Skip to content
1981
  1. Home
  2. A-Z Publications
  3. Design Ecologies
  4. Volume 9, Issue 1
  5. Article
Volume 9, Issue 1
  • ISSN: 2043-068X
  • E-ISSN: 2043-0698

Abstract

Understood as anisotropic in structure, variation in timber form was traditionally accommodated and often elevated in strategic applications. However, contemporary applications of wood act to suppress the value of timber’s integrated material composition, treating wood simply as mass to be divided and reassembled into homogeneous building components. Influenced by a series of mechanical inputs, including self-loading, wind loading and structural damage, wood is actively developed during its growth as a complex structural material whose internal composition serves not only as a tree’s metabolic infrastructure but also as its load-bearing structure. In this way, trees adaptively respond to the unique conditions of their environment in a manner that architecture regularly fails to, given the latter’s preoccupation with prescribed formalism. Understanding the efficiency with which trees are able to develop their forms and evenly distribute mechanical stresses across their surfaces is an area of research that has architectural potential but has not been widely explored. While concepts of standardization and regularity fit well into a model of measured global commerce, they do little to take advantage of the unique material potentials of wood in design. Furthermore, board-form components fail to speak to the anisotropic structure and integrated growth of wood fibre in a self-optimized, adaptive organic system; the internal grain structure of wood embodies the structural forces running throughout the tree. Acknowledged as embedded structural optimizations rather than structural defects, these non-standardized patterns can be treated as forms to be praised rather than avoided, integrating the autonomy of the non-human world into the design process. Thought of this way, one could argue that wood is, in fact, superior to homogenized building materials in its highly material efficient, adapted biomechanical structure, developed free of human labour.

© 2020 Intellect Ltd
Loading

Article metrics loading...

/content/journals/10.1386/des_00005_1
2020-06-01
2024-09-09
Loading full text...

Full text loading...

