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Other than aesthetic appeal and sustainability, timber offers many other benefits for users.
Continued from page 44
Klubhuis (Timber iQ: issue 36) says timber gives the space an
organic feel. “Timber softens the design from hard surfaces
like cement and glass. It’s one of the nicest things you can
use for an interior,” he says.
It has always been used in office spaces and Peet van
Straaten, creative director of Raw Studios says that there is
a change in the kinds of material used. “There’s been a
move away from solid timber. Composites and engineered
materials have gained traction in past years,” he says.
Raw Studios uses birch plywood and believes that it is
better than solid wood. “Plywood is like a highly stabilised
solid wood which is environmentally friendly and healthy
for users as it doesn’t let off gases found from resins and
plastics,” Van Straaten says. He explains that these are solid
wood layers laminated in a cross configuration. The
Department of Natural Resources in Canada has identified
cross-laminated timber as a renewable alternative to
concrete and steel buildings. The material is used
worldwide to build high rise, multi-storey buildings. In
North America a number of their warehouse, mass timber
structures are called nail laminated timber.
46 JUNE / JULY 2018 //
The ways in which timber can be
used in an office are countless.
Some of the properties of birch plywood include durability,
because office furniture depreciates over three to four
years, this means it will have to be replaced or maintained
in that period. Plywood can last for a little over eight ears.
“If you look after them, they can last for a very long time,”
Van Straaten shares. In addition, plywood doesn’t let off
gases, it has a light colour making it playful and
collaborative in the environment it is in and it requires little
to no maintenance. “You just need to wipe it clean,” he says.
Homewood states that the hard woods appeal to all the
senses. ‘Solid, hard woods are durable. They are alive and
healthy.’
It is no secret that timber makes a difference when
applied internally or externally. At Die Klubhuis, wood was
purposefully used to create an urban gathering space and
distinction to the entrance. This is highly visible from each
direction of the precinct.
Van Straaten claims that this is a trend. “The trend is to
create in between spaces or furniture. People aren’t always