Wood Archives

Wood and stone surfaces bring “rich texture” to Primrose Hill House interior

Architecture for London has updated a 1960s house in London, creating an open-plan interior filled with natural materials and an improved connection to the rear courtyard garden.

The house is one of two detached properties set in a modernist estate in Primrose Hill that primarily consists of painted brick courtyard houses and small terraces.

Photo of Primrose Hill House — Primrose Hill House was designed by Architecture for London

The new owner asked Architecture for London to transform the interior into a modern layout that is better suited to their lifestyle.

“The house had a very broken plan consisting of lots of small rooms,” the studio’s director Ben Ridley told Dezeen. “The client wanted to create a family house that was more open plan with better views of the garden.”

Exterior photo of Primrose Hill House — The studio added a rooftop extension clad in white bricks

The remodelled interior improves the connection with the garden by incorporating a large picture window in the kitchen, along with sliding wood-framed doors in the living area.

The ground floor also contains a smaller reception area next to the entrance hall, with folding doors allowing this space to be separated from the kitchen and dining area.

Image of Primrose Hill House — Sliding wood-framed doors open the living room up to the garden

A bespoke blackened-steel staircase provides access to four bedrooms on the first floor, including a main suite with a juliet balcony overlooking the garden.

Following a detailed cost and sustainability review, a decision was made to demolish all of the property’s interior walls and rebuild them in order to achieve the required spaces.

Interior image of Primrose Hill House — The interior was finished in a rich material palette

This solution also offered the best energy-efficiency potential, according to Ridley, with a layer of wall insulation added alongside a heat recovery ventilation system (MVHR).

The home’s first-floor plate was replaced using steel beams and timber joists to enable the demolition of the ground-floor walls and the opening up of the interior.

Interior photo of Primrose Hill House — Flooring was used to define different zonessp

The project also involved the addition of a timber-framed rooftop extension, clad with white-painted brick to tie in with the rest of the house and set back so it’s largely hidden from view.

The extension contains a flexible mezzanine space for yoga and meditation that is accessed from the main bedroom suite.

Throughout the home, Architecture for London applied a pared-back palette of natural materials that is intended to create a sense of calmness and connection with the garden.

Internal walls treated with breathable lime plaster provide a neutral backdrop for furniture designed by architect Christian Brailey, which includes a dining table made from locally sourced London plane trees.

Photo of a dining area — Doors and windows are framed with wood

“We intentionally didn’t use a lot of colour so there’s a strong feeling of consistency,” Ridley said. “The choice of stone and timber brings a rich texture to the palette.”

A reference image of a Portuguese manor house, featuring a tiled trompe l’oeil frieze around a doorway, informed the use of materials to define space within the interior.

Photo of a bar at the home — The shared living areas have an open-plan layout

In the living room, stone floor tiles in different shades create a border around the room, as if an area rug has been placed on the floor to demarcate where furniture could be placed.

Ben Ridley founded Architecture for London in 2009 following his studies at London’s Barlett School of Architecture. The studio aims to create places that improve how people live and work, with a focus on reducing their operational emissions.

Photo of a staircase at the London home — Wood lines the interior walls of the home

Ridley’s own London house recently featured in our round-up of five UK house renovations designed to improve energy efficiency.

“Ultimately we are going to have to accept some changes in the appearance of our traditional homes,” he said, speaking to Dezeen as part of a feature on architects who have retrofitted their own homes.

The photography is by Christian Brailey.

Reference

Sustainable News

Sustainable construction using technical wood

By Zarkon Group,24/01/2023

Spotted: Wood has been used in construction since time immemorial. However, more recently wood fell out of favour as a building material, both because it was seen as less safe and less sustainable. But the development of technical wood has demonstrated that it can not only be safer than other materials, but more sustainable as well. In Spain, startup Woodea is working to demystify the use of wood as a building material.

Woodea is combining wood, an ancient construction material, with modern production systems to deliver sustainable construction at a faster speed and comparable cost to traditional methods and materials. Its projects use technical wood, which is wood that has undergone high pressure and high temperature treatment to render it more durable. It also has better technical performance than materials such as concrete and steel.

