Timber Design & Technology Middle East - March 2020

A new way to design and build our houses and cities at the Madrid Design Festival LAAB Architects create Hong Kong’s first kinetic public architecture Studio Ardete completes hand-made ribbon-like sculpture made from timber in Chandigarh Kengo Kuma designed National Stadium ready for Tokyo Olympics 2020 Helsinki Central Library marks a new era of libraries in the world’s most literate nation Enter Projects Asia designs nature-inspired headquarters for Vikasa Bangkok

A new way to design and build our houses and cities at the Madrid Design Festival LAAB Architects create Hong Kong’s first kinetic public architecture The Bottom Line: understanding price fluctuations in American Hardwoods Studio Ardete completes hand-made ribbon-like sculpture made from timber in Chandigarh Kengo Kuma designed National Stadium ready for Tokyo Olympics 2020 Helsinki Central Library marks a new era of libraries in the world’s most literate nation

Multiply © Waugh Thistleton Architects

March 2020 Issue 46 PUBLISHER Andy MacGregor publisher@citrusmediagroup.net +971 55 849 1574

MARKETING DIRECTOR Eric Hammond marketing@citrusmediagroup.net +971 4 455 8400 INTERNATIONAL SALES DIRECTOR James Hamilton james@timberdesignandtechnology.com EDITOR Tony Smith editor@timberdesignandtechnology.com

Timber Design & Technology is published 4 times a year

EDITOR’S NOTE Welcome to the first issue of 2020. We kick things off in Amsterdam where Powerhouse Company has unveiled its plans for the Floating Office Rotterdam, the new headquarters of the Global Center on Adaptation (GCA). This spring the construction of the energy neutral and self-sufficient structure, constructed entirely out of timber, will start. Given that the floating building will be prefabricated and can be easily demounted and re-used, the GCA will initially be housed in the Rijnhaven in Rotterdam for a period of 5 to 10 years, after which it could be potentially relocated and repurposed. The use of wood as the main construction material, reduces the carbon footprint of the building dramatically and the design makes it ready for the circular economy.

A collaboration first presented in 2018 by the American Hardwood Export Council and Waugh Thistleton Architects, we take a closer look at MultiPly, which is currently on display at the Madrid Design Festival 2020.

With an objective to publicly discuss how environmental challenges can be addressed through innovative and affordable construction, MultiPly fits in perfectly with the overall theme of the festival given that it explores a new and more sustainable form of construction that combines an abundantly available carbon negative material.

Reports indicate that we are already at a point of crisis in terms of housing and CO2 emissions, and the hope is that projects such as this inspire how we design and build our houses and cities going forward.

As of now, we have the Tokyo Olympics 2020 to look forward to this summer. It’s only fitting that we take a look at the new National Stadium, which was officially completed late November last year. Created by architect Kengo Kuma’s office, construction giant Taisei Corp. and design firm Azusa Sekkei Co., the stadium was completed in 36 months at a cost of USD 1.4 billion (¥157 billion). Domestic lumber and abundant plants help the 47.4-meter-high woodland-themed stadium blend in with the surrounding greenery of Tokyo’s Meiji Jingu Gaien area. The forest of Jingu inherit the historic greenery spreading from the Inner Garden of Meiji Jingu Shrine to the Imperial Palace.

To preserve the precious greenery of the area, the architect conceived the building as a ‘living tree’ rooted in the earth, one that will stand the test of time a 100 years from now.

I would like to end with a message of support amidst the COVID-19 pandemic that we are currently facing. I encourage you to follow the health guidelines issued by the authorities and stay safe. As always, I would like to encourage you to log on to the website - www.timberdesignandtechnology.com - for the latest updates and please get in touch if you have any suggestions for subjects we should consider covering. In closing, I would like to thank our advertisers, our partners and our readers.

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CONTENTS 10 SUSTAINABILITY

30 COMMENT

Powerhouse Company reveals design of unique floating timber office building in Rotterdam

Building for tomorrow

14 ANALYSIS

52 TECHNOLOGY

A new way to design and build our houses and cities at the Madrid Design Festival

Biesse’s B_CABINET FOUR helps ideas take form and shape

18 ANALYSIS

56 TALL TIMBER

LAAB Architects create Hong Kong’s first kinetic public architecture

Perkins and Will design the world's tallest hybrid wood tower

22 ANALYSIS

60 TALL TIMBER

RIBA North, the Building Centre and dRMM celebrate the possibilities and significance of modern timber architecture

Toyota Motor Corporation and Bjarke Ingels Group unveil the world’s first urban incubator at the foothills of Mt. Fuji in Japan

26 PROFILES

66 WOOD WORKS

NHG Timber Ltd: the natural source of world hardwoods

GATE furniture system is an ingenious system of modular shelves made from movable wooden bars

DESIGN & DECOR

33 Timber Rhyme

36 National Stadium

42 OODI

48 Vikasa Bangkok

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Indian Government set to impose curbs on furniture imports

IFDA 2020 competition calls for futureorientated wooden furniture designs

The Indian Government is likely to impose restrictions on imports of furniture with a view to boost domestic manufacturing and reduce inbound shipments of non-essential items, according to latest reports.

The Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade has suggested to its commerce counterpart to put the restrictions. According to an official, the Directorate General of Foreign Trade is expected to soon come out with a notification regarding this.

The International Furniture Design Fair Asahikawa (IFDA) returns in 2020 for its 11th edition. Held every three years since 1990, the fair aims to showcase the future of wood furniture design, and has so far launched a number of incredible products. IFDA 2020 aims to not only showcase the future of wood furniture but, more importantly, the need to make use of limited resources within our modern society.

According to the organizers, we need designs that will be loved for an even longer time to come that are made using wood as the main material while also harnessing other materials through innovative ideas and methods.

Putting a product in a restricted category means an importer will require a license or permission for the inbound shipment. India's furniture imports stood at USD 603 million in 2018-19, with China accounting for USD 311 million, over 50 percent of all furniture imports. The other main exporters to India include Malaysia, Germany, Italy, and Singapore.

Currently, China is the largest exporter of furniture in the world.

According to estimates, China's total exports to India stood at around USD 1 billion. The position of India in the sector is weak as the sector is largely fragmented and is in the unorganized segment. The size of the domestic furniture industry is about USD 5 billion, with exports accounting for around USD 1.5 billion.

The exhibition’s competition seeks forward-thinking yet aesthetically timeless designs that follow these pressing future-orientated principles. Focusing on the theme of wooden furniture, pieces that use timber in combination with other materials are also applicable for the competition. Future IFDA products must be able to be used for decades or centuries to come while still overflowing with creativity.

They should be, for example, like the famous classic designs that have been passed down from the middle of the century and only grow more beautiful with use and over time.

‘Village Plaza’ at the Tokyo 2020 built using sustainable timber

One of the sustainability initiatives of the Village Plaza is Operation BATON, which stands for Building Athletes' Village with Timber of the Nation. The plaza was constructed using timber from

sustainable sources donated by 63 participating municipalities across Japan. Like historic Japanese buildings, all of the floors, partitions and pillars are made up of wooden beams (cedar, larch, cypress), symbolically made available by the municipalities from across the country.

Inscribed on almost all of the nearly 1,300 cubic meters of lumber is the name of the village, town, city or prefecture from where it was donated. After the Games, the Village Plaza will be dismantled, and the timber will be returned to the municipalities that donated it for re-use in local facilities that will help to commemorate the Games for example, public benches or parts of school buildings.