References

  1. Albers, J.. ( 2013;), ‘ Teaching form through practice. ’, AA Files, 67, pp. 129–31.
     [Google Scholar]
  2. Ball, P.. ( 2009;), ‘ Section 5: Tree and leaf – Branches in biology. ’, in Nature’s Patterns: A Tapestry in Three Parts – Branches, Oxford:: Oxford University Press;, pp. 131–49.
     [Google Scholar]
  3. Banham, R.. ( 1977;), ‘ Is there a substitute for wood grain plastic?. ’, in E. Anderson, and G. F. Earle. (eds), Design and Aesthetics of Wood, Albany, NY:: SUNY Press;, pp. 4–11.
     [Google Scholar]
  4. Barnett, J. R., and Jeronimidis, G.. ( 2003;), ‘ Reaction wood. ’, in J. R. Barnett, and G. Jeronimidis. (eds), Wood Quality and Its Biological Basis, Oxford:: Blackwell;, pp. 118–36.
     [Google Scholar]
  5. Buri, H., and Weinand, Y.. ( 2011;), ‘ The tectonics of timber architecture in the digital age. ’, in H. Kaufmann, and W. Nerdinger. (eds), Building with Timber: Paths into the Future, Munich:: Pretzel;, pp. 56–63.
     [Google Scholar]
  6. Carlo, G. De. ( 2011), Inspiration and Process in Architecture (eds F. Serrazanetti, and M. Schubert.), Milan:: Moleskine Books;.
     [Google Scholar]
  7. Churchill, N.. ( 2017;), ‘ The university of wood. ’, Dorset Life , https://www.dorsetlife.co.uk/2017/04/the-university-of-wood/. Accessed 1 May 2019.
  8. Elkin, R. S.. ( 2018;), ‘ The prefixes of forestation. ’, Harvard Design Magazine, Special Issue: ‘Into the Woods’ , 45, pp. 4–11.
     [Google Scholar]
  9. Giedion, S.. ( 1980), Space, Time and Architecture, , 5th ed.., Cambridge, MA:: Harvard University Press;.
     [Google Scholar]
  10. Hagan, S.. ( 2001), Taking Shape: A New Contract between Architecture and Nature, Oxford:: Architectural Press;.
     [Google Scholar]
  11. Jahren, H.. ( 2016), Lab Girl, New York:: Vintage Books;.
     [Google Scholar]
  12. Kennedy, S.. ( 2018;), ‘ What would wood?. ’, Harvard Design Magazine, Special Issue: ‘Into the Woods’ , 45, pp. 142–47.
     [Google Scholar]
  13. Kroeker, R.. ( 2013;), ‘ Learning from native American architecture. ’, DETAIL, 5, pp. 472–76.
     [Google Scholar]
  14. Le Ricolais, R.. ( 1996), Visions and Paradox: An Exhibition of the Work of Robert Le Ricolais, pp. 1–29, https://doi:10.13140/RG.2.1.3464.5366. Accessed 1 May 2019.
     [Google Scholar]
  15. Le Ricolais, R.. ( 2012;), ‘ Things themselves are lying, and so are their images. ’, in M. Born,, H. Furján,, L. Jencks, and P. M. Crosby. (eds), Dirt, vol. 2, Philadelphia, PA:: PennDesign;, pp. 64–73.
     [Google Scholar]
  16. Leatherbarrow, D.. ( 2009), Architecture Oriented Otherwise, New York:: Princeton Architectural Press;.
     [Google Scholar]
  17. Mandelbrot, B. B.. ( 1983), The Fractal Geometry of Nature, New York:: W. H. Freeman;.
     [Google Scholar]
  18. Manley, C.. ( 2016), Constructing Nature, https://chadmanley.ca/Constructing-Nature. Accessed 21 February 2019.
     [Google Scholar]
  19. Mattheck, C., and Breloer, H.. ( 2006), The Body Language of Trees: A Handbook for Failure Analysis (ed. D. Lonsdale.), Norwich:: The Stationary Office;.
     [Google Scholar]
  20. Matthew, P.. ( 1831;), ‘ Section II – Timbers: British trees suited for timbers. ’, in P. Matthew. (ed.), On Naval Timber and Arboriculture; with Critical Notes on Authors Who Have Recently Treated the Subject of Planting, London:: Longman, Rees, Orme, Brown and Green and Adam Black;, pp. 14–30.
     [Google Scholar]
  21. Menges, A.. ( 2012;), ‘ Material resourcefulness – Activating material information in computational design. ’, in A. Menges. (ed.), Architectural Design - Material Computation, London:: Wiley Academy;, vol. 82, pp. 34–43.
     [Google Scholar]
  22. Mumford, L.. ( 1934), Technics and Civilization, New York:: Harcourt, Brace & Co;.
     [Google Scholar]
  23. Pereira, H.,, Graça, J., and Rodrigues, J. C.. ( 2003;), ‘ Wood chemistry in relation to quality. ’, in J. R. Barnett, and G. Jeronimidis. (eds), Wood Quality and Its Biological Basis, Oxford:: Blackwell;, pp. 53–86.
     [Google Scholar]
  24. Radkau, J.. ( 2012), Wood: A History, Cambridge, MA:: Polity;.
     [Google Scholar]
  25. Ramage, M. H.,, Burridge, H.,, Busse-Wicher, M.,, Fereday, G.,, Reynolds, T.,, Shah, D. U.,, Wu, G.,, Yu, L.,, Fleming, P.,, Densley-Tingley, D.,, Allwood, J.,, Dupree, P.,, Linden, P. F., and Sherman, O.. ( 2017;), ‘ The wood from the trees : The use of timber in construction. ’, Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, 68:1, pp. 333–59.
     [Google Scholar]
  26. Rian, I., and Sassone, M.. ( 2014;), ‘ Tree-inspired dendriforms and fractal-like branching structures in architecture: A brief historical overview. ’, Frontiers of Architectural Research, 3:3, pp. 298–323.
     [Google Scholar]
  27. Schindler, C.. ( 2009), Ein architektonisches Periodisierungsmodell anhand fertigungstechnischer Kriterien, dargestellt am Beispiel des Holzbaus, Zurich:: ETH Zurich;.
     [Google Scholar]
  28. Schindler, C.. ( 2010), Building as Matter, Energy as Information: An Approach of Understanding the Shift in Architecture to the Digital, as Illustrated with the Example of Timber Construction, Copenhagen:: CITA;.
     [Google Scholar]
  29. Schindler, C.,, Tamke, M.,, Tabatabai, A.,, Bereuter, M., and Yoshida, H.. ( 2014;), ‘ Processing branches: Reactivating the performativity of natural wooden form with contemporary information technology. ’, International Journal of Architectural Computing, 2:12, pp. 101–15.
     [Google Scholar]
  30. Stanton, C.. ( 2010;), ‘ Digitally mediated use of localized material in architecture. ’, SIGRADI, Bogota, Columbia, 17–19 November, pp. 228–31.
     [Google Scholar]
  31. Stoner, J.. ( 2012;), ‘ Reterritorialization: The myth of nature. ’, in Toward a Minor Architecture, Cambridge, MA:: MIT Press;, pp. 93–107.
     [Google Scholar]
  32. Thomsen, M. R., and Tamke, M.. ( 2017;), ‘ Narratives of making: Thinking practice led research in architecture. ’, Communicating (by) Design 2009, Brussels:: ResearchGate;, pp. 1–8.
     [Google Scholar]
  33. Webb, R.. ( 1992;), ‘ Innovation in the woods. ’, EcoDesign: The Magazine of Green Design, 2:1, pp. 14–23.
     [Google Scholar]
  34. Wesley, R.. ( 2012;), ‘ Fertile Minds: Robert Le Ricolais. ’, in M. Born,, H. Furján,, L. Jencks, and P. M. Crosby. (eds), Dirt, vol. 2, Philadelphia:: PennDesign;, pp. 56–113.
     [Google Scholar]
  35. Wood, D. M.. ( 2016;), ‘ Material computation: 4D timber construction – Towards building-scale hygroscopic actuated, self-constructing timber surfaces. ’, International Journal of Architectural Computing, 14:1, pp. 49–62.
     [Google Scholar]
  36. Zimmerman, A.. ( 2008;), ‘ Section 1.4: Wood. ’, in A. Zimmerman. (ed.), Constructing Landscape: Materials, Techniques, Structural Components, Basel:: Birkhäuser;, pp. 53–63.
     [Google Scholar]
  37. Birch, Patrick W. L.. ( 2020;), ‘ Ground to crown: Advocating the latent potentials of undervalued fibre composites. ’, Design Ecologies, 9, pp. 61–92, doi: https://doi.org/10.1386/des_00005_1
     [Google Scholar]
/content/journals/10.1386/des_00005_1
Loading
Ground to crown: Advocating the latent potentials of undervalued fibre composites
Design Ecologies 9, 61 (2020); https://doi.org/10.1386/des_00005_1
/content/journals/10.1386/des_00005_1
/content/journals/10.1386/des_00005_1
Loading

Data & Media loading...

  • Article Type: Article
Keyword(s): construction; fabrication; material; morphologies; non-human; non-standard; timber; wood

Most Cited Most Cited RSS feed

This is a required field
Please enter a valid email address
Approval was a success
Invalid data
An error occurred
Approval was partially successful, following selected items could not be processed due to error