Woodea has completed an initial funding round worth €1.4 million, with support from investors in a number of areas, including construction, engineering, and financial services. The capital will be used to undertake Woodea’s first projects, including construction of 250 wooden homes.

Architects and designers are increasingly rediscovering the advantages of building with wood. Springwise has also spotted a 100-metre tall, all-timber building being planned for Zurich, and a process that allows manufacturers to 3D print a wood composite.

Written By: Lisa Magloff

Reference

Architecture

Crushed TV screens cover Hundred Acre Wood house by Denizen Works

By Zarkon Group,12/11/2022

Recycled TV screens cover the walls of the seven-bedroom Hundred Acre Wood house, which architecture studio Denizen Works has created on a site overlooking Loch Awe in Scotland.

Named Hundred Acre Wood, the castle-like dwelling was designed for a couple with six children on former Forestry Commission land with its own private lochan – a small lake.

House in former Forestry Commission land by Denizen Works — Denizen Works has created the Hundred Acre Wood house

Denizen Works has lowered the house into a hollow in the landscape, making it appear as though it emerges out from the ground on the north and south elevations.

According to the studio, this aims to give the home a protective quality, with the help of its monumental appearance that references the work of Spanish sculptor Eduardo Chillida.

Hundred Acre Wood beside lochan in Scotland — Its located on former Forestry Commission land with a lochan

“The brief was for a family home for our clients and their six children – as well as an increasing number of grandchildren – that would reflect their personalities and provide a lasting legacy for the family,” project architect Andrew Ingham told Dezeen.

“Conceptually, it was conceived as a sculpted solid, referencing the work of Eduardo Chillida, to heighten the sense of a protective shell that appears as a robust object in the landscape.”

The building has a monolithic form

While referencing the work of Chillida, the form of Hundred Acre Wood has also been developed in response to the home’s environmental context.

Its layout aims to ensure it has the least visual impact on the nearby road, it makes the most of its vantage point above Loch Awe and its rooms align with the movement of the sun.

Close-up of facade clad in recycled TV screens — It references the work of Spanish sculptor Eduardo Chillida

“The plan is narrow on the west elevation, where it was considered more sensitive due to views from the road below,” said Ingham.

“The form responds to the environmental context, key views and the site’s topography.”

Close of facade clad in crushed TV screens — Its rough exterior is clad in recycled TV screens

One of the most unusual features of Hundred Acre Wood is its facade, which is covered in recycled and crushed TV screens for a low-maintenance, pebbledash-like finish.

This was developed by Denizen Works as a “take on a traditional Scottish harling” – a rough wall finish that is made from lime and aggregate.

Hall of Hundred Acre Wood house by Denizen Works — The hall is the home’s centrepiece

“We sourced a decorative glass chipping created from recycled TV screens collected in Scotland which come in a lovely range of blue-greys which we felt was appropriate for the moody Scottish skies,” Ingham explained.

“Our client is also not keen on TVs, so there was an element of playfulness in their use.”

Circular skylight — It is naturally lit by an oculus

As the material had not been used on a building before, the studio had to develop prototypes with the construction materials company Sika to test its performance.

“Large sample panels were produced for client sign-off and to help convince the planners that the system would be successful,” added Ingham.

Inside, the focal point of Hundred Acre Wood is a central, double-height hall lit by an oculus in the ceiling.

This was designed to accommodate a five-metre-tall Christmas tree – one of the client’s main requests for Denizen Works.

Pared-back interior of Hundred Acre Wood by Denizen Works — Living spaces are arranged around the hall

Around the hall are the main living spaces and the seven bedrooms, all arranged to maximise views of the loch and sun throughout the day.

The majority of the interior has a deliberately pared-back finish to retain focus on the client’s furniture collection, but the hall is designed to be more dramatic.

Living room overlooking Loch Awe — The rooms have views over Loch Awe

“We wanted to use the finishes to create a sense of drama,” said Ingham, referencing the studio’s design for the hall.

“It features a recycled paper ceiling, clay walls with gold mica flecks and a screeded floor with exposed mirror aggregate,” he continued. “A large, gold-lead-lined oculus is situated over the Christmas tree pit and casts a warm glow into the space.”

Kitchen with sculptural pendant light and glazed wall — The interiors of deliberately pared-back

The thick walls of the home are visible in the deep window reveals of each room, bringing the sense of protection granted by its sculptural exterior to the interior.