Image © Tokyo 2020

The organizers of the Tokyo Olympic Games have unveiled the ‘Village Plaza’ - a wooden complex in traditional Japanese style at the entrance of the Olympic village. Located in the Harumi waterfront district of Tokyo, the Village Plaza will be the central hub of the Athletes' Village. It will have a general store, café and media center, which will support athletes during their stay during the Games. The Village Plaza will also be the venue for the team welcome ceremonies.

07

Image © PLP Architecture

PLP Architecture wins Delftseplein competition in Rotterdam

PLP Architecture and the developer Provast have won a major international competition for a new tower on a key redevelopment site in Rotterdam. The project, dubbed ‘Tree House’, focuses on creating a lively, inspiring, open and sustainable environment for residents and visitors in the city center. At 140-meters and 37 storeys tall, the building will sit next to the Central Station as the tallest hybrid structure in the country and will be a bold new addition to the local area. The project was selected from a group of three international team submissions including UN Studio and Group A. Construction is expected to begin in 2021, with completion in 2024.

Tree House’s glazed facades are punctuated by long external timber-clad balconies, including some connected by staircases to help animate its urban presence. The upper levels will house 275 apartments, with 185 set aside for private rentals and 30 percent reserved for the mid-market sector. Below this, 15,000 square miles of office space will be geared towards innovation and technology companies and include coworking areas curated by operator TQ. A seventh-floor restaurant will face a lush

planted terrace, while at the ground floor, shops, cafes and a multifunction events and performance space help to draw the public in and provide a mix of amenities for the city’s use.

The building is being designed to stand at the forefront of architectural sustainability and will feature a part-timber structure with a concrete core, significant reused and recycled materials, rainwater collection and reuse and CO2 storage. External balconies and terraces feature plantings and greenery, spreading up towards a crown of three glazed greenhouses filled with trees and gardens to emphasize a commitment to biodiversity.

The project team is working with De Dépendance, Rotterdam’s diverse platform for culture and debate, to create socially relevant programming throughout.

Partner Ron Bakker from PLP Architecture said: “We enjoy designing buildings that push boundaries, and this is an innovative, sustainable, mixed-use tower, with a hybrid timber structure, almost on top of Rotterdam's Central Station - a new typology for future cities.”

08

MTC appoints acting CEO and new COO MTC has appointed Wong Kah Cane as its Acting Chief Executive Officer effective March 13, 2020. Cane, who joined MTC on November 1, 2019 as Deputy CEO, takes over from Richard Yu Tuan Chong upon the expiry of the latter’s contract. Cane, who graduated with a degree in Business Administration from Universiti Utara Malaysia in 1992, started his career transforming SMEs into successful enterprises by bringing in experts for training programmes, which centered on strategic management, quality control, sales and marketing.

He is most noted for his contributions in Eu Yan Sang, a traditional Chinese medicine company. He joined Eu Yan Sang in 2000 as its Area Sales Manager and in 2006, he was appointed as General Manager of the company leading Eu Yan Sang’s business development, sales and marketing operations as well as branding. In 2016, Cane left Eu Yan Sang as its Senior General Manager to take up the post of General Manager at Everpro Sdn Bhd and in 2018, he joined Vistage Malaysia as its Business Coach providing training for CEOs. In August the same year, he was appointed as an Independent Member of MTC’s Board of Trustees.

MTC has also appointed Roger Chin Chew Choy as its new Chief

His career in the banking industry started with Standard Chartered Bank in 1993 where he was seconded to its regional team in Singapore serving in various Asian countries including Indonesia, Philippines, India, Pakistan and Bangladesh. He has also held senior management positions in Citibank, GE Capital, Hong Leong Bank and Kuwait Finance House.

“The appointment of Mr. Wong Kah Cane and Mr. Roger Chin is to further strengthen the management team of MTC,” said Chairman Dato’ Low Kian Chuan. He added that with their combined fields of expertise, Cane and Chow will be great assets to the timber industry and the MTC, a council under the Ministry of Plantation Industries and Commodities.

Xylexpo 2020 postponed

With just under ten days to go until the opening of the Dubai WoodShow 2020, the organizers have made the decision to postpone the show on account of growing concerns related to the Coronavirus pandemic. The show, which was originally meant to open on March 16, has now been rescheduled and will run from June 9 -11, 2020 in Dubai.

Organizers made this decision due to the growing concerns related to the Coronavirus (Covid-19) in other countries and because their priority is the well-being of everyone who attends Dubai WoodShow. According to the organizers, the rescheduling of the Dubai WoodShow aims to provide the worldwide wood community with a high-quality annual business event in June along with the strong participation of regional and international visitors.

In a statement, the organizers said: “We made this decision due to the growing concerns, including you, your colleagues, our international visitors, and our own staff and partners. We received advice and constructive input from many Dubai WoodShow clients, and their feedback was an important consideration for our decision. We would like to thank you for your understanding, patience, and continued support for Dubai WoodShow during this challenging period.”

Xylexpo 2020 has been postponed. Announcing the decision, the Managing Board of Acimall, the Association of Italian woodworking machinery and tools manufacturers, owners of the biennial exhibition, said it was a painful but necessary decision. The 2020 edition will not be held from May 26 - 29 as originally planned, but postponed to the second half of the year, in dates that will be identified later on, in view of the ongoing disruption of trade fair calendars and the unpredictable developments of the Covid-19 emergency.

“We waited as long as we could, hoping the situation would go back to normal," said Lorenzo Primultini, President of Acimall and of the exhibition, at the end of the board meeting. “We hope that, by the end of May, the Coronavirus effects will not be what we are seeing now, but unfortunately we cannot tell when this emergency will be over on a global scale, and most of all, we cannot predict its impact on the industrial system and on the supply chains of the wood and furniture technology industry.”

The decision is an act of responsibility, with the priority of safeguarding public health, as neither exhibitors nor visitors, in the current situation, would be able to plan their participation in the most important exhibition of the wood technology industry in even-numbered years. According to Primultini, for companies, the worst enemy is uncertainty, and it was actually the negative situation that we are seeing right now that drove them to take this hard decision, in the interest of the entire industry.

Image © Xylexpo

Image © Dubai WoodShow

Dubai WoodShow 2020 is rescheduled to June 9-11

Operations Officer effective March 1, 2020. Prior to joining MTC, Choy was attached to Advance Information Marketing Berhad where he served as its Executive Director since January 2018. A Bachelor of Law graduate from the University of Wolverhampton, United Kingdom, Choy, 54, brings with him more than 25 years of experience in the financial services sector with international banks specializing in consumer, corporate and Islamic banking.

Southern Yellow Pine

STRONG. BEAUTIFUL. SUSTAINABLE.

Main Uses Appearance and impact resistance make Southern Yellow Pine (SYP) suitable for a wide range of decorative uses, such as windows, doors, floors, and mouldings. Ease of preservative treatment makes SYP good for decking and outdoor use.

Physical and Mechanical Properties Weight ranges from 537 to 626 kg per cubic metre. High density gives SYP natural strength, weight, and impact and wearing resistance. SYP has a higher specific gravity than Scots pine and stands up well to rough treatment while remaining easy to work with.

