Transmaterial » wood

BAMbOO

Blaine Brownell — Fri, 23 Apr 2010 14:00:07 +0000

BAMbOO panels are made by casting bamboo sections in translucent resins. The diagonally-cut bamboo sections may be open or filled with a different color resin for a dramatic spatial effect. By changing the amount, size, or direction of bamboo ovals, the acoustic performance of the panels changes as well as their look and feel. The simple production technique allows the panels to be customized easily based on aesthetic and functional requirements.

Designers Yvonne Laurysen and Erik Mantel developed BAMbOO for the project ‘Design Interventions for Stimulating Bamboo Commercialization’ by Pablo van der Lught.

Contact: LAMA Concept, Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
Find more information in Transmaterial 3.

Kebony

Blaine Brownell — Fri, 05 Mar 2010 15:00:32 +0000

Kebony is a high performance wood that is modified by a process called Kebonization, which is an environmentally friendly procedure that enhances the properties of wood using biowaste from the sugar industry. Kebony is a durable alternative to impregnated surface-treated and tropical timber.

The process, which is based on a liquid extracted from biowaste, strengthens the cellular walls of wood, increases the density of the materials, and makes the product stiffer and significantly harder than untreated wood. Kebonization results in the wood cells being permanently blocked, which reduces shrinkage and swelling by approximately 50% when compared with untreated wood. The polymer is permanently bonded to the cell structure in the wood by means of a process that cannot be reversed; thus, Kebony contains no chemicals that can be released into the environment. In the waste disposal phase, Kebony can be treated as regular untreated wood.

Available Kebony species are pine, spruce, oak, beech, maple and southern yellow pine. The raw materials for Kebony are acquired from commercially managed forests with large timber harvests. Kebonized wood has a golden brown colour that naturally turns grey. Kebony acquires a natural silver-grey patina and exposure to sun and rain creates an interesting effect of visual depth.

Kebony exhibits good durability and long life spans in harsh climates, and there is no need for paint or sealing. The increased resistance protects against decay, fungi, insects and other microorganisms. Required maintenance is limited to normal cleaning.

Contact: Kebony ASA, Skien, Norway.
Find more information in Transmaterial 3.

Strandwoven Bamboo

Blaine Brownell — Sat, 09 Jan 2010 15:00:57 +0000

Strandwoven bamboo is one of the most durable hardwoods known. Used typically for hardwood flooring (and other millwork components), Strandwoven bamboo is suitable both in residential and high-traffic commercial applications. Thin filaments of bamboo are mixed in a low-VOC heat sensitive resin and compressed under intense pressures to form a consistent and extremely dense log/ beam. This log is then milled into the required dimension.

Strandwoven bamboo is not only superior in its hardness and stability, it is also superior in its environmental attributes. Bamboo is a grass and grows up to sixty feet in height in a couple of months, at which time it is left to internally mature before harvesting. Unmatched with any other wood used in construction, Strandwoven bamboo uses eighty-four percent of the raw material harvested (for comparison, “traditional” bamboo flooring, which uses material significantly more effectively than any other wood, uses only sixty-five percent of the raw material harvested) in addition to using a significant percentage of postindustrial scrap, which would otherwise be burned.

Contact: Strandwoven Wood Company, Boulder, CO, USA.
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Gouged Collection

Blaine Brownell — Wed, 25 Nov 2009 04:08:41 +0000

Architectural Systems offers a collection of wood and integral-color MDF panels with a striking 3D-milled surface effect. A variety of milling surface patterns, wood veneers, and specialty finishes, such as matte velour, stains, and pearlescent colors, are available. The panels may be hung, affixed, or incorporated into any interior flat or curved surface. Panel thickness varies according to the selected substrate material.

