that they can experience new, carefully considered views to the existing heritage facades of the V&A.

Waugh Thistleton Architects has been pioneering innovative uses of wood in construction for decades. MultiPly explores a new, more sustainable way of building, bringing together a readily available carbon-negative material - American tulipwood - with modular design. The project follows on from AHEC’s work with many great architects including David Adjaye, Amanda Levete, Alex de Rijke, Alison Brooks, and now Waugh Thistleton to demonstrate the structural, aesthetic and environmental properties of American tulipwood CLT. Carolina Bartram, Project Director, Arup commented: “Continuing our exploration of hardwood CLT on installations such as Endless Stair and The Smile, MultiPly provides a playful opportunity to experiment and innovate with this tactile and adaptable material. The seemingly simple series of stacked boxes are a complex engineering challenge, made more interesting by the fact the sculpture sits on the newly completed, elegant Sackler Courtyard at the V&A. It is a privilege that as engineers for the Sackler Courtyard, we are also contributing engineering designs for MultiPly.” Cross-laminated timber (CLT) is an engineered timber that can be used to build walls and floors making up the structure of entire buildings. It has a layered construction with the wooden planks turned at right angles in each successive layer, creating a panel with equal strength in both directions, similar to plywood. Weight for weight, CLT is stronger than steel and concrete and can be machined to incredibly high tolerances. This makes it ideal for prefabrication and rapid assembly, reducing construction times by around 30 percent. “CLT is usually made of a softwood trees. Together with Arup, AHEC started a process of experimenting with CLT made from fast-grown North American tulipwood. The planks are imported from the USA but the panels themselves will be manufactured in the UK’s own fledging CLT factory in Scotland. Testing has shown that the tulipwood is considerably stronger than spruce; it also has a superior appearance. We are positive that MultiPly will prove to be another great learning experience for us and a unique story that will be serve as an inspiration for anyone wanting to design with wood,” concluded Roderick Wiles, AHEC Regional Director.

Image © ETH Zurich

SWEDISH PINE TAKES CENTER STAGE IN LOGGIA D’OMBRA AT THE VENICE ARCHITECTURE BIENNALE has a greenhouse. To make the Swedish connection, we took the classic dance pavilion as our starting point. The furniture in the pavilion was developed to handle the outdoor climate. To give the wood a more Venetian and exclusive look, we decided to treat it with a silver glaze. As a real bonus, Källemo now wants to put the furniture into production,” explains Katarina Lundemark from In Praise of Shadows. The Venice Architecture Biennale opened on May 25 and is slated to run until November 25. Since the event is the world’s leading arena for architecture, the Swedish association of architects (Architects Sweden) felt it was important to attend, as a way to promote young and exciting architectural talent with an exploratory approach to building in wood. The Swedish exhibition Greenhouse Garden - Reflect, Project, Connect is rooted in the 2030 Agenda, which sets out the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals and in 2018 has a focus on the forest as a resource and wood as a construction material.

Image © Swedish Wood

“Wood and wooden architecture are part of the digital revolution and a key component of the goal to create a sustainable society. There are huge opportunities to develop wooden architecture and Sweden is at the forefront not only in architecture and research, but also in its capacity to build in wood on a large scale,” added Charlotta Holm Hildebrand, Acting Chair of Architects Sweden. The Greenhouse Garden exhibition involved close collaboration with everyone in the chain, including the wood industry, the joiners and the architects. Four of Swedish Wood’s member companies took part in the project: Martinsons, Norra Skogsägarna, Setra Group and Södra.

A collaborative effort between Swedish Wood, In Praise of Shadows, a leading architectural practice, and furniture manufacturer Källemo has helped throw the spotlight on Swedish pine at the ongoing Architecture Biennale in Venice. Inspired by the classic Swedish dance pavilion, In Praise of Shadows worked with Swedish Wood, Folkhem, Martinsons, Moelven and Källemo to create and furnish the Swedish association of architects’ exhibition piece at the Biennale. As a wood nation, Sweden has plenty to offer at this time when forest resources and wood construction are in sharp focus in the UN’s 2030 Agenda for sustainable development.

Part of the Swedish exhibition at the Biennale sits in a park called Serra dei Giardini. The architects from In Praise of Shadows designed the glulam pavilion, called Loggia d’Ombra. They also worked with furniture manufacturer Källemo to create the Loggia furniture, which is made from cast iron and pine. The team at In Praise of Shadows are used to working with wood, having designed several wooden buildings in partnership with Swedish housing developer Folkhem. They also designed the interiors for Aesop’s beauty product stores in Stockholm. “We wanted the pavilion to sit comfortably in the park, which already

Image © Swedish Wood

“70 percent of Sweden is covered in forest, making us a nation of wood. We’re keen to show what can be done with pine and just how good the quality of our wood is. When a furniture company like Källemo chooses to use pine in its designs, it sends a clear message that this material has a place in the finest of rooms. And rightly so, since it is a beautiful wood that can replace many other less eco-friendly materials, in both the furniture industry and interior design,” said Charlotte Dedye Apelgren, Director of Interior and Design at Swedish Wood.

15TH ANNUAL GLOBAL BUYERS MISSION TO BE HELD IN WHISTLER, BRITISH COLUMBIA

Image © BC Wood

The 15th Annual Global Buyers Mission (GBM) will be held in Whistler, British Columbia (B.C.), Canada from September 6 - 8, 2018 and is expected to attract over 800 delegates from all over the world. An invitation-only event, GBM is designed to bring together international buyers of wood and value-added wood products with Canadian manufacturers. The event is also a great opportunity to meet with Canadian manufacturers of products that include engineered wood products; remanufactured items and components; pre-fabricated housing and structures; log / post & beam / timber-frame homes and structures; millwork & finished building products; and specialty lumber including Western Red Cedar - all showcased in a comfortable, networking environment. As in years before, there will also be an extensive program for architects, designers, contractors, developers, engineers and specifiers with BC Wood’s WoodTALKS™ program, including the popular mini-seminar series on the tradeshow floor Friday afternoon. The program includes lunch and learns, as well as presentations by renowned local architects and speakers. The WoodTALKS Program offers educational learning credits for AIABC, AAA, AIA (US) registered architects, as well as for IDCEC, and BC Housing members. In addition to the main event, optional extended mission programs are available for incoming delegates and include site visits and factory tours around the province.

MTC ANNOUNCES APPOINTMENT OF NEW CHAIRMAN Association (MWIA) as proposed by Low himself.

Image © MTC

Low, representing Terengganu Wood Industries Association (TWIA), joined TTFM as a committee member before becoming its treasurer and later, as president of MWIA from 2005-2017. He retired as president last year and is now the Adviser of MWIA. He was also a Trustee on MTC’s Board and President of the Malaysian Timber Association (MTA) from 2015-2017. MTA is a timber organization which represents all the timber industry associations in Malaysia, including those in Sabah and Sarawak.

