Cork oak
Cork oaks, from which cork is extracted, are perennial trees of the oak and chestnut family. They only exist in some Mediterranean countries - Portugal, Spain, Italy, France, Morocco, Tunisia and Algeria. The cork tree is the only tree whose bark self-regenerates, acquiring a smoother texture after each extraction. It can be harvested about 17 times over a longevity that is on average 200 years.
It plays such a significant role that it was consecrated at the end of 2011, by unanimity of the Republic Assembly, the National Tree of Portugal.
Portugal, with an area of 730 thousand hectares of cork oak, accounts for more than 50% of the world's cork production, making it also the largest exporter of cork products, amounting to more than 800 million euros per year. With such a vast and traditional production, it was unwise not to find other uses for cork beyond the inevitable stoppers.
The cork
Cork is a material with very own characteristics: it is highly resistant to fire, it is waterproof, floats and has a long life period. There are several ways of applying cork, the most known is in wine stoppers and in cork frames to put photos and other memories. Designers have now found new ways to apply cork, so its area of action is immensely vast.
Here are some of the uses of cork today. And it's important to note that cork is a 100% eco-friendly material!
The life cycle of cork, as a raw material, begins with the extraction of the bark from cork oaks. It is the so-called corking (harvested material). Cork harvesting is an ancestral process that can only (and must) be done by specialists: the cork harvesters. The cork is usually removed with the aid of axes and requires a lot of expertise, today there are already machines for the purpose, however the use of axes still predominates. To avoid damaging the tree, you need manual skills and lots of experience. After harvesting, the cork sheets are stacked, stabilizing for at least 6 months, before being submitted to cooking to stabilize the raw material.
Cork preparation
Full immersion of the cork planks in water at 100ºC to clean the cork, extract the hydro soluble substances, increase the thickness and the elasticity, and soften the planks.
Then follows a stabilization period after cooking to flatten the boards and allow the cork to acquire a homogeneous consistency and a certain degree of humidity.
After cooking and consequent stabiliza- tion, the cork is subjected to a selection by classes and calibers; these separations allow an optimized use of the following manufacturing operations. Lots of cork boards are defined by thicknesses and by qualities (visual aspect).
Cork and product design
If you think that cork is only used for the stoppers of wine bottles, we advise you to continue reading. Cork design is the new "it thing" in the design world and increasingly becomes an "in" material. Being a lightweight, environmentally friendly, solid and quite isolating material, the cork has gained more and more distinction at an international level.
Its value in the decoration area is not new, having been widely used in coatings, given its thermal and acoustic characteristics. However, today, this material is just not a good isolator, but also ecological, an aspect that is increasingly worrying designers and the entire creative and business class in product design, and even in the provision of services, makes cork a material of the future.
Designers from all over the world come to Portugal to know the true characteristics and capabilities of the material and they are adept of its versatility.
The admirable universe of cork is made up of objects of design, furniture and accessories that appear and stand out in the international panorama.
Lighting with a touch of cork will create a modern style to your work place. Available in a diversity of sizes and designs, it can be used in your home to give it a modern and eco-friendly touch as well. Whenever you turn on the lights, you will remember the constant need to protect the environment.
Fontes/source:
http://osbastidoresdavida.blogs.sapo.pt
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