Learn more about America’s favourite timber at:

AmericanSoftwoods.com

10

Powerhouse Company reveals design of unique floating timber office building in Rotterdam Building showcases pioneering climate resilient office design aimed at inspiring others to future-proof their infrastructure

Image © Atchain

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The GCA launched with the mandate to encourage the development of measures to manage the effects of climate change through technology, planning and investment. The GCA moves communities, cities and countries to proactively prepare for the disruptive effects of climate change with urgency, fierce determination and foresight. The Commission is led by former UN-Chairman Ban Ki-moon, Microsoft founder Bill Gates and Managing Director

of the IMF, Kristalina Georgieva.

In September 2018, the Municipality of Rotterdam proudly welcomed the GCA and has since worked hard to create a unique and truly exceptional building for this prestigious institute. FOR is expected to be opened by the Secretary General Ban Ki-moon and the Mayor of Rotterdam Aboutaleb, during the international Summit on Adaptation in the fall of 2020.

“As the world’s climate changes, extreme weather events and rising sea levels present new challenges for architects.

Embedding resilient features into a design before disaster strikes not only makes economic sense but it can also help us to mitigate against climate change. I am delighted that the GCA will be housed in a building that showcases pioneering climate resilient office design and I hope it will inspire others to future-proof their infrastructure,” said Prof.

Dr. Patrick Verkooijen, CEO of the GCA.

Image © Plomp

Powerhouse Company has unveiled its plans for the Floating Office Rotterdam (FOR), the new headquarters of the Global Center on Adaptation (GCA). This spring the construction of the energyneutral and self-sufficient structure, constructed entirely out of timber, will start. The GCA will be housed in the Rijnhaven in Rotterdam for a period of 5 to 10 years. The design boasts a wide range of state-of-the-art sustainability measures, such as heat exchange through the harbor water.

Image © Atchain

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Image © Plomp

FOR will be an exemplary building for the mission of sustainability, climate adaptive and circular engineering that both the GCA and the city of Rotterdam and Powerhouse Company embrace. In spring 2020, the construction of FOR will take place at the Van Leeuwen grounds at the Maashaven from where it will be shipped to the Rijnhaven.

“Designing a sustainable, floating office building was a very challenging commission and we approached it in an integrated way. By using the water of the Rijnhaven to cool the building, and by using the roof of the office as a large energy source, the building is truly autarkic. The building structure is designed in wood, it can easily be demounted and re-used. The building is ready for the circular economy,” added Nanne de Ru, Founder and Architect, Powerhouse Company.

The floating building will

be prefabricated and made primarily from wood. Consisting of three floors, FOR's roof will be partially covered in greenery, with the rest taken up by solar panels. It will also have a heat exchanger system that makes use of the harbor water as a heat sink to offer efficient heating and cooling.

The use of wood as a main construction material, reduces the carbon footprint of the building dramatically. The overhanging floors of the building create permanent sun shading which allows for large windows with plenty of daylight flooding into the office floors. Besides the offices, the floating building will also house a restaurant with a large outdoor terrace, with as a special addition a floating swimming pool in the Maas river.

"With this unique office building for the GCA headquarters, we are putting Rotterdam on the map within the field of climate adaptation. The Rijnhaven is a location where we plan to realize

more ambitious projects in the future, where water is a leading aspect," commented Alderman Bas Kurvers.

Powerhouse Company is responsible for this project, from sketch to construction. DVP is involved as the project manager on behalf of the developer - RED Company. The construction is designed by Bartels & Vedder in combination with Solid Timber. DWA is the advisor of installations, fire safety and building physics. FOR will be constructed by the combination of Valleibouw and Osnabrugge constructors.

“This prestigious assignment really pushed us to crystallize our ambitions as an office by coming up with an elegant, generous and welcoming design in such a way that the technical and sustainable solutions are so integrated that they feel like a matter-of-fact," concluded Albert Takashi Richters, Associate Architect, Powerhouse Company.

Image Š Waugh Thistleton Architects

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A new way to design and build our houses and cities at the Madrid Design Festival MultiPly explores a new and more sustainable form of construction that combines an abundantly available carbon negative material

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building materials.

“MultiPly is comprised of a maze-like series of interconnected spaces that overlap and intertwine. It has been conceived and constructed to encourage visitors to re-think the way we design and build our homes and cities. The three-dimensional structure is constructed from a flexible system of 12 cross-laminated timber (CLT) modules of American tulipwood with digitally manufactured joints, as if it were a piece of furniture ready to assemble. More importantly, the 32 cubic meters of tulipwood used for MultiPly stores the equivalent of 22

Image © Waugh Thistleton Architects

MultiPly, an eight-meter-high, carbon neutral, timber pavilion, made exclusively from American tulipwood, has opened to the public in Madrid Rio at its entrance to the Casa de Campo, as part of the Madrid Design Festival. The installation was unveiled on the 1st of February and will remain open for two weeks. A collaboration between Waugh Thistleton Architects, the American Hardwood Export Council (AHEC) and ARUP, MultiPly responds to two of the greatest challenges of our time: the growing need for housing and the urgency to fight climate change, presenting as a solution the combination of modular systems and sustainable

Image © Waugh Thistleton Architects

tonnes of carbon dioxide and is naturally replaced with new growth in the U.S. forests in less than two minutes,” said Roderick Wiles, AHEC Regional Director.

Because it is composed of modules, the construction can be disassembled and reassembled.

It was first shown as a part of the London Design Festival in 2018, in the Sackler Courtyard of the Victoria and Albert Museum, then outside the Building Centre in London with New London Architecture, and then at the Universite deglie Studi di Milano, as part of Interni’s ‘Human Spaces’ exhibition at Milan Design Week 2019. Multiply is

currently on display in Madrid for its fourth iteration.

"The main objective of this project is to publicly discuss how environmental challenges can be addressed through innovative and affordable construction," said Andrew Waugh, Co-founder of Waugh Thistleton Architects - a practice that has been at the forefront of engineered timber construction for decades. "We are at a point of crisis in terms of housing and CO2 emissions and we believe that building with a versatile and sustainable material such as tulipwood is an important way to address these problems."

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In 2018, the population of the Eurozone’s fastest growing major economy, Spain, increased to 47 million - the fastest annual growth since 2009. In order to keep up with population growth in ever-expanding cities, in a way that is not harmful to our planet, it is crucial to utilize new technologies that use sustainable materials. Off-site timber construction, that can provide quick-to-assemble, high quality housing with low carbon emissions, provides a viable solution.

boards of one layer are placed perpendicularly to the boards of the next layer and glued to form very strong, rigid and stable panels. CLT has been traditionally manufactured with coniferous wood. However, AHEC and Arup have been experimenting with cross-laminated American tulipwood for a decade, which is a fast-growing abundant hardwood that constitutes 7.7 percent of the total volume of standing timber in the hardwood forests of North America,” added Wiles.

“MultiPly uses a wood engineering technique known as cross-laminate where

Research and projects have shown that, by comparing identical weights, CLT

Image © Waugh Thistleton Architects

Image © Waugh Thistleton Architects

“The Madrid Design Festival

has built its identity around the theme - Redesigning the World.

In its third year, the Festival takes a step further to boost the visibility of this ‘world under redesign’ by adding new ideas, venues and institutions to enrich a dialogue that will stimulate the creation of a design culture, from Madrid for the entire society. MultiPly fits in perfectly with the overall theme of the festival given that it explores a new and more sustainable form of construction that combines an abundantly available carbon negative material, and we hope this inspires how we design and build our houses and cities going forward,” concluded Wiles.