Contact: Architectural Systems, Inc., New York, NY, USA.
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BL Special

Blaine Brownell — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 14:00:37 +0000

Designed by Steven Holl with Nick Gelpi, Alberto Martinuzzo, and Alessandro Orsini, BL Special is a composite panel comprised of wood veneers and a proprietary substrate. BL Special was developed to overcome limitations presented by conventional composite panels when modified with a laser cutter. BL stands for “Bi-Legno,” which translates as two layers of wood. The material may be readily folded along scored lines and is designed for the assembly of complex geometric structures as well as rapid prototyping applications.

Contact: Ableflex, di Gaiarine, Italy.
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Bendywood

Blaine Brownell — Wed, 28 Oct 2009 13:00:35 +0000

Bendywood is solid hardwood that can easily be bent while cold and dry to a radius of ten times its thickness. Thin sections can be bent by hand and thicker sections with the application of sufficient force. Handrails can be bent into shape, table edges can be profiled and then bent and glued into place, and sculptural forms can be created quickly and with ease. Bendywood can be worked like normal wood and can offer great time savings, cost savings, and a better finished product compared to traditional wood bending or laminating techniques.

Contact: Candidus Prugger Sas, Bressanone, Italy.
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Luminate

Blaine Brownell — Wed, 21 Oct 2009 13:00:17 +0000

Luminate combines translucent plastic and wood strips in a rigid panel format, allowing light to filter through a material used for applications that would usually require an opaque surface. The material is a modified acrylic adhered to selected exotic timbers with a proprietary fusion process. The manufacturer has also recently combined colored finishes with the translucent strips.

Contact: Ambro Australia Pty. Ltd., Virginia, Australia.
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WoodSure

Blaine Brownell — Thu, 16 Jul 2009 16:28:39 +0000

WoodSure is natural wood that has been infused with acrylic resin, which enhances both the beauty of the wood and its durability. The acrylic-infused process converts wood into a dimensionally stable material that repels water, resists dents and abrasions, and is much harder than untreated wood. This process allows abundant softwoods to be used in the place of scarcer hardwoods. WoodSure’s proprietary acrylic-infused process also intensifies the wood-grain pattern, amplifying the drama of wood’s natural internal structure.

Contact: WoodSure, Woodburn, OR, USA.
Find more information in Transmaterial 2.

CocoBlock

Blaine Brownell — Mon, 27 Apr 2009 13:24:21 +0000

CocoBlock is a solid surface material made entirely of coconut palm that has been specially engineered to reveal its naturally fibrous end grain within a geometric pattern of bonded strips. Developed for horizontal surfacing applications by Smith and Fong, this material is available as an unfinished slab and is ideal for both commercial and residential table tops, reception counters, and bar tops. It can be stained or used in its natural mahogany-like color. CocoBlock must be sealed on all sides with food-grade tung oil, conversion varnish, or some other environmentally preferable sealant. Smith and Fong uses only 100 percent reclaimed coconut palm for all its palm oil-based products, and no formaldehyde or toxic substances are added.

Contact: Robin Reigi, New York, NY.
Find more information in Transmaterial 2.

Fortis Arbor

Blaine Brownell — Fri, 23 Jan 2009 22:39:38 +0000

Fortis Arbor wood mosaics are made by shaping and finishing exotic hardwoods made from plantation-grown lumber. The tiles are handcrafted from solid bamboo, teak, and rosewood. These woods were selected because they exhibit superior strength and durability as well as an appealing color range.

To make their products, Flux Studios partnered with a small furniture company in order to reclaim wood from plantation-grown lumber too small to be used for furniture. Unlike homogeneous ceramic tiles, Fortis Arbor tiles express the diverse patterns and coloration naturally present in the wood and bamboo materials used. Since each tile is cut and finished by hand, each installation is unique.

Fortis Arbor mosaics can be used in virtually any interior application with limited water exposure: on walls, countertops, backsplashes, fireplace surrounds, and high-traffic floors in kitchens and bathrooms. Installation of the tiles requires Fortis Arbor grout, developed for the particular expansion and contraction characteristics of the wood.

Contact: Flux Studios, Inc., Chicago, IL.
Find more information in Transmaterial 2.