Dato’ Low Kian Chuan has been appointed as the new Chairman of the Malaysian Timber Council (MTC), effective July 27, 2018, succeeding Dato’ Gooi Hoe Hin. Low, 58, who holds a Bachelor of Economics and an Advanced Diploma in Business Administration from the Wilfrid Laurier University, Canada, started his career in the timber industry by working at his father’s sawmill in Terengganu shortly after graduating from the university in 1984. He is currently the Executive Chairman of Low Fatt Wood Group of Companies, a full-fledged integrated wood-based processing and manufacturing organization. Known for his sense of fairness and approachability, Low has a long history with the timber industry, which revolves around his involvement in the Timber Trade Federation Malaysia (TTFM). Established in 1957, TTFM was one of the pioneer organizations that consolidated and brought together those in the timber sector, especially the sawmillers. It was also one of the key associations that was instrumental in the formation of MTC. In 2000, TTFM was renamed the Malaysian Wood Industries

Among his notable achievements was mooting the idea of producing premium grade laminated scantlings or lamscants. Low initiated the R&D to produce high grade lamscants for niche markets, which resulted in the registered trademark called Lamtec Malaysia, a label for premium wooden laminated scantlings in 2004. “To strive in the timber industry, we must understand that innovation exists at the very edges of our expertise and the information that we have yet to discover,” said Low, who believes that technological advancements are some of the key pointers that help the industry sustain itself under challenging trading environments. Besides the timber industry, Low also serves as Secretary-General of the Associated Chinese Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Malaysia (since 2012), Treasurer General of the National Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Malaysia (since 2016) and a board member of several government and corporate bodies. He is also an independent nonexecutive director of the Bank of China. Low’s vast exposure and experience in the timber industry and other sectors will further elevate MTC as an organization that advances the collective interest of its stakeholders. His enthusiasm and keen sense of commitment will undoubtedly enable him to steer MTC to greater heights. In accepting his appointment, Low said: “I look forward to working closely with all my industry colleagues in this new position.”

UN Environment and Yale University demonstrate how to make modern living sustainable with new eco-housing module

Image ÂŠ David Sundberg/Esto

Constructed primarily from locally-sourced, bio-based renewable materials, the module is efficient, multifunctional and engineered to operate independently

Image © David Sundberg/Esto

The Ecological Living Module - unveiled during the United Nations High-level Political Forum on Sustainable Development - is constructed primarily from locally-sourced, bio-based renewable materials. UN Environment’s collaborator, the Yale Center for Ecosystems in Architecture, worked with Gray Organschi Architecture to

design, fabricate and install the Ecological Living Module. The team wanted to build a system that could be assembled with the least amount of effort, and that would use the minimal amount of toxic materials to create. The unit is efficient and multi-functional, accommodating up to four people, serving both domestic and commercial purposes. In addition, plants were used inside as well as in the loft area; whilst a living wall in the upper loft area purifies air for inhabitants. “We clearly need more housing, but the key thing is that we also need smarter housing” said Erik Solheim, Head of UN Environment. “The housing sector uses 40 percent of the planet’s total resources and represents more than a third of global greenhouse gas

Image © David Sundberg/Esto

UN Environment and Yale University in collaboration with UN Habitat recently unveiled a new eco-housing module, to spark public discussion and new ideas on how sustainable design can provide decent, affordable housing while limiting the overuse of natural resources and climate change. The 22-square-meter ‘tiny house’ is fully powered by renewable energy and designed to test the potential for minimizing the use of natural resources such as water.

Image © David Sundberg/Esto

emissions. So making them more efficient will benefit everyone, and it’ll mean lower bills too. Innovations like the Ecological Living Module are what we need more of.” Engineered to operate independently, the module’s built-in systems include solar energy generation using less than 1 percent of toxic semiconductor materials, on-site water collection, micro agricultural infrastructure, natural daylighting, plant-based air purification, passive crossventilation, and a range of flexible, adaptable components for living and working. “Adequate housing is at the heart of sustainable urbanization” added Maimunah Mohd Sharif, Executive Director, UN Habitat. “The use of proper building materials, better planning and improved construction techniques can make energy use in buildings more efficient. If adopted widely, this practice can create jobs and prosperity with lower greenhouse gas emissions.”

The same pale CLT used to support the building was left exposed inside to create all of the finished surfaces, from countertops to stairs

The module contains 215 square feet of occupiable interior space and carves out another 16 square feet for a rear mechanical closet. The unit uses passive lighting and moisture collection, structural cross-laminated timber (CLT), food-growing green walls, and sun-tracking solar panels to shrink both the building’s embodied energy and resource needs. The Yale Center for Ecosystems in Architecture and Gray Organschi worked together to design and install the module in only four weeks. The building was fabricated partially in New Haven and partially in Brooklyn and assembled on the UN campus amidst heavy security and tight construction restrictions. In order to balance maximum sun exposure with thermal

comfort, the module was designed with New York’s specific micro-climate in mind. The dramatically-sloped building is clad in dark cedar planks and is home to two cascading ‘farm walls’, one on either side. Gray Organschi also claims that in New York the home can produce over 260 servings of vegetables. “Structure was used as finish,” explains Alan Organschi, Founding principle, Gray Organschi. The same pale CLT used to support the building was left exposed inside to create all of the finished surfaces, from countertops to stairs. The timber was sourced from the northeastern U.S. and sequestered more carbon than the effort used to harvest it. The team optimized daylighting in the building by carving strategic cuts into the back

and roof. An Integrated Concentrating Solar Facade was installed to both reduce the amount of incoming sunlight and harvest solar power; an array of tiny panels track the sun’s movement and focus light on the minimally-sized solar receivers. Around one billion people worldwide currently live in informal settlements, while millions more live in buildings that are not environmentally friendly. Rapid urbanization and economic growth challenge communities to sustainably expand capacity, heightening the need for innovation in building systems and infrastructure. The first demonstration unit, located in the UN Plaza in New York City, from July 9 - 18, contained features relevant to the local climate and context of New York. Future iterations of the module - including one in Kenya, the home of UN Environment - will respond specifically to local climatic and cultural contexts.

OLIMPIC K 560

HIGH PERFORMANCE, COMPACT AND VERSATILE NOW WITH NEW GLUING SOLUTIONS SCM’s attention to detail in the olimpic k 560 has resulted in a brilliant edge bander that offers finished panels with a perfect join. Achieve an extraordinary level of finishing quality with the SGP glue pot, AirFusion+ technology and the pre-melting device for EVA glue, ensuring that freshly melted glue is always available inside the glue pot. Today olimpic k 560 further improves its performances by offering the possibility to process solid wood edges up to 12 mm thickness. Moreover, it is now enriched with new devices, such as HMI Maestro Pro Edge, supplied with the eye-M consolle. All operating units - premilling, end cutting, multiedge trimming, two motor ‘Round X’ corner rounding, edge scraping, glue scraping and brushing - have been engineered to perform at a high level. The feed speed at 18 m/min makes the machine suitable for machining many panels. Designed for companies striving for the ultimate flexibility, performance and edge quality, the olimpic k 560 won’t let you down.