Image © Waugh Thistleton Architects

tulipwood is stronger than steel and concrete and can be machined with incredibly high precision. This makes it ideal for prefabrication and rapid assembly, reducing construction times by around 30 percent.

Tulipwood is an economical and easy to machine timber and incredibly strong for its weight.

The use of tulipwood CLT means that large-scale wooden buildings can be built without the use of concrete or steel.

These properties, together with its impressive appearance, make tulipwood a perfect pioneer for innovative wood construction.

Image Š LAAB Architects

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LAAB Architects create Hong Kong’s first kinetic public architecture

Harbour Kiosk automatically opens and closes its timber facade relative to the time of day

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Image © LAAB Architects

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Image © LAAB Architects

Inspired by the local market stalls in Hong Kong, which expand and engage with the public when they are open and return to their compact and secured form when they are closed, Harbour Kiosk automatically transforms its

‘gate’ into an ‘awning’ during the day and returns to its compact shape at night. The 49 robotic arms behind the profiled timber fins magically perform the cinematic transformation. The wave generator system also moves the timber fins in waves throughout the day to resonate with harbor waves, establishing an emotional connection between the people, the architecture, and the surrounding nature.

The original brief only asked LAAB to design a 10-square-meter food kiosk. However, as a food kiosk in the public space, LAAB Architects believed that it also had a mission to serve the public.

To achieve its public services, LAAB merged the food kiosk with a large M&E machine room nearby and gained a 17-meter long wall space to accommodate public functions, including a counter table, a vending machine, drinking fountains, info panels,

Image © LAAB Architects

Recognized as the first kinetic public architecture in Hong Kong, Harbour Kiosk’s cinematic transformation activates the surrounding public space while paying tribute to the action movies that the local film industry is famous for. Designed by LAAB Architects, Harbour Kiosk fits neatly into its the natural surrounding at the Avenue of Stars, a promenade along the Tsim Sha Tsui waterfront that celebrates the success of the Hong Kong film industry. The form of Harbor Kiosk was influenced by several surrounding landmarks to create an organic form that sits harmoniously amongst its contexts.

The length and profile of each

Overall, Harbor Kiosk offers a meaningful public space by carefully reinterpreting local culture and translating it into mechanical vernacular. Harbour Kiosk is a recipient of the Japan Kukan Design Award Best 100, the American Institute of Architects International Region Award, and is a finalist in the Architizer A+ Award and the World Architecture Festival.

Image © LAAB Architects

The façade features three strata of profiled timber slats, which not only conceal the machine room doors but also accommodate different types of public functions inside the wavy surfaces. They also create a dynamic flow around the kiosk façade, which result in the subtle changes of profiles, tapering makes the member appear slender and less massive.

PEFC-certified red balau was used as a sustainable façade material because of its strength, hardness, lightness, and costeffectiveness. They were treated with exterior grade oil finish for better durability against UV and termites.

timber fin was precisely made with digital fabrication and local craftsmanship. The architects, engineers, and makers at LAAB developed 4 prototypes in 2 years to optimize the parametric design and the kinetic system to ensure that the structure and design could withstand the typhoon season in Hong Kong.

In addition, a safety sensor was also installed at the kiosk counter to ensure clearance during the opening and closing of the timber fins.

Image © LAAB Architects

and planters. Harbour Kiosk also provides water and electricity for the Avenue of stars and contains all the server panels and a stereo system for the light show that happens every night at 8pm.

Image © LAAB Architects

Image © LAAB Architects

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Image © dRMM

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RIBA North, the Building Centre and dRMM celebrate the possibilities and significance of modern timber architecture Forest of Fabrication presents 24 projects that have pushed design boundaries and explored the opportunities and challenges of timber structures

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Forest of Fabrication includes models of the flat packed Naked House (2006), Kingsdale School Auditorium (2007), Timber Stadium proposal (2009), Tre Toren, Rundeskogen (2012), Endless Stair (2013), Floatopolis proposal (2014), Sky Health and Fitness (2015), Maggie’s Oldham (2017) and the Stirling Prize winning Hastings Pier (2017).

Many of the models exhibited have never been publicly displayed and will be shown alongside digital projections of concept sketches, project

scales and sectors.

drawings, construction and final photographs.

The exhibition features 24 dRMM projects designed across 24 years, many of which are built and well-known, all of which have pushed design boundaries and explored the opportunities and challenges of timber structures. An associated events programme, featuring international projects and designers curated with the Building Centre, will also explore developing technologies enabling faster off-site fabrication methods, analyze the argument for timber and celebrate the role of timber in contemporary architecture.

According to dRMM, during its life cycle a tree makes oxygen, eats carbon, produces food, shade, habitat, color and character. Trees also control wind, water levels, soil erosion, pollution and temperature while endlessly renew themselves.

Not only do trees make cities more possible and desirable when alive, they then provide future fuel, construction materials and compost for new trees after death. Trees and the timber products created from them are an exemplar of Cradle to Cradle design, an approach to

Image © dRMM

RIBA chartered architects dRMM along with the Building Centre have collaborated on a public exhibition - ‘Forest of Fabrication - dRMM: pioneers of timber architecture’ - which presents engineered timber as a defining material of 21st century architecture. Opened in September of last year and set to run until April 11, 2020, the exhibition celebrates the existing capabilities and future potential of engineered timber, from concept to construction, across buildings from different

Image © dRMM

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design that considers whole life cycles as a means of designing with minimal impact on our planet. dRMM, led by Professor Alex de Rijke, Philip Marsh, Sadie Morgan and Jonas Lencer, are pioneers in the use and development of engineered timber. They carry out extensive research into new approaches to building design by considering experimental structure, composition and placemaking; addressing both social and environmental sustainability through thoughtful interiors and an understanding of how people move through, use and experience spaces. dRMM believe outstanding architecture solves problems and transforms lives. A belief which is shared by many and which will be put to the test over the coming decade as our global community faces unprecedented challenges.

Image © dRMM

The built environment contributes to almost 40 percent of the UK’s total carbon emissions. Since it provides our shelter, our homes, our spaces of play, work and leisure, the built environment is an industry we cannot do without. It makes sense that as humans we create the best spaces and places we can; spaces which support our wellbeing and enhance our existence with minimal impact on the finite resources of the planet. There is much for the industry to do to address and reduce its impact on changing climate and thoughtfully consider changing social structures and needs. dRMM’s approach to materials, their ideology and their ongoing research and innovation is a good start, which many of us could learn from. dRMM are also founding signatories of Architects Declare, a collective of architectural studios who have laid out and committed to a set of sustainable principles by which they, and they hope others, will work from. This exhibition features 24 concept models across 24 years from this Stirling Prize winning practice.

Each project explores the challenges and opportunities of timber design and collectively shows the outcome of dRMM’s

approach to continued renewal through knowledge, innovation and a compassion for our planet and ourselves.

The exhibition narrative takes visitors on a journey through the existing capabilities and future potential of engineered timber, from concept to construction. At the heart of the exhibition is ‘Table Turned’, a unique meeting table made

by Benchmark from laminated tulipwood, designed by Alex de Rijke with Barnby & Day for the American Hardwood Export Council’s ‘The Wish List’.

