“Urban Timber” Exhibit at the BSA Showcases Contemporary Wood Architecture

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Yesterday was the opening of the exhibit “Urban Timber: From Seed to City” at the BSA Space of the Boston Society of Architects. Located close to Boston’s waterfront, this exhibit runs through the end of September 2014. So if you are in the area, don’t forget to drop by and check it out.

I was very happy to see the “new timber” reflected in this show: multi-story construction, cross-laminated timber, digital fabrication, sustainability benefits. Beautifully crafted displays show various recent case-studies of successful projects that used heavy timber as the structural material. Sustainable forestry is also explained, which then contrasts the renewable nature of wood products with mining and other non-renewable material manufacture processes.

Several physical and sometimes playful objects round out this great exhibit: The “four corners” set of mini-house shaped objects showcases how CLT can be used as material for floors, walls and inclined planes. The “coopered column” is a great example of a digital fabrication-driven assembly. And an object in the window at the bottom of the stairs bends wood to become both a screen and a seat.

Following are some impressions from the exhibit:

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