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Image © MTC

Civilizations throughout history have used wood to create useful and beautiful items. In Malaysia, wood has been used extensively for centuries. Ever since Malaysian carpenters and builders began to shape and use wood, the Mouldings and Builders’ Joinery & Carpentry (BJC) industries have grown by leaps and bounds. Today, a wide

range of quality mouldings and BJC products such as wooden cornices, wainscoting, dado rails, doors and frames, windows and frames, flooring, decking, picture frames and laminated beams are produced in Malaysia and exported worldwide. Malaysian mouldings and BJC wood products are able to meet

the increasing demand of buyers for use in building and construction projects. These include hotels, resorts, theme parks, temples, houses and office buildings, and for the production of furniture, doors and windows as well as for outdoor and marine applications in ships and boats. Malaysian timber manufacturers and

exporters are also innovative in satisfying the requirements of foreign importers, including customizing products to customers’ needs and being flexible in meeting service and shipment requirements. A diverse range of timber species are available from the forests and plantations of Malaysia for

Image ÂŠ MTC

Malaysian Mouldings & BJC: Time-Proven & Reliable the production of mouldings and BJC products. The popular species used in moulding and BJC production include Meranti, Gerutu, Kempas, Balau, Merbau, Bintangor, Merpauh and Rubberwood. Buyers can be assured that the mouldings and BJC products they import from Malaysia are backed by years of R&D, strict regulations and

strong support from established government institutions like the Forest Research Institute Malaysia, Forestry Department, Malaysian Timber Industry Board and Malaysian Timber Council.

Timber mouldings - tailormade to perfection Quality timber mouldings add a perfect finishing to any interior,

lending warmth that only a material as natural as wood could. For centuries, mouldings have graced some of the finest offices and homes around the world. Wooden cornices, wainscoting and dado rails give an understated but elegant finish to any interior. The simplicity of wood mouldings effortlessly pulls together the

feel and structure of a room, enhancing the beauty and splendor of a habitat. Malaysian timber mouldings have gained acclaim around the world, especially in Japan, Australia, USA and Europe. Various items are made according to buyersâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; specifications and produced from timber species such as Bintangor, Jelutong, Keruing,

Meranti, Sepetir, Merbau, Nyatoh and Rubberwood. Decorative mouldings such as architraves, cornices, base boards, aprons, dowels, jambs, louvers, wall claddings and skirtings are the premier choices of architects, interior designers and discerning artisans who appreciate uncompromising beauty and quality. Malaysian timber mouldings are machined to specifications using the latest technology to ensure superior finish and quality. Some manufacturers provide additional services such as veneer-wrapping and lamination, while others have experienced craftsmen and qualified designers to help create customized designs.

Timber doors - designed to your needs A well-designed door immediately enhances the

Timber doors, common since antiquity, remain today’s preferred choice. Malaysian timber doors are made from a variety of species that cater to the taste of a broad spectrum of customers from around the world. The doors are available in local timbers such as Dark Red Meranti, Nyatoh, Kembang Semangkok, Balau, Merpauh and Merbau. Some doors are overlaid with popular foreign species such as Oak, Walnut, Cherry and Makore as well as reconstituted veneer.

Image © MTC

Hardwood flooring timeless elegance and durability Hardwood doesn’t just make for elegant flooring. It’s a tough and long-lasting performer whose beauty is timeless. Malaysian hardwoods are known for unique qualities that enhance the aesthetics of any room with their warmth and coziness. They are

aesthetics of any building or space. Timber doors have always been a favorite of many, with various contemporary designs that showcase the natural appeal of wood. Malaysian timber doors are available in a variety of species, designs, sizes and specifications to suit the tastes and needs of discerning customers. They are exported globally and are highly soughtafter for their quality, design and durability. Using state-ofthe-art technology, Malaysian manufacturers are well-placed to serve customers globally, whether for small orders of custom-made doors or large orders of standard products. Malaysian-made timber doors are available in a wide range of designs and a variety of materials. Available designs range from traditional solid timber doors, with or without glazing, to engineered doors.

the number one choice for interior designers and specifiers, by adding value and beauty for both residential and commercial space. Hardwood flooring is easy to install and maintain. Its excellent thermal insulating property makes it an ideal material for flooring. Wood is hypo-allergenic, contributing to a healthier living environment. A wide range of Malaysian hardwood flooring is available for use in homes, offices, showrooms, indoor sports arenas and restaurants, with a choice of colors and designs to suit individual specifications. Species such as Kempas, Merbau, Rubberwood, Kekatong and Keranji are popular choices. Malaysia’s wellestablished timber-based industry, coupled with excellent technology and quality assurance, guarantee buyers superior quality flooring. Malaysian hardwood flooring is exported to highly discerning

Image © MTC

The simplicity of wood mouldings effortlessly pulls together the feel and structure of a room, enhancing the beauty and splendor of a habitat

markets such as the Europe, USA, Australia and Japan. Buyers may choose between conventional solid strip and parquet flooring, or engineered flooring.

Hardwood decking - natural beauty at its best Few materials can match the beauty and practicality of tropical timber for decking. Unlike concrete, brick, stone, ceramic tiles or metal, timber decking can create a quick facelift to oneâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s outdoor ambience. It is simple to install, and does not require elaborate, time-consuming foundation work. Timber effortlessly complements natural surroundings. Its flexibility allows landscape artists the freedom to incorporate enhancements such as handrails, balustrades, pergolas, screens and gazebos. Malaysian hardwoods have established a reputation for quality, making them much

and construction practices. To improve slip resistance, the use of textured or grooved boards is also recommended.

Picture frames - au naturel complement to art Pictures frames are invariably a must when you want to embellish your photos and paintings for display. Pictures frames are themselves works of art adding a touch of grandeur to the object on display. Wooden picture frames are by far the popular choice for most framing needs and they come in a variety of styles, from contemporary to classical designs, and in a variety of finishes. Some prefer plain mouldings in natural finish and have a choice of wood species to suit their tastes while others would go for the intricate and ornately sculptured and filigree designs, in gold, silver or bronze gilded finish. The warmth and texture of wood complement any piece of artwork.

Image ÂŠ MTC

Malaysian timber mouldings are machined to specifications using the latest technology to ensure superior finish and quality sought-after by discerning buyers. Timbers such as Balau, Belian, Giam, Chengal, Merbau and Dark Red Meranti are the best hardwoods for decking products because of their durability, strength and attractive grain. Testament to this are the numerous world class holiday resorts throughout the world, such as in the Maldives, Seychelles, Mauritius and Malaysia where decking made of Malaysian tropical timbers add to their warmth and beauty. To achieve lasting performance of wood decking with minimal maintenance, it is important to pay close attention to the design, specifications and proper construction or installation. While it is important to select naturally durable wood or wood that has been pressure-treated with preservatives for long term durability, it is equally important to apply good detailing

Malaysian picture frame manufacturers, already adept at exporting high quality picture frames worldwide, are capable of meeting your every need including custom-designed picture frames in small or large batches. Exported internationally including to the USA, China, Middle East and Europe, Malaysian picture frames are of the highest quality. They are manufactured with the latest technology at every stage of production. Stringent quality control is the norm, and raw materials are carefully selected from a variety of species such as Jelutong, Penarahan, Pulai, Ramin, White Meranti and Mempisang for their stability. *For a list of Malaysian suppliers of timber and timber products, and to learn more about Malaysian timber species, please contact the Malaysian Timber Council (www.mtc.com.my).