Visitors are invited to take a seat, have a coffee and enjoy the show.

Professor Alex de Rijke, founding Director of dRMM said, “The history of architecture can be characterized by materials rather than styles. The 18th century was defined by brick, the 19th century by steel and the 20th by concrete. In 2004 I predicted that engineered timber would define the 21st century. dRMM have explored its endless potential ever since.”

A parallel event programme, jointly curated by RIBA North and dRMM, will bring together international designers, developers, makers and academics to explore emerging materials and markets, showcase the technologies enabling quicker off-site fabrication methods, analyze the commercial argument for cross laminated timber and celebrate the craft and beauty of exposed timber in contemporary architecture.

Suzy Jones, Director of RIBA North, concludes: “Forest of Fabrication is a timely exhibition which draws our attention to the significance of the choices we make about how buildings are designed and built. In this exhibition we see how timber translates into something beautiful, groundbreaking and inspirational. I am genuinely delighted to host this exhibition at RIBA North. I can’t keep out of the galleries. It smells good too!”

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NHG Timber Ltd: the natural source of world hardwoods

Image Š NHG Timber

The company specializes in sourcing tropical and temperate timbers from across the globe with a special focus on West Africa

One feature of hardwood timber supply to the MENA region is the wide collection of suppliers and traders who approach the market in a variety of different ways, with varying amounts of knowledge and professionalism!

This can leave buyers confused and not knowing who they can really trust. One dynamic, U.K. based supplier, NHG Timber has been constantly involved with selling to the region since 1996, and during that time has been the source of good service and straight dealing that all their

clients have come to rely on.

NHG Timber was founded in 1981 by Nick Goodwin, a name that many readers may be familiar with. The family business was strengthened by the addition of his two sons, Ben and Guy, who now run the business following their father’s retirement, along with long term associate Stuart McBride. The company specializes in tropical and temperate timber sourcing worldwide with a special focus on West Africa. Many readers

will be familiar with NHG logos adorning packs of Sapele, Iroko, Dabema, Kossipo and many other timbers in various markets in the Gulf. This success has been built up not only on a deep and practical product knowledge, but also on forging long-term relationships with clients based on mutual respect and trust.

Products

Hardwood Lumber: NHG Timber specializes in the supply of hardwood lumber from West

Africa, North America and Europe. These are available in fixed dimensions as well as standard sizes, and Ben, Guy and Stuart have the in-depth knowledge and experience of their supply areas to be able to source practically any desired hardwood product that clients require, along with providing advice and support. New ideas for grades, species and specifications are suggested on a regular basis.

Softwood Lumber: Echoing

Image © NHG Timber

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the company’s European sales, species such as Western Red Cedar, Douglas Fir and Southern Yellow Pine are sourced from NHG’s North American network of suppliers.

Finished and Semi-finished products: NHG can supply a variety of products such as hardwood decking, machined profiles, moulding blanks and finished sections to give clients a fully bespoke hardwood service from expert and experienced producers.

Logs: Market trends are progressively realizing the importance of added value, but NHG still has a good business in log supply, and sources African and American logs for those buyers who wish to control their own yields.

MENA Region

Ben Goodwin heads up sales of African timber to the region and is obviously passionate about the product judging by the frequency of his bimonthly sourcing trips to

several West African countries to check the quality and regularity of supply on behalf of a wide customer base.

“As a company we have enjoyed working with our clients in the MENA region, where we have been able to gain the loyalty of our clients by consistently offering a good service and good timber. We visit our supply sources in Africa at least once every two months, which means we can secure supply of wellknown and not so well-known

species,” said Ben Goodwin.

It is always a challenge finding new timbers for a competitive market, but their buyers are interested. “One thing I admire about our clients is that they are not afraid to try something new, and there are several new species initially introduced

by NHG, that are now being used with great success in the market. Widening the number of species being used is much better for the sawmill in using the precious forest

Image © NHG Timber

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resource in a more effective and environmentally friendly manner,” added Ben.

Image © NHG Timber

Guy Goodwin works with Ben in securing African supply and heads up sales to Lebanon, Jordan and North Africa. The full complement of species traded is rounded off by Stuart McBride, who supplies American hardwoods from several well established, quality minded

suppliers as well as Beech from Europe. He, as well as Ben, has been travelling to the Gulf region several times a year for many years and knows the markets intimately.

Stuart comments: “The reason for the regular visits to clients is mainly because we do not employ a local agent, unlike many of our competitors.

Everyone in the company is both

specialized in their source area and has a good understanding of all the products we sell. We find that one of the main problems in the market is the lack of detailed knowledge of issues such as grade, measure and technical properties of species, so by visiting regularly we can be on hand to assist directly and support clients with timely, accurate information. We believe that this sets us apart from the

competition, some of whom we have noted over the years, can be fair weather friends.”

NHG have established a strong brand name and reputation in the market. The company is always looking to expand and find new customers to serve, who will in turn benefit from their professionalism, product knowledge, and often, a new and surprising timber to consider!

Image Š Waugh Thistleton Architects

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COMMENT

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Building for tomorrow Architect Anthony Thistleton gives the lowdown on the carbon realities of timber, and explains why misconceptions around CLT on fire safety grounds need to be corrected

As the world finally wakes up to the task ahead in mitigating climate breakdown, there is a lot of discussion about trees and urging reforestation to help reduce atmospheric carbon and limit global warming.

Many commentators refer to trees using terms like “miracle machines that build themselves and convert CO2 to oxygen.”

Of course this is true, we need to plant trees on an unprecedented scale and pace if we are to have any chance of meeting the IPCC’s targets for 2030. However, while forests are great carbon stores, once the trees are mature, their carbon emissions balance the absorption leading to a net zero contribution to greenhouse gas (GHG) reduction. For a fastgrowing spruce or pine, this takes about 50-80 years, for an oak, this takes around 200-250 years.

If we are serious about using trees to combat climate change, we need to therefore remove the trees once they are mature, store the timber and plant new trees. One of the best long-term stores for timber is in buildings. We can construct buildings that last over 100 years using timber and using modern forms of engineered timber, such as glulam and cross-laminated timber (CLT).

We can also replace materials like concrete and steel, which have large carbon footprints together these two materials are responsible for 15 percent of global CO2 emissions.

So the arrival of these methods of timber construction is timely. A number of innovative architects, engineers, developers and contractors in this country have pioneered

the use of CLT as an alternative to concrete and steel in more, and larger buildings. As a result of this, the UK leads the world in the range and scale of implementations of this technology with around 600 completed CLT structures.

However, in the aftermath of the tragedy at Grenfell Tower in 2017, the UK Government introduced legislation that threatens to damage the perception of timber as a construction material and could have a significant impact on the industry.

As a result of the ban on combustible materials in the external walls of residential buildings taller than 18 meters, there is an erroneous perception that CLT may be a fire risk.

This is completely untrue. It is important to understand how engineered timber performs in combustion, as it actually has a number of benefits that offer an improved performance in the event of a fire in comparison to other building technologies.

In the first instance, in a CLT building there is no increase in the likelihood of a fire starting.

The majority of fires ignite through electrical faults and accidents, such as cigarettes left on furniture. If a fire starts in a CLT building, the burning causes the formation of a char layer on large timber elements which actually protects the timber beneath and inhibits further deterioration.

