Natural and technological, beautiful and inventive, the wood confers the architecture its humane dimension.
The wood is the landscape’s harmonic element
Wood houses adorn urban places and seamlessly integrate in the nature. Wherever a wood construction is built – even without a specific aesthetical line - even a penthouse it is not unpleasant for the eye. The use of other materials often results in the deforming of a district, city outskirts or historic centre, but wood, by its vigorous and sensual nature always remains in harmony with the environment, no matter the architectural shape. Either traditionally or contemporary, wood architecture integrates in all urban styles. Wood constructions by far don’t refer only to mountain lodges or rural constructions. Wood technologies development is favourable to the development of contemporary aesthetics. Many architects are sensitive to the humane dimension of the material and initiate “a new wood urbanism"; it is generously used with concrete, glass and steel buildings as well; Wood not only harmonizes itself with all these materials but it also makes the aesthetical connection among the formal elements. Either we talk about new constructions or restorations, about collective space realizations or the harmonic extension of old spaces, about harmonizing disparate constructions or animating a real estate project because of severe materials and aggressive proportions - wood is always the beauty and naturalness integration agent.
Wood is “4 x 4"
Wood has particular affinities with difficult places. When we like a place that seems that it doesn’t offer any possibility of construction – on a rough or a very steep terrain – wood is the solution: versatile, safe and easily carved. We can actually build with wood on all types of land: moist, troubled, with low lifting power, etc. The stilt house technique is one of the best construction techniques. Furthermore, as a wood house weights five times less than a classic masonry construction, its fundament are obviously lighter, which represents an obvious advantage on the lower lifting power lands, like the beach sandy areas. Even at the edge of water the humidity of the environment cannot alter the wood, since we always interpolate between the fundament and the wood "a barrier material” against humidity extension through capillarity, on any type of land. Regarding the wood competitiveness in the water, this is exceptional: the saline medium erodes the non-corrosive steel members but the wood; For instance, the masts on which Venice is built are an incontestably testimony.
Wood lives up to the challenge even within seismic regions.
Lighter and more versatile than a classical masonry house, the wood house responds better to the stress produces by the possible ground movements. If it is carefully built, it will be extremely safe during and after a seism; we only want to mention California, that remarks itself by far through its wood constructions and its frequent earthquakes, as well as Japan, in spite of an acute seismic area, its wood temples have been standing tall for the past 13 centuries.
Wood is creative
Extremely sensual and technological, wood opens an unlimited formal repertory. By its flexibility and high lifting power in comparison with the reduced weight, by the layering technology, the wood reaches lift indexes conceded for a long time to the steel and integrates in all geometries. The wood has an extraordinary advantage compared to the other materials: its beauty emphasizes with the passing of time. And as the wood is beautiful not only by itself but also combined with the other materials, it sublimely underlines the architectural surfaces.