Poetic woven architecture features sustainable American red oak at the Venice Biennale

Image © Giovanni Nardi

‘Weaving Architecture’ summarizes a way of thinking stemming from Benedetta Tagliabue and EMBT's experimental work through the years

Image © Giovanni Nardi

‘Weaving architecture’, an installation by the architecture studio Miralles Benedetta Tagliabue - EMBT - was unveiled at the Biennale Architettura 2018 earlier this year. The installation, which will remain on display until November 26, 2018, encapsulates their philosophy of work and their innovative experiments on architecture as fabric, using American red oak and fiber glass thread. A participative space as a manifestation of freedom is the idea behind the installation. As such, Miralles Tagliabue EMBT’s project conveys how manual techniques, such as weaving, have the ability to humanize public spaces.

and the lower one with steel modules; and both are woven with fiber glass of different colors, which softens the visual effect and blurs the boundaries created by the structure. ‘Weaving Architecture’ summarizes a way of thinking stemming from Benedetta Tagliabue and EMBT's experimental work through the years, starting with the wicker Spanish Pavilion of Expo 2010 Shanghai.

The poetic structure presented in Venice is composed by various elements intertwined in two levels. The higher level is built with American red oak modules

Progressing now in Clichy-sousBois and Montfermeil (in the outskirts of Paris) with the design of a metro station (as part of the Grand Paris Express),

Miralles Tagliabue EMBT’s project conveys how manual techniques, such as weaving, have the ability to humanize public spaces

a marketplace, an urban renewal, which will be built with fibers, a delicate material resistant through time and climate. ‘Weaving Architecture’, here in La Biennale, deals with the concept of weaving at different scales: weaving the city through its metro, weaving activities of people in the public space, weaving the structure of the canopy to dress it with fiber fabrics. The canopy provides protection and shade, creating a comfortable, semi-open space for various communal activities. Its colorful nature expresses the spirit of Clichy-sous-Bois

and Montfermeil by recalling patterns of African traditional clothing as well as local graffiti - an artwork owned by the people. This architecture, like the infrastructure it represents, links territories and builds a sense of social inclusion by manifesting architecture’s social role. Currently the Grand Paris Express is Europe's largest infrastructure and development project: 200km of automatic metro lines and 68 new stations to build, which integrates metro networks, trains and airports. With a scale of this venture, the project is not only a technical and architectural opportunity but also an economic, social and cultural challenge that will make these stations and their neighborhoods better places to live. The implementation of the Grand Paris Express will

Image © Giovanni Nardi

The red oak components of ‘Weaving Architecture’ have been fabricated in Madrid by the craftsmen at Intrama, a workshop with more than 30 years of experience in the field of architectural carpentry. According to Antonio Arce, Director of Intrama, the workshop has been working with red oak since the 80s; for some major projects such as the joinery of the Spanish Parliament. It is a species Intrama likes to work with because it is very noble, has a great look and is easy to work with. For this project, Benedetta has decided to use a very natural

oil to finish the timber in order to highlight the wonderful grain of the red oak. According to the American Hardwood Export Council (AHEC), red oak not only has a minimal carbon footprint but is also truly sustainable. The American hardwood forest, which occupies about 120 million hectares of the United States, has been well managed by successive generations of small landowners. Trees are selectively harvested and replaced through natural regeneration. The timber grows at a much higher pace than it is extracted, and the forest increases by 401 hectares each year - the equivalent of a

soccer pitch every minute. Two years ago, Benedetta embarked on a journey with AHEC to demonstrate the potential of underused species, which despite growing abundantly in the forests are being underused because they are not in fashion. This journey started with The Workshop of Dreams, where she teamed up with Pritzker Prize Director Martha Thorne to create a series of coffee tables made in sustainable U.S. hardwoods. It continued with Too Good to Waste, an installation presented at Milan Design Week 2017, which opened up a dialogue about the need to use all the

According to the American Hardwood Export Council (AHEC), red oak not only has a minimal carbon footprint but is also truly sustainable

different species that the forests produce in order to achieve real sustainability. When thinking about the material for Weaving architecture, American red oak was the obvious choice for EMBT. Thanks to those two projects, they had previous experience with this beautiful timber and were aware of its outstanding environmental properties. Despite being a favorite in other parts of the world like the U.S and Asia, red oak is not being used extensively in other markets. Nearly one out of every five hardwood trees standing in the U.S. forests is a red oak, yet industries are somewhat reluctant to use it. The hope is that this project will inspire a more imaginative use of this beautiful and sustainable species.

Image © Giovanni Nardi

strengthen the attractiveness of the region to promote equality within the territories of the metropolis. For millions of users, it will create changes not only in their transport but their territory.

Malan Vorsterâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s tree house residence offers views of Cape Town forest Tree house is a floating architectural interpretation of a forest

Image Â© Adam Letch

Image © Adam Letch

The tree house is located in a small clearing amongst forest-like gardens overlooking a quartet of sharp-edged, square reflection ponds

Cape Town-based architects Malan Vorster have designed a stunning residence - the Paarman Treehouse - for a client who wanted their hide-away in Constantia to resemble a tree house. Having been involved with previous projects on this tree-rich property, the architects were commissioned to design a small contemporary house to complement the existing collection of buildings - spatially organized around a modern interpretation of the Cape Werf. The Paarman Family Estate in Constantia, Cape Town, has spectacular views of the surrounding valley and mountains. It’s arranged along the lines of a modern

interpretation of a traditional Cape farmyard, with a manor house and a number of other buildings scattered among the extensive landscaped gardens. Graham Paarman had the idea that he’d like to add a onebedroomed, tree house hideaway to the estate’s dwellings and so called on Malan Vorster to design his tree house. Inspired by the trees on the estate, Paarman requested a cabin-like, one bedroomed hideaway resembling a tree house. The tree house is located in a small clearing amongst forestlike gardens overlooking a quartet of sharp-edged, square reflection ponds, and the aim was to respond to the height of the tall