Finishing details of the house include a ground source heat pump that provides heating and hot water, while a private borehole provides fresh water to the whole house.

As part of the landscape design, reed beds have been introduced to treat wastewater and rainwater, which is sent to the lochan.

Interior of Hundred Acre Wood by Denizen Works — The client’s furniture pieces have been used as focal points

Founded in 2011 by Murray Kerr, Denizen Works is an architecture studio with offices in London and Glasgow.

Other recently completed projects by the studio include the Floating Genesis church, which is crowned by a pop-up roof, and a house on the Scottish island of Tiree with a gable-shaped glass wall.

The photography is by Gilbert McCarragher.

Project credits:

Architect: Denizen Works
Project team: Charlotte Airey, Matthew Barnett, Andrew Ingham, Murray Kerr, Dimitri Savitchev
Client: Private

Reference

Interior Design

Thermory wood cladding forms backdrop to Grand Emily Hotel in Ukraine

By Zarkon Group,03/11/2022

Promotion: design agency YOD Group has designed the interior for the Grand Emily Hotel Lobby and Terra restaurant near Lviv, opting for Thermory’s rustic wood cladding throughout.

The hotel, which was completed this year despite Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, is located in the Ukrainian town of Vynnyky near Lviv. The hotel and restaurant form a part of the Emily Resort that YOD Group has designed with a natural, tactile aesthetic.

Hotel lobby of Emily Resort in Ukraine — YOD Group used Thermory products at the Emily Resort in Ukraine

Its aesthetic was achieved using a mix of natural and natural-looking materials, including material manufacturer Thermory‘s range of Drift cladding.

This saw YOD Group awarded the best interior project in the Thermory Design Awards Grand Prix competition, which was held by Thermory for its 25th anniversary.

Thermory wood cladding above welcome desk — The agency created the interior for the Grand Emily Hotel Lobby

In the Grand Emily Hotel Lobby, the Thermory thermally modified Drift cladding is used across the walls.

It was selected for its worn, rustic appearance, which is intended to evoke reclaimed wood without sacrificing quality or durability.

Tree suspended in Thermory wood-clad atrium — Thermory’s Drift cladding was used throughout

Selected in shades of Black Pearl and Smoked Brandy, the cladding provides the lobby with “touchable surfaces” that form a natural backdrop to the space.

“We aimed to get the visual lightness and tell the story about the morning breeze that passes on the lake surface and combs the reeds,” said YOD Group designer Volodymyr Nepiyvoda.

Interior of the Grand Emily Hotel Lobby in Ukraine — The wood gives the interiors a natural aesthetic

“We created this emotion by the structure of the boards that we used for the wall covering of the hall,” added Nepiyvoda.

The cladding also forms a suitable yet contrasting backdrop to a large sycamore tree that is suspended through the Grand Emily Hotel Lobby, forming its centrepiece.

Hammock in wood-lined Grand Emily Hotel Lobby — YOD Group’s aim was to give the hotel “touchable surfaces”

“We rejected the idea of a massive chandelier in the atrium in favour of a strongly meaningful installation,” explained Nepiyvoda.

“A tree means connection with roots and family values, growth, and development, strong bar, and flexible branches. It connects the earth and space.”

Terra restaurant interior by YOD Group — YOD Group also designed the resort’s Terra restaurant

Over in the Grand Emily Hotel’s Terra restaurant, Thermory Drift Cladding has also been used.

YOD Group used the material to help blur the boundary between the restaurant interior and a terrace outside that is lined with American sweet gum trees.

Terra restaurant terrace by YOD Group — The Thermory wood is also used in the adjoining terrace

According to Nepiyvoda, it is designed to encapsulate the landscape of western Ukraine.

“We reflect all of that in the interior of Terra restaurant,” they said. “Vast expanses, rich colours, textures and flavours, generous nature, lust for life, and existential joy.”

To find out more about Thermory products and how they are used, visit the brand’s website.

Partnership content

This article was written by Dezeen for Thermory as part of a partnership. Find out more about Dezeen partnership content here.

