Timber iQ June - July 2018 // Issue: 38 | Page 48

FEATURES 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