Image © Mickey Hoyle

Image © Adam Letch

The ponds seemed to bring a certain magic to the clearing, and their geometric shapes among the organic forms of the trees shaped the design of the project

trees surrounding the clearing to maximize views from the highest part of the sloped site. According to the architects, inspiration was drawn from the timber cabins of Horace Gifford and Kengo Kuma’s notions of working with the void or in-between space, while Louis Kahn’s mastery of pure form and the detailing ethic of Carlo Scarpa informed a process of geometric restraint and handcrafted manufacturing. The ponds seemed to bring a certain magic to the clearing, and their geometric shapes among the organic forms of the trees shaped the design of the project. Rather than an

actual tree house, the architects envisioned a floating architectural interpretation of a forest. What began to form in their minds was an elevated building - one that seemed to levitate, so it felt as if it were among the branches of the canopy but was actually more like a modern cabin in the woods. The organizational diagram of the structure explores the pure geometry of a square, with each side divided into three modules and where two of these modules determine the diameter of a circle on each of the four sides of the square - resulting in a pin-wheel plan layout. As such, four cylindrical towers raised above the ground on stilts extend from each side of the four-storey-

Image © Adam Letch

A square is directional and a circle not - the square relates to the North/South site geometry and the four circles to the organic and natural surroundings. Each circle’s center is the location for a column, and circular rings, supporting the floor beams above, are connected to the columns by means of branch-like arms. Each ring circumscribes a half-round space ancillary to the main square living space on that level. The building becomes a vertically arranged “clearing in the forest”, with living space on level one, a bedroom on level two and a roof deck on the third. A plant room

is located at ground level below the building. The half round bays accommodate a patio, dining alcove and stair on the living level, a bathroom on the bedroom level and a built-in seat on the roof deck level - the pure geometries provide articulation to the spaces. The building lightly touches the ground, and entry is by means of a suspended timber and Corten steel ramp. The columns, arms and rings are constructed from laser-cut and folded Corten steel plate, and each column is divided into four ‘trunks’ in the interest of transparency, slenderness and to allow floor beams and windows to pass through the center points of the rings. The steel trees support timber floors beams, facade glazing and a western red cedar building

envelope. Battens of red cedar wrap the building, with larger gaps around the windows and tighter spacing to provide privacy for the residence. The connections between steel and timber are expressed by means of handturned brass components. All materials are left untreated, and will express the passing of time as they weather naturally with the surrounding trees. “It makes a strong, singular statement,” Paarman says. But more important is his experience of living in it. “It’s the encapsulation of cocoon living,” he says. “It has become a sanctuary. I think we all have a connection to nature, and this house captures that in a very special way.”

Project Name:

Paarman Treehouse

Client:

Paarman Family Estate

Location:

Cape Town, South Africa

Architects:

Malan Vorster Architecture

Completion 2016

Photography: Adam Letch Mickey Hoyle

Image © Adam Letch

high Paarman Treehouse, each offering large windows to take advantage of views in different directions.

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New Practice Studio designs Hunan Slurp Curved slats of laminated wood cover the walls and ceiling of restaurant

Image ÂŠ Montse Zamorano

New Practice Studio have used curved slats of laminated wood to cover the walls and ceiling of Hunan Slurp, a Chinese restaurant in New York's East Village. Located in a slender, linear space at the base of an old brick building, the restaurant is run by chef and artist Chao Wang and serves authentic dishes from the Hunan province, including rice noodle bowls and a range of small plates like frog legs and chicken feet. â&#x20AC;&#x153;For an eatery that features authentic street rice noodle from Hunan, we wanted to create a dining space that engages with the bustling neighborhood of East Village. The space is conceived as a place to look into and look out from. As such, a continuous volume is carved out from the

Image © Montse Zamorano

storefront into the interior, so a direct dialogue is established between the street and the restaurant,” says Nianlai Zhong, Founder, New Practice Studio. The signature element in the 3,000 sq.ft (280 sqm) restaurant is an arched, wooden screen that wraps the walls and ceiling, and is meant to evoke rice noodles. Encompassing the entire front section of the restaurant, the seemingly inserted cage-like structure of slatted wood lays bare the building’s original brick walls. Briefly interrupted by a section of white plastered walls, the slatted wood cage continues to the far end where white plastered walls re-emerge. A group of communal dining table anchors the center of the

restaurant and adds to the continuity of the space. The interplay between white plastered wall and wooden screen creates a bright and warm atmosphere. The rhythmic wood screen with fillet corners reinforces the geometry of the space, while resembling the rice noodle featured in this restaurant. The screen sits in front of existing brick walls where carefully designed backlighting adds another layer of subtlety to the space. The restaurant has three distinct dining zones. In the center is a pair of long communal tables made of plywood with an oak veneer, surrounded by brass stools. In the rear, there are two cozier seating areas with banquettes

and marble-topped tables. Glazed walls around the kitchen allow diners to watch their food being prepared. Hunan Slurp serves delicacies from the eponymous Chinese province, but overall the focus is on simple streetstyle food and the dishes that Chao enjoyed at his grandmother’s home. The menu is elaborate, listing an array of tasty small bites, noodle variations, and dishes with meat, fish or just vegetables. As can be expected from a restaurant owned by an artist, the space has a specific aesthetic, and New Practice Studio have delivered a simple yet refreshing design fitting for the space.

Project Name: Hunan Slurp

Client:

Chao Wang

Location:

New York, USA

Interior Designer: New Practice Studio

Completion: 2018

Photography:

Montse Zamorano

A U.S. hardwood window to the world

Image © Zm Yasa Architecture

The U.S. may already be the world’s biggest hardwood supplier, but AHEC sees exciting opportunities for developing its global market

Over his career Dave Bramlage, Vice President of Sales at Cole Hardwood Inc. and immediate past chair of the American Hardwood Export Council (AHEC), has seen his industry transformed. He started out at Cole, then called Shafer Lumber Company, in 1979. At that time the U.S. hardwood sector was primarily focused on its domestic sales. It serviced certain mature overseas markets highly successfully, but relatively few, and many mills viewed exports as supplementary to U.S. business. “The attention exports got reflected the state of domestic sales; when the U.S. market picked up, exports dropped off and vice versa,” said Bramlage. Today, he added, that picture could not be more different.

The hardwood sector must now rank as one of America’s most export-oriented industries and its perspective is truly global. It sells a greater variety of species to a wider range of foreign markets than any time in its history. “U.S. hardwood exports are no longer an add-on,” added Bramlage. “They’re an entity all their own.” And the cause of this dramatic evolution, which has seen the sector go from selling under 15 percent of its grade lumber output abroad to well over 50 percent, in less than two decades. “Of course, it’s been partly driven by necessity,” said Bramlage. “The economic crisis and American housing crash resulted in a 50 percent fall in U.S. hardwood output. Mills had to

find new markets to survive.” But another factor also lies behind American hardwood’s evolution into a truly export-oriented business and, according to Bramlage, it’s been key to making the transition so successful. That, he maintains, has been the worldwide promotion and market development activity of AHEC. “Over the last 20 years AHEC has been at the cutting edge of what’s happening in our industry,” he said. “It’s been that step ahead, predicting what’s coming down the line and really driving export markets; or in the words of AHEC European Director David Venables, ‘doing the visionary stuff business hasn’t got time to do’. It’s developed a dedicated team worldwide and created such an identity for American hardwoods, I can travel anywhere,

say I’m in U.S. hardwood, and get AHEC mentioned back to me.” Core to AHEC’s achievement, he said, is that it’s taken a 360-degree promotional focus, highlighting U.S. hardwoods’ technical, aesthetic and environmental credentials. Through initiating showcase construction and manufacturing projects, it has also encouraged architects, designers and engineers to push technical boundaries, leading to increasingly innovative applications in the marketplace. Cole Hardwood’s export development in the last two decades and the benefits it has drawn from AHEC’s work, have mirrored those of the wider U.S. hardwood industry. Bramlage joined the Indiana