Reference

Architecture

OHLAB fronts paseo mallorca 15 in palma with sliding wood panels

By Zarkon Group,28/10/2022

paseo mallorca 15 by ohlab: a new landmark in palma, spain

Sited in the sun-blessed and tree-lined promenade of Paseo Mallorca, overlooking the Riera water course, this new residential complex by OHLAB is set to become a landmark in the city of Palma, Spain. The building holds an eye-catching and unusual wooden facade design that takes sustainability, energy efficiency, urban integration, quality of materials, and comfort to new levels. Upon entering Paseo Mallorca 15, one is greeted by a green wall of Spanish cane (Arundo Donax), typical of the Mediterranean riverbed, and a nod to the Riera. This section leads onto a multi-leveled inner courtyard, where a cooling oasis of vegetation invites calm and tranquility. The foliage continues upwards until it reaches the landscaped terraces with pools on the building’s fourth, sixth and eighth floors.

Complementing the green layer is a gentle waterfall that cascades to the floor below, cooling the area in the summer through evapotranspiration and creating a relaxing sound. The inner courtyard also provides lighting and vegetation to the basement, which houses the residents’ pool, gym, and spa, transforming the complex into a unifying vertical axis linking the vegetation and enabling cross-ventilation through the garden for all apartments.

The residents’ spa area, with walls and floors finished in natural stone, includes a heated indoor pool, steam bath, and changing rooms. Next to the pool is the gym, with large windows overlooking the courtyard garden. Finally, the penthouses at Paseo Mallorca 15 are true urban havens above the city, with landscaped terraces and private mini-pools from where residents can admire the panoramic views of Palma rooftops and the three-lined walk along Riera.

all images © José Hevia

a double-layered facade for year-round comfort

Two types of facades define the outside of Paseo Mallorca 15. The first is a solid, gray stone facade found on the perimeter areas, facing the quieter streets where the bedrooms are located; it provides the necessary protection and defines the area containing the private rooms. Meanwhile, on the side overlooking Paseo Mallorca, the sunniest part, is a second skin made of moving wooden slat panels that block out the sun in the summer, making the most of its rays in the winter, and mark the transition between the home and its surroundings. In addition, that double facade is fitted with large windows for residents to take advantage of the views and enjoy the deciduous trees and winter sun.

‘It is an organic, permeable, and changing layer, an exterior reflection of its interior, a solar filter to modulate light and shade, optimized through solar studies, which adapts to the different climate needs and draws upon the tradition of Majorcan pergolas and shutters,’ writes the OHLAB team.

the penthouses at Paseo Mallorca 15 with landscaped terraces and private mini-pools

quality materials meets passive house standards

The selection of natural and local materials, highlighting the essence of the Mediterranean, was a critical process for the architects. ‘Finishes have been carefully selected for their quality, taking every detail, texture, and smell into account,’ notes OHLAB. Indeed, a simple palette of fine materials, such as solid doors made of local stone or pieces of aged bronze, characterizes the interiors of the homes at Paseo Mallorca 15.

As modeled through its unique second skin feature, the project was designed following Passive House standards to achieve maximum energy efficiency and a heating/air-conditioning demand of only 15kWh/(m2y). This means a reduction of almost 90% in terms of air heating and cooling requirements compared to a conventional building, resulting in extremely low energy costs for the owner and the planet. In addition, this construction method falls within the nZEB (nearly zero energy building) standard for consumption.

second skin facade made of sliding wooden slat panels

entrance to the residential complex

a green wall of Spanish cane welcomes residents upon entry to the building

common pool at the basement level

private kitchen area

the second skin casting soothing shadows onto a living room

project info:

name: Paseo Mallorca 15

location: Paseo Mallorca, Palma, Spain
client: Ramis Promociones | @ramispromociones

architecture & interiors: OHLAB | @ohlab_architecture
OHLAB team: Paloma Hernaiz, Jaime Oliver, Rebeca Lavín, Robin Harloff, Pedro Rodríguez, Silvia Morais, Mercé Solar, Loreto Angulo, M.Bruna Pisciotta, Tomislav Konjevod, José Allona, Claudio Tagarelli, Eleni Oikonomaki, Agustín Verdejo, Luis Quiles

landscape architecture: Jonathan Bell
building engineer: Bartolomeu Tous
structural engineering consultant: HIMA Estructuras
wooden facade: GRUPO GUBIA
facilities engineering: M&E Engineering
engineering consultants: AMM Technical group
energy efficiency advisor: José Manuel Busquets, Anne Vogt

photography: José Hevia

Reference

Sustainable News

Portsea House // Wood Marsh

By Zarkon Group,08/04/2022

Text description provided by the architects.