Once a fire starts, the key issue is that it should be contained.

Most catastrophic fires occur because a fire has spread dramatically from the source of ignition. In a CLT building, with walls and floors made from solid timber, the fire is

unlikely to break out of the compartment in which it starts, even if the fire fighters take a long time to attend. When we design in CLT, we often protect the CLT with plasterboard, and, where we rely on the charring for fire protection, we increase the size of structural members to account for the loss of the charred layer.

In many framed forms of construction, a 30-minute firewall will be exactly that, and after half an hour the fire will breach that wall, spreading to adjacent spaces. In a CLT wall, it will continue to act as a barrier to the fire, well beyond the fire rating. The fact is that all materials can be adversely affected by fire - steel melts and concrete spalls (explodes). The key is that designers understand the material’s performance and design accordingly. We are convinced that when designed properly, CLT structures are at least as safe as other forms of construction.

The challenge we now face is to provide the testing data and other material required to ensure that buyers, funders, underwriters and politicians understand this as well as the professionals who use CLT so that we can rely on regulations that are based on evidence.

Across the world, countries are amending their building regulations to support taller engineered timber structures, supported by extensive testing.

In the next decade, the UK’s lead in this groundbreaking technology is likely to be eclipsed as the rest of the world adopts the techniques that were initiated here.

More than this, however, is our responsibility to the

timber manufacturing capacity has increased its forest cover by a commensurate amount.

By moving to CLT we can better ensure large scale tree planting than by Government urging, and grants.

This article has been written by Anthony Thistleton, Director and Co-founder of Waugh Thistleton Architects. For more information, please visit www. waughthistleton.com

Image © Alex de Rijke

Image © Acton Ostry Architects

environment - by creating a long-term store for CO2 absorbed during a tree’s growth and substituting high polluting materials like concrete and steel, CLT can be a key agent in the drive to reduce global atmospheric carbon, but there is another factor.

If we create a large, sustainable market for timber, the widespread adoption of CLT can drive the reforestation needed - over the last two centuries, every country that has increased its

Image © Studio RHE

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Studio Ardete completes hand-made ribbon-like sculpture made from timber in Chandigarh

Image Š Ar. Purnesh Dev Nikhanj

Timber Rhyme makes a statement about the value of wooden art whilst paying homage to a long history of craftsmanship

Image © Ar. Purnesh Dev Nikhanj

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Wood-art has been an integral part of Indian history. The Sutradhar community, according to legend, are carpenters (also known as 'badhaee'), descendants of Maya, the son of Vishwakarma (the divine engineer). To date, Vishwakarma day is celebrated in India; and, as customary, the craftsmen worship their tools.

frames the outside triggering an innate attraction to prospect and, a sitting space that plays on one's inclination to take refuge. Both placed opposite to ingress initiates a desire to walk. Represented through the ribbon that pours itself into space, 'variety in a unified continuum' nourishes the studio’s concepts.

Owing to the Indian government’s initiative against deforestation, an increase in the cost of wood and the labor-intensive nature of the craft, plywood has emerged as a cheaper alternative in the Indian market. But the question of whether plywood is doomed to be replaced by alternative products has to be asked. Studio Ardete’s design explores conventional limitations of the material sold by the client, veneers and plywood, and its protagonist role in a conversation that has existed in ancient past as well.

The site was converted into a spatial matrix, as the ribbon gets developed, by selecting a series of spatial coordinates joined together to formulate doubly curved solids.

This facilitates segmentation of the space, where the eye meets varying focal points each at a different elevation than previous.

The observer's speed is dictated by his surroundings as the form makes its presence felt, carving a new perspective with each viewpoint.

'Timber Rhyme' occupies the first storey of a retail shop in a market complex in Chandigarh.

The challenge was to invite a walk through the existing 71' by 18' linear block, as one enters from the rear end. Due to a shift in times and new engineered materials, the dialogue between a carpenter and his product has perished. The key idea is a by-product of this concern, an elemental ribbon that can be the subject of a conversation while being a facilitator of the same.

In design, a single-window that

The ribbon is envisioned to blur the boundaries between the static, the movable and the art in-and-on these components of the built space. The role of static elements like partition screens is obfuscated with that of movable furniture.

Propounding as a functional art space, a series of 'wooden ribbons' twist and turn to form display shelves, sitting spaces, meeting table and other design elements each flowing into the other. This transcends the interior into an Art-landscape.

These 'elastic geometries' were realized to be almost self-

Image Š Ar. Purnesh Dev Nikhanj

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Image Š Ar. Purnesh Dev Nikhanj

supporting, threaded from the ceiling using black metal bars. For additional support, translucent acrylic supports were given where the heavy load would be subjected on the ribbon.

The ribbon is manifested as a framework of plywood ribs that were digitally fabricated with the help of a definition developed in Grasshopper. To interpolate the doubly curved geometries, these were subdivided into a network of plywood ribs in x and y directions, interlocking at 6 inches interval. Together these formed a waffle structure that served as the main framework giving the final shape.

To form the structure, CNC milling was used to cut the individual components from a 19mm thick plywood ribs. 3mm thick Flexi-ply and 1.5 mm thick paper veneer was used, each cut and handled by the carpenter.

For the ease of assembly, each rib was given a unique Alphanumeric connotation, which was etched on ply through CNC milling. They were then jigsawed in-situ, by the carpenters, in a unidirectional arrangement to correctly align to the next segment. The result was a thin, workable skin of plywood 61 linear feet, ranging in width from 9 inches to 8 feet.

The end detail lies in the finishing of the ribs where carpentry skill meets technology.

Each Flexi-ply joint was filled with wood filler and sanded as required. It is through this last stage of processing that the carpenter takes ownership from technology and uses his experience and 'telltale knowledge' for a finished structure.

The final step involves pasting strips of paper veneer perpendicular to the curvature of the structure blurring different components of the whole. Light oak veneer was chosen for its soft grain, drawing attention to other materials while acting as background noise to put materials against each other. This evolved the other half of the name as 'rhyme', an uncertain noise and whispering in ears, subconsciously picked up by the soul, but almost always unaware by the mind.

This amalgamation of technology for cost, time and ease of making with an advantage of old craft, is a win-win situation for all stakeholders of the project. The retail shop becomes a setting befitting for a dialogue between the carpenter, the end-user and the retailer deepening social engagement. As plywoodcarpentry meets its entropic spiral, 'Timber Rhyme' hopes to create an opportunity to reimagine craft of the traditional curves, as an inexhaustible source of inspiration for the next generation of torchbearers of intricate carvings.

Image © Japan Sports Council

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Kengo Kuma designed National Stadium ready for Tokyo Olympics 2020 The use of wood in the stadium is inspired by Japanese climate, culture, and tradition

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The new National Stadium was officially completed late November last year when the centerpiece for the 2020 Olympics and Paralympics was handed over to its owner and operator - the Japan Sport Council. Created by architect Kengo Kuma’s office, construction giant Taisei Corp. and design firm Azusa Sekkei Co., the stadium was completed in 36 months at a cost of USD 1.4 billion (¥157 billion).

of Tokyo’s Meiji Jingu Gaien area.

The forest of Jingu inherit the historic greenery spreading from the Inner Garden of Meiji Jingu Shrine to the Imperial Palace. To preserve the precious greenery of the area, the architect conceived the building as a ‘living tree’ rooted in the earth, one that will stand the test of time a 100 years from now.