COMMENT

lumber company in 1980 with a degree in natural resources and masters in geography from Ball State University. “I began in the concentration yard, carrying boards pile to pile,” he said. “I planned on staying a year, but found it so interesting, one year became 38!” After moving through the sales ranks, his first working contact with AHEC came around 20 years ago. “This industry’s move to exports has been the phenomenon of my career, but Cole started out fairly modestly, firstly in Europe,” he said. “We then identified Japan as the biggest potential market in Asia - I even started learning Japanese and we subsequently looked to Taiwan. Our focus on the rest of Asia, notably China, came after that, which is when I started

working with AHEC’s John Chan, who was instrumental in getting our business there started.” The rest, as they say is history. Like much of the rest of the U.S. industry, over subsequent years Cole saw its Chinese sales climb steadily and then, from the 1990s, exponentially. That, said Bramlage, was when the emergence of China’s new middle class started to impact and its domestic wood product consumption to soar. While U.S. hardwood export growth since the 1990s has come from Asia, Bramlage insists this has not resulted in any less emphasis on long-established European markets. “European buyers remain among our most valued customers; they take a lot of prime grade,” he

said. “Europe is also significant as a global leader in terms of new timber product development and applications in architecture and design. Where Europe goes, the rest of the world often follows.” This is reflected, he said, in the fact that AHEC’s European office has initiated showcase projects in association with leading architects, designers and manufacturers, not just to demonstrate, but to develop U.S. hardwood’s construction and manufacturing potential. It also runs student competitions to engage European specifiers of the future. A key recent focus has been architectural and engineering projects highlighting hardwood’s structural capabilities in the groundbreaking form of engineered and thermo-treated

timber products. All originally displayed at the London Design Festival, the Timber Wave demonstrated red-oak’s capabilities in laminated form; the Endless Stair tulipwood’s strengths as cross laminated timber (CLT); and last year’s The Smile comprised the first use of industrial scale structural hardwood CLT panels. These are effectively shop windows for U.S. hardwood and have garnered international media coverage worth millions of dollars in equivalent advertising space. And construction projects these have directly or indirectly inspired recently include the new Maggie’s Cancer Care centre in Oldham, billed as the world’s first permanent building in hardwood (tulipwood) CLT, and the Warner Stand at the iconic Lord’s Cricket Ground in London. The latter features a canopy supported

by 11 U.S. white oak glulam beams (23m long) made by Hess Timber in Germany. “These projects are an incredible inspiration to the market and the U.S. hardwood industry itself, really demonstrating the performance possibilities of this material,” added Bramlage. “Working with the world’s most creative people also means others want to talk to you. It gives us that foot in the door.”

“AHEC’s recently developed American Hardwood Environmental Profile (AHEP), also has great market potential. It effectively provides an environmental passport, providing evidence of everything from a shipment’s origin, its legality and sustainability, to LCA and carbon footprint data. Its new interactive map, which gives U.S. national and regional forest distribution, growth and removal figures, is also a significant development,” said Bramlage. “Importantly these tools offer alternative evidence of sustainability to certification, which is requested by many export customers, but is just not viable at scale in the fragmented U.S. forest sector, where land owners like me

hold average timber lots under 50 acres.” Overall, he maintained, AHEC is doing “an excellent job conveying the greenness and sustainability of the U.S. hardwood industry to customers worldwide”. For the future, Bramlage sees a range of markets for AHEC to develop globally. “Certain parts of Africa are very viable, India is showing signs of life as a lumber market, the Middle East offers exciting opportunities and South America is relatively untapped,” he said. He also sees that opportunity to use the expertise and experience gathered by AHEC worldwide to help develop the U.S. hardwood market. “We don’t have those relationships with U.S. designers and architects yet, but we’re pulling that list together,” said

Bramlage, “and it’s very exciting that U.S. architects IKD recently designed the Conversation Plinth, America’s first hardwood CLT demonstration construction project in Columbus, Indiana. It drew on inspiration from The Smile, but using five species.” There are also great possibilities, he maintained, for the U.S. hardwood sector to build awareness of its environmental credentials at home as it has done abroad. “What we need is an AHEC for the American market!” concludes Bramlage. This article has been written by Mike Jeffree. For more information on the American Hardwood Export Council (AHEC) and to download the latest publications and industry facts, please visit www.americanhardwood.org.

Image © AHEC

AHEC’s efforts have also been targeted at demonstrating U.S. hardwoods’ carbon and wider environmental benefits. Research highlighting timber and wood product life cycle assessment superiority has been a strong focus and the just revised Seneca Creek illegality risk assessment study has also proven increasingly valuable, given the global spread

of market legality requirement regulation, like the EUTR.

Image ÂŠ MIT Mass Timber Designs

MIT Mass Timber Design aiming to solve the world's energy crisis with wooden buildings The Longhouse: a mass timber-building prototype that adopts a technology-driven approach to sustainable design

Image ÂŠ MIT Mass Timber Designs

With increasing demands placed on the planet through population growth and urbanization, energy remains one of the biggest challenges of the 21st century. Buildings are one of the largest consumers of global resources and all energy produced; and are primary contributors to greenhouse gases and solid wastes. At moment when the built environment is faced with dramatic shifts, the need for energy-intelligent building prototypes is more significant

than ever.

health and restoration.