In contrast to the prevailing aesthetic of its location, this house is a discrete, contemporary insertion in a leafy pocket of Portsea. As much an entertainer as a retreat, it is divided into two contrasting areas, distinguished by light and dark, openness and containment. Anchoring the form to the site is a curved, rammed-earth, blade wall, which wraps like a scroll across the site.

Its mass acts as a thermal regulator and balances the upper level as it cantilevers out from the slope. Formally it creates privacy from the street, a key factor of the brief and is reinforced by the structure’s discrete siting and use of dark timber weatherboard cladding. Indigenous landscaping further frames and filters the view of the building and this interaction between the natural environment and the built form continues as a central theme throughout.

Beyond the blade wall, the eye is drawn around the curved walls, the form softened by the absence of edges. The external spaces encourage interaction between built form and site while maintaining a distinction in form and accentuating the contrast between the formalist architecture and the naturalist landscape.

Upon entering the front door through the monolithic blade wall a grand staircase winds up to the open living space above.

The full-height glazed rear facade allows the landscaping beyond to act as the internal wallpaper of the living area. An expansive deck flows from this space and both connects to, and floats over, the site, utilising the natural slope up to the rear corner. A pool area at the rear of the deck is partially screened by a curved masonry dwarf wall, which responds to the form of the building and provides a degree of privacy.

The sloping site largely informed the spatial organisation of residence into three distinct wings, across two levels, arranged around a central open-air atrium.

Two of these wings accommodate bedroom and service spaces, while the third and largest wing is used for the living spaces including a secluded bar, entertaining area and kitchen. A rumpus room is provided at the basement level, which opens onto private courtyard spaces shielded from the street view..

Portsea House Gallery

Reference

Sustainable News

Pellets made from agricultural and wood waste replace fossil fuels

By Zarkon Group,28/03/2022

Spotted: Each year, Costa Rica produces more than 1.2 million tonnes of wood, of which around 40 per cent ends up as waste. Much of this wood waste is disposed of improperly with decomposition releasing methane, a greenhouse gas that adds to global warming. Now, renewable energy company Pelletics is putting waste to work fighting climate change.

The company takes wood and agricultural waste from sawmills and cassava cultivation and turns it into pellets that constitute a high energy density fuel. Depending on its exact properties, the feedstock is put through one or a combination of processes such as drying, particle reduction, densification, cooling, and dust removal. This treatment takes places at the company’s plant in Muelle, San Carlos, which is situated at the heart of Costa Rica’s sawmill region.

The fuel produced by Pelletics is considered carbon neutral, and can be used as a direct replacement for fossil fuels in applications such as boilers, industrial burners, and home heating. In Costa Rica, fossil fuels are imported whereas the company’s pellets are produced locally, reducing transport emissions while supporting local jobs.

The company currently works with more than 30 sawmills, and the company recently updated its facilities with new technology to further improve its sustainability.

Pelletics is not the only company spotted by Springwise that is developing bio-based alternatives to fossil fuels. Other innovations include a Kenyan biofuel company that services informal retailers, anda researcher turning cardboard boxes into biofuel.

Written By: Matthew Hempstead

25th March 2022

Website: pelletics.com

Contact: pelletics.com/contacto

Reference

Wood

Wood and stone surfaces bring “rich texture” to Primrose Hill House interior

Sustainable construction using technical wood

Crushed TV screens cover Hundred Acre Wood house by Denizen Works

Thermory wood cladding forms backdrop to Grand Emily Hotel in Ukraine

OHLAB fronts paseo mallorca 15 in palma with sliding wood panels

paseo mallorca 15 by ohlab: a new landmark in palma, spain

a double-layered facade for year-round comfort

quality materials meets passive house standards

Portsea House // Wood Marsh

Portsea House Gallery

Pellets made from agricultural and wood waste replace fossil fuels

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