Domestic lumber and abundant plants help the 47.4-meter-high woodland-themed stadium blend in with the surrounding greenery

Comprising five levels above ground and two levels below, the design effectively places the track and field two floors below

Image © Japan Sports Council

With the handover complete, the stadium is now called the National Stadium. Five storeys above ground level and two below, the project is the latest incarnation of Japanese sports’ spiritual home to be built in the neighborhood.

It replaces the National Stadium that was used as the main venue for the 1964 Tokyo Olympics, which in turn took the place of Meiji Jingu Gaien Stadium.

The latter served as a point of departure for students leaving for battlefronts during World War II.

The stadium, surrounded by the abundant greenery of the Outer Garden of Meiji Jingu Shrine, forms a green network spreading from the Inner Garden of Meiji Jingu Shrine to the Imperial Palace through the Shinjuku Imperial Gardens and the Akasaka Detached Palace. In addition, by utilizing features of the location where the Forest of the Outer Garden of Meiji Jingu Shrine and the Town of the urban area are in contact with each other, the Forest of the Earth will be developed in harmony with the surrounding greenery.

Image © Japan Sports Council

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ground level. This sunken design, combined with the fact that the stadium is flat-roofed, means that the structure has a height of less than 50 meters. The spectators’ seats, with a capacity of up to 80,000 people, have been placed as compactly as possible. These design cues, combined with the building’s abundant use of timber, takes the edge off the brutal feel created by architecture of this nature.

The stadium features spaces for everyone. The Forest of the Earth is connected to the surrounding parks and the Grove of the Sky on the top floor with a circumference of approximately 850 meters.

This unique stadium will become a New center of sports cluster where everyone can enjoy taking walks and doing various types of sports.

The eaves, located around the outer perimeter of the stadium and covered with vertical cedar lattice, give the stadium faint shadow and mild texture and blend in with surrounding trees.

The mild cedar texture warmly welcomes all visitors. The greenery on the eaves blends with the forest of the Outer Garden of Meiji Jingu Shrine in with the stadium.

In addition, traditional Japanese lights (stone and paper lanterns like Bonbori, Tōrō, Chōchin) provide the entire stadium with soft light.

Surrounded by a vertical cedar lattice, the eaves encircle the stadium and are stacked in multiple levels - up to five in some areas. On the top level, the largest set of eaves, referred to as the ‘Grand Eaves of the Wind’ have been designed to efficiently draw air into the arena all year round.

The eaves, built from timber that

Image © Japan Sports Council

Image © Japan Sports Council

Image © Japan Sports Council

The use of wood in the stadium is inspired by Japanese climate, culture, and tradition. The eaves around the outer perimeter of the stadium keep out the sunlight and rain and also provide a faint shadow and mild texture.

Eaves are one of the features of

traditional Japanese construction suitable for Japanese climate and culture. They help create a very Japanese stadium, gently blending the architecture in with the green environment.

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Designed to evoke the forest, the National Stadium makes extensive use of Japanese timber, and is one of few major sporting structures in the world to exude a warm, wooden vibe. The truss of the large roof is built using steel, which has sufficient strength, and lumber, to suppress deformation in case of an earthquake or strong wind. In addition, laminated lumber made of larch and cedar

Image © Japan Sports Council

Spectators will also feel the warmth of wood through the combination of lumber and steel for the truss of the large roof.

Lumber has been predominantly used inside the stadium and for the eaves of the outer perimeter to achieve a very Japanese and world-class stadium. Certified domestic lumber along with the

application of traditional Japanese designs such as Yamato-bari (a method of laying boards) and warm wooden texture helps to create a very Japanese space.

Image © Japan Sports Council

has been sourced from all 47 prefectures of Japan, are arranged in the order of latitude, so that the northernmost tip is made from wood from Hokkaidō while the southernmost tip uses wood from Okinawa.

Image © Japan Sports Council

has also been used for the truss.

Lumber has been used on the inner side of the roof and the eaves where it is not likely to be exposed to the rain, which is the main cause for degradation. To increase durability, the lumber has also been treated with pressure injection processes for antiseptic and anti-termite measures.

Domestic cross-laminated timber has also been used for the lockers in the athletes’ dressing rooms and for outdoor information boards and other independent boards requiring strength.

Kengo Kuma, who was lucky enough to personally experience the 1964 Tokyo Olympics, recalls

the completion of the Tokaido Shinkansen and the Metropolitan Expressway (Shuto Kosoku Doro) for those Olympics. According to Kuma, concrete buildings were going up one after another, and to a child’s eyes they looked really impressive. So how should the spirit of 2020 be expressed?

Kuma is of the view that it should be the complete opposite of the 1964 image. With concrete towns becoming the norm, Kuma felt the need to bring back wood.

The National Stadium does exactly this and more. It is truly a modern take on the traditional Japanese wooden building that at the same time pays attention to detail.

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Helsinki Central Library marks a new era of libraries in the world’s most literate nation Oodi is a striking building with its glass and steel structures and wooden facade

Image © Tuomas Uusheimo

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With a design that combines traditional and contemporary flavors, Oodi is a striking building with its glass and steel structures and wooden facade.

The energy-efficient library is an impressive calling card for Finnish architecture. ALA Architects' design for the country's flagship library, which stands opposite the Finnish Parliament, aims to ‘embrace technology and progressive values to provide a variety of innovative services alongside its lending collection of books’.

Image © Tuomas Uusheimo

Image © Tuomas Uusheimo

Oodi represents a new era of libraries. Apart from the top

floor, Oodi’s facade is made entirely from wood, which softens the general appearance of the architecture around Töölö Bay. The wood used for the exterior wall is spruce. The newly completed building in the heart of Helsinki consists almost entirely of public space and offers a wide selection of services. Having been open for a year, Oodi has already become the new central point for the city’s public library network.

Architectural concept

The design divides the functions of the library into three distinct levels: an active ground floor, a peaceful upper floor, and an

enclosed in-between volume containing the more specific functions. This concept has been developed into an arching form that invites people to utilize the spaces and services underneath, inside and on top of it. The resulting building is an inspiring and highly functional addition to the urban life of Helsinki and the Töölönlahti area.

The Kansalaistori square (Citizens’ Square) across the street from the Parliament House seamlessly continues inside the ground floor level of the library building.

The flexible spaces are suitable for both small events and large

Image © Tuomas Uusheimo

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happenings. The movie theater and the multi-purpose hall can be used as continuation of the open lobby space or separated off to cater for specific events.

Walking through the ground floor offers a quick glimpse at the services available in the building. The sculptural wooden surface arches over the ground floor areas as a dramatic bridgelike structure. This innovative structural solution has enabled the creation of a column free public space to maximize the accessibility and visibility of the program.

The ‘Book Heaven’ on the top floor, is a vast open landscape topped with an undulating cloud like white ceiling. Here the best features of the modernist library meet the possibilities provided by

up-to-date technologies. A calm, serene atmosphere invites visitors to read, learn, think, and relax.

From this level visitors can enjoy an unobstructed 360-degree panorama view of the city center.

building engages directly with the Töölönlahti area. The large foyer and the glass-walled multipurpose hall on ground level act as indoor extensions of the outdoor spaces.