Mass timber, a wood-based building design and construction technology, has received attention over the past few decades given its efficiency, speed, precision and versatility in construction for low to high-rise applications. Mass timber buildings are becoming more common throughout North America, most notably due to the technologyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s environmental benefits and the potential impacts it can have on Americaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s forest

MIT Mass Timber Design, a crossdisciplinary design workshop at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, has explored the design and engineering potential of these technologies and developed a mass timber-building prototype: The Longhouse. Extensively using the wood-based building design and construction technology mass timber, the project utilizes the efficiency, speed, precision and versatility of

prefabricated timber construction elements to realize a multifunctional, sustainable building. The longhouse is a building type common to historic settlements across the world and throughout history, finding use in the Americas, Asia, and Europe. Longhouses served many functions for these historic communities but were almost always civic or multi-family in scale. They were often places of community gathering, civil

Image ÂŠ MIT Mass Timber Designs

government, communal work, and an overall space for knowledge exchange. The MIT Longhouse is designed for shared communal spaces that builds upon this rich cultural icon. The Longhouse is multifunctional building, designed to accommodate a range of event scenarios from co-working, exercise classes, social mixers, exhibitions, dinner gatherings and lectures. In order to achieve a large spanning high bay space

for flexibility, the building is engineered as a series of timber laminated veneer lumber (LVL) arches spanning across the buildingâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s shorter dimension. Each arch utilizes a thin-walled triangular profile to minimize deformations in the structure and provide overall rigidity to the building. The building design additionally integrates sustainable features to become an energy producer. The building orientation and

the depth and angle of the sawtooth roof can be tuned for local solar conditions and natural daylighting needs. A low window to wall ratio with a highly insulated envelope allows for an energy efficient building. The project utilizes Computer Numerically Controlled (CNC) manufacturing processes to enable a prefabricated modular system for efficient assembly. Wood is both light and strong, and it maintains excellent insulation properties without

requiring additional resources. Unlike wood, concrete is a poor insulator and requires additional material to keep it better insulated. Concrete is also typically more expensive, but for large buildings, steel and concrete have been the preferred materials for construction. In recent times, however, new technologies are improving the durability of timber, making it more environmentally and economically viable than its concrete counterpart.

Image ÂŠ Homag

TECHNOLOGY 45

intelliDivide: HOMAGâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s cloud-based optimization software Intelligently optimized cutting patterns save a great deal of time, reduce the consumption of material and resources, and provide for efficient processes Optimization software plays an important role in determining the competitive capacity of a woodworking company in cutting processes. Intelligently optimized cutting patterns save a great deal of time, reduce the consumption of material and resources, and provide for efficient processes. This can be achieved flexibly and more independently than ever with intelliDivide HOMAG's software-as-a service optimization option. Many customers of HOMAG know from their own experience that a good one to two hours of valuable working time are spent every day in the work preparation department on manipulating and correcting optimization results. With intelliDivide, these production hours are no longer required and can be used for other valueadding tasks.

intelliDivide is flexible and powerful

How is this possible? intelliDivide is cloud-based optimization

software in the tapio ecosystem that can be used directly via the internet. The customer only requires online access. There is no need to install any special hardware or software locally. The cutting data is simply uploaded, and intelliDivide automatically starts optimizing, calculating a choice of multiple alternatives in parallel in no time at all. These can include, for example, a purely waste-based result as well as results focusing on shortest machine time or simplest handling. The customer decides which optimization result best suits his requirements, downloads the data and starts the cutting process. "This is possible because intelliDivide even automatically recognizes and applies the machine configuration, provided that the saw is tapio-ready and connected to tapio," explains Arne MĂśmesheim, Product Manager at HOMAG Plattenaufteiltechnik GmbH. "Incidentally, our new HOMAG saws already come tapioready straight from the factory."

Ideal for trade and industrial customers

Both trade and industry benefit from the new possibilities. With this innovative optimization solution, small and medium-sized companies can increase their ability to compete on the market because they get first-rate optimization results for cutting processes with no investment, update or maintenance costs. Furthermore, the costs for using intelliDivide are precisely calculable and comparatively modest. Costs are based on usage and are charged on the basis of contracts for either a monthly or an annual subscription. Industrial enterprises with very high optimization volume are able to increase their value added significantly with intelliDivide. This is because the cloud-based optimization software uses higher computing capacities than any offline solution, enabling it to provide users not only with numerous optimization variants, but also with a calculation of the cutting time based on real usage data.

Key benefits You do not require any local hardware or software. intelliDivide works independently of the operating system and on every mobile or stationary device with internet access, be it desktop computer, smartphone or tablet You do not have to worry about maintenance or updates intelliDivide automatically and simultaneously calculates multiple alternatives The optimization results can be quickly and easily compared The costs for intelliDivide are usage-based and accurately calculable

Binket Group partners with SCM for its biggest innovative turnkey factory SCMâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s advanced technologies and improved production organization significantly increase productivity

Image Â© SCM

Image ÂŠ SCM

The Binket Group is one of the largest specialized manufacturers of internal doors in all of Central Asia. The high level of automation of the production process, that exceeds the initial target of 700 doors per day, is the result of its partnership with SCM. Over the course of a few years, the Riminibased company has supplied over eighty different technologies and a fully-comprehensive support project. In March 2016, the construction of one of the largest factories in the entire Central Asian region for internal doors began by Binket Group, in the Sergelijsk region of Tashkent, in Uzbekistan. Encompassing an area of 8 hectares, the production capacity covers 20,000 square meters. The objective of this ambitious project was to apply Italian technologies, unique in their genre, to the production of high quality internal doors, with an internationally appreciated refined design. Comfort and welcome are the mission of this company that provides a custom design service for interiors of homes and

offices, and uses only reliable raw materials, as well as components and decorative materials, from the most trustworthy global suppliers. The meeting with SCM, one of the protagonists of the global market of advanced industrial woodworking technologies, and the solid and profitable partnership that followed, allowed for ideas to be turned into reality. The result was the creation of a concrete project for an innovative turnkey factory, with a highquality level of production, both in terms of the final product and in the machining process. Automation is at the highest levels: from supplying materials to the area, to the packaging of panels in heat-shrinkage film and corrugated cardboard. The storage of finished products in the warehouses ready for delivery, ensures the optimal organization of the production. In addition, there is a state-of-the-art 9,000 square meter warehouse that resolves any logistical issues. The company is also able to provide an after-sale service,

including the installation of doors, which allows customers to benefit from considerable time savings. The involvement of over 300 specialists (national experts and key employees invited from different countries such as Ukraine, Belarus, Russia and Italy) is the strength of the company, which helps ensures the highest quality levels of the finished product. The use of advanced technologies, and improved production organization, significantly increase productivity. The initial target of 700 doors per day, was exceeded thanks to the new plant designed by SCM, which also contributed to reducing production costs and improving the quality of the service, including after-sales maintenance. Technological progress also allowed the possibility to perform custom machining operations to the product including decoration on the glass and special finishes. Overall, SCM has supplied over 80 different technologies, with the machines that, working together, could guarantee the

entire production process. The flow had to be organized for the production of doors and jambs. For the former, the process starts with the panel sizing and pressing, continues with the edge-banding and then is followed by the special processes, with an accord machining center. The jambs start with the panel sizing stage, followed by cutting the unfinished MDF strips, with a superset spindle molder, followed by the coating and the drilling and routing. The production cycle continues with the assembly and packing of the finished product, that then reaches the warehouse. Considering the considerable quantity of equipment supplied, SCMâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s true strength has been to design the whole production cycle necessary to start the factory upstream, with a huge logistical undertaking that involved a large number of suppliers, both inside SCM and involving third parties. The close collaboration with the SCM Logistical Office to manage the transport of the machines, was fundamental throughout the process: over 80 trucks set off from Italy.

The SCM service consisted of various stages. The first was focused on guaranteeing a first group of technologies to start an initial standard production line. The second consisted in adding other machines and machining centers, necessary for the more refined and complex machining operations, such as painting, in order to achieve a more customized product. The third stage was completed a few months ago with the delivery of the latest technologies, such as CMS machines, part of the SCM Group, used to cut glass. “We chose SCM for numerous reasons. Its long experience in the sector, the considerable reliability, quality and availability of its equipment, the excellent ratio between price, functionality and quality and the staff, who are capable of providing excellent and thorough advice, during the purchasing stage and afterwards. SCM was able to understand our specific objectives and help us increase our production further,” said the company in statement.

Image © SCM

Image © HENGE

HENGE creates dining table with handmade ‘micro-mosaic’ wooden top standing on bronze sand-casted legs

Image © HENGE

Furniture company HENGE has created a dining table with a handmade ‘micro-mosaic’ wooden top standing on bronze sand-casted legs. Designed by HENGE art director Massimo Castagna, and crafted by a team of master craftsmen, the Oxymoron table has a surface made using an exclusive process that the brand calls Forest Fusion. Layers of walnut wood are cut and layered by hand in the fusion process to create a marbled affect that the brand call a ‘micro-mosaic’. The large top is then completed with a high-gloss finish. In creating this amazing table, HENGE have resurrected a difficult, delicate yet delightful disused process. The dining table, which is a result of experimentation, formal rigor and uniqueness, was rightly the highlight of the company’s new manifesto, directed by Massimo Castagna. It was only fitting then that it took center stage at their stand during Salone del Mobile at Milan Design Week 2018, where the furniture piece

was surrounded by the walnut grey and leather ‘Savannah’ chairs by Stephen Tierney. Like all of HENGE's designs, the Oxymoron Table was created to feel at home in a wide variety of stylistically different houses and create an ‘informal, eclectic and international atmosphere’. Created by its team of master craftsmen, the organic-shaped dining table is supported on four bronze sand-casted legs that are directly integrated into the wooden surface. The result is an intriguing interplay between the two materials, their properties, and how they react with the surrounding dining room setting. Established in 2007, HENGE embodies the most sophisticated Made in Italy by combining formal rigor and freedom of creative expression, far away from the industry’s schemes. HENGE’s collections are created following rigorously uncompromising traditional craftsmanship techniques. HENGE conceives and creates products in which design and

Ostuni. Among the new finishes: titanium, platinum, black copper, Patina - in burnished polished 999 silver - and Silver Sandcasting.

compositional harmonies, whose codes communicate with rare techniques and materials, precious finishing, non-standard dimensions and combinations.

The evolution of the identity of HENGE, headed by Castagna, is oriented towards the research of materials and uniqueness of creations, recoiling from the mere function of furniture, transforming into the manifesto of a cognitive and experimental path dedicated to craftsmanship. The skillful hands of HENGE’s master craftsmen, combined with continuous research has allowed the brand to bring disused processes back to life - such as Forest Fusion micromosaics, new original materials, as the exclusive Black Lake stone or a particular Italian ivory color textured stone from

The Oxymoron table is the protagonist of the new designs created for the dining area. The table, characterized by an organic shape, features a large handmade Forest Fusion micromosaic wood top standing on bronze sand-casted legs that are directly incorporated into it.

Commenting on the inspiration behind the piece, Castagna says: "I was looking for an essence that had the same expressiveness of the stones used in open scrubs in these years. I started from a small image found in a book, we then discovered that the essence was not root but the part of the plant that is between root and trunk, a species of walnut waste, worked with a traditional technique, very old, in disuse for over 15 years.” Castagna adds: “The story is more complex and almost unbelievable: we only found

Image © HENGE

Through completely customizable and often modular products, HENGE expands the boundaries of design, intentionally straying from the limitations imposed by serial industrial productions. The catalogue becomes the starting point for endless

Image © HENGE

expressive strength of materials bring organic elements to life in a combination of space and nature where objects become more than furnishing pieces.

a craftsman in the immense Italian province who knew how to work that type of essence by cutting and composing the various pieces cut from the trunk by hand. The wood was heat treated to obtain the right color without the addition of other colors." “The Oxymoron table is one of the cases where the shape of the product is determined by the material with which it is made. The legs have been realized with the technique of the bronze and brass ground casting are made manually one by one and adapted with machines numerically controlled for coupling with the plane. Tradition and technology in perfect symbiosis, nothing to do with industrial production and production cycles," concludes Castagna.

DECOREX JOBURG

BIFE-SIM

TECNO MUEBLE INTERNACIONAL (TMI)

WOODEXPO

TRÃ&#x201E; & TEKNIK

FIM

EXPODREV

WOODWORKING

FURNITURE CHINA 2018

LISDEREVMASH

August 8 - 12 Gallagher Convention Center Johannesburg, South Africa www.reedexpoafrica.co.za/decorex/decorex-joburg-2018 ............................................................................................. August 15 - 18 Expo Guadalajara Guadalajara, Jalisco, Mexico www.tecnomueble.com.mx ............................................................................................. August 28 - 31 Swedish Exhibition & Congress Centre Gothenburg, Sweden https://en.traochteknik.se ............................................................................................. September 4 - 7 Siberia ExpoCenter Krasnoyarsk, Russia www.krasfair.ru/en/events/expodrev_en ............................................................................................. September 11 - 14 Shanghai New International Expo Center (SNIEC) and Shanghai World Expo Exhibition & Convention Center (SWEECC) Shanghai, China www.furniture-china.cn/en-us .............................................................................................

FMC CHINA

September 11 - 14 Shanghai New International Expo Center (SNIEC) Shanghai, China www.furniture-china.cn/en-us/fmc .............................................................................................

SOFAB / FURNICA / DREMA

September 11 - 14 Poznan Congress Center Poznan, Poland www.sofab.pl/en | www.furnica.pl/en | www.drema.pl/en ...........................................................................................

September 12 - 16 ROMEXPO Exhibition Center Bucharest, Romania www.bife-sim.ro/en ............................................................................................. September 13 - 15 Korme Exhibition Center Astana, Kazakhstan http://woodexpo.kz/?lang=en ............................................................................................. September 16 - 18 Dubai World Trade Center Dubai, UAE www.futureinteriorsproducts.com ............................................................................................. September 19 - 21 Kazan Expo Center Kazan, Russia www.expokazan.ru ............................................................................................. September 25 - 28 International Exhibition Center Kiev, Ukraine http://lisderevmash.ua .............................................................................................

IFMAC & WOOD

September 26 - 29 Jakarta International Expo Kemayoran Jakarta, Indonesia www.ifmac.net/index.php .............................................................................................

W18

September 30 - October 3 NEC Birmingham, United Kingdom www.wexhibition.co.uk .............................................................................................

Design meets digital. The new HOMAG machine generation. We are giving the digital future an identity. To support you successfully with your challenges, all HOMAG machines are now even more intuitive to use and feature modern and unique designs. Connect your machines with the digital eco system tapio and benefit from all the advantages of cloud-based software!

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