The middle floor, the ‘Attic’, consists of flexible irregularly shaped rooms, nooks and corners inhabiting the spaces between the trusses of the bridge structure. The enclosed spaces are designed to accommodate both noisy and quiet activities.

The stepped seating in the open central area of this floor is the result of the form of the cantilevering, twisting west façade.

The arching wooden volume creates an entrance canopy over the Kansalaistori square forming a covered outdoor space that expands the building’s functions such as the ground level restaurant to the square. The large public terrace on top of the canopy doubles the amount of public outdoor space available for library visitors and creates a new destination where people can meet and observe the city below.

By opening directly to the surrounding cityscape and by dissolving the border between indoor and outdoor areas, the

There are three public entrances in the building: one in the south for the main pedestrian flow from the direction of the Central

Image © Tuomas Uusheimo

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Railway Station, one next to the Kansalaistori square to the west of the building shielded by the overhanging canopy, as well as one for the visitors to the movie theater in the northeastern corner.

The spaces for maintenance and library logistics are located at basement level. The administration and storage spaces are kept to the minimum on the publicly accessed levels to maximize the open and accessible nature of the library.

The administrative and storage functions of Helsinki Public Library remain at the main library in the nearby Pasila district.

Library operations are statutory in Finland. Basic library services are free of charge and freely available to everyone. The new library is at the forefront of the renewal of the city’s library services. In addition to the core operations, there is a wide range of services available inside the building alongside an abundance of lounge spaces and auxiliary services that support the operations such as Helsinki Info the City of Helsinki’s information center; Europa Experience - the center for EU related information; and Kino Regina - the National Audiovisual Institute’s movie theater.

In terms of services offered, the new library, a public space open seven days a week, is the largest

public library in the Helsinki metropolitan area, and has also become the metropolitan area’s most popular spot for returns and reservations. In its first year, the library has attracted approximately 9,000 visitors per day and over 3 million visitors total.

The library has enlivened and diversified the new urban environment created in the Töölönlahti area. It offers activities and experiences for all ages. There are plenty of spaces that enable people to gather and spend time together, free of charge. The role of the library’s clients has evolved from passive media users to active agents, participants and content producers. As a non-commercial open public space, the new Central Library acts as Helsinki residents’ common living room, workspace and learning environment.

Technical details

Oodi’s spatial concept based on three individual public floors is executed by building the library as an inhabited, asymmetrical bridge spanning over 100 meters over the open ground floor space.

The bridge structure consisting of steel trusses and beams is supported by two massive steel arches, tensioned together with a reinforced concrete tension slab.

The innovative structural solution has enabled both the

Image © Tuomas Uusheimo

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construction of the flexible column-free interior spaces and the possibility for the construction of a future road tunnel under the site. Secondary steel trusses support the cantilevering balcony and roof canopy asymmetrically from the arch structure, forming a unique structural design to accommodate both permanent and temporary functions for both the library and the public realm.

performance has informed the environmental solutions and has allowed the team to minimize the requirement for mechanical environmental control systems, which facilitates the highly flexible architectural solution.

The glass facades allow for large amounts of functional daylight in the public areas, reducing the use of artificial light and enhancing the quality of the interior spaces as a multifunctional citizen’s forum.

Oodi has been built using local materials and with local climate conditions in mind.

The wooden façade is made from pre-fabricated elements.

33-millimeter-thick Finnish highquality spruce has been used for the cladding. A specific grading and quality control system was developed for the timber, the sawing and the treatment of the slats. The complex curved geometry was designed and manufactured using algorithmaided parametric 3D design methods in order to achieve the required precision. The appearance of the façade will develop over the years towards a deeper, richer version of its initial hue.

The carefully planned placement and optimization of building services has enabled the flexibility of the spatial arrangements. All public levels of the building are equipped with access floors to allow for changes in use during the estimated 150year life span of the building.

Image © Tuomas Uusheimo

Image © Tuomas Uusheimo

The design of the building envelope is intrinsic to the passive energy approach adopted by the project team.

Detailed analysis of the façade

The library building will be extremely energy efficient. Its energy consumption level is that of a nearly Zero Energy Building (nZEB). This is mostly due to the efficiency of the building services. The material efficiency of the building has benefited among other things from the use of wood in the exterior cladding.

Building information modeling was used in both architectural and engineering design, as well as in checking the compatibility of the designs. Building information model will also be utilized for maintenance.

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Enter Projects Asia designs nature-inspired headquarters for Vikasa Bangkok Studio combines 3D technology with Thai craftsmanship techniques, incorporating natural materials such as wood, rattan, palm leaves and local black slate

Image © Ed Sumner

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Image © Ed Sumner

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comprised of a series of freeform yoga pods - two public and two private pods in addition to a lobby area and luxury bathrooms integrated seamlessly into the layout. Floor-to-ceiling windows were designed across the entire front façade to flood the space with natural light, whilst

Image © Ed Sumner

Enter Projects Asia have completed their design and construction for the headquarters of Vikasa. This is the yoga brand’s anchor building in Bangkok, symbolizing the Vikasa ideals around health, wellness and evolution. The 450 square meter space is

allowing the pods to remain private.

Visible from the street thanks to glass perimeter walls, the yoga center is located on the second floor of a two-storey building and is accessible via a staircase. The space is organized

Image © Ed Sumner

in four different areas, which are defined by pods for yoga activities. The layout is completed by a reception hall in the center, dressing rooms and bathrooms. Using their signature geometries, Enter Projects Asia have facilitated the fusion of 3D technologies with local Thai craftsmanship to bring nature to an urban context.

Featuring rattan structures that wrap the entire space like ribbons, enveloping the entire lobby and delimiting the pavilion spaces, the design reflects the brand’s principles of health and wellness. The ribbons are also completed with light in some places and become bright elements recognizable from the outside. In addition, the yoga pods, made of rattan

Image © Ed Sumner

Image © Ed Sumner

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or covered with wooden panels, offer privacy and light thanks to large windows.

Encompassing the length of the building’s second-storey façade, the pods organically divide the yoga studio into four separate areas. Starting from the entrance stair, a rattan-woven light fixture leads people into the foyer ahead and then merges into a shapely bench. After arriving at the main lobby, guests can proceed to one of four yoga studios. With a material palette of Thai hardwood, rattan, palm leaves and black slate, the flowing interior references the yoga brand’s ideals of health, wellness and evolution.

For the design of the studio, Enter Projects Asia initially

worked with three-dimensional modelling software Maya, and then constructed the space with natural, local materials. Working with Maya, the designers were able to incorporate nonstandard forms and craft in their construction foreign to BIM. Doing so enabled Enter Projects Asia to create a structure unhindered by market products.

Overall, the interiors perfectly illustrate how new and old techniques can work in tandem.

“We sought to create a space which mimicked the natural world and reflected the neverending cycle of life. The result is a space of captivating calmness, cloaked in quiet contentment - an oasis of tranquility amongst the chaos of Bangkok,” concludes Patrick Keane, Design Director at Enter Projects.

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Biesse’s B_CABINET FOUR helps ideas take form and shape

Image Š Biesse

Fully digitalized processes for designing, simulating and creating solutions without limits

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The digital revolution has brought about a massive change based on technological innovation that involves production systems, companies, the market and the relationship between them and man. In this industrial context, software is interconnected, and the key word is ‘digitalization’.

Software and management processes are integrated in real time, new digital programs are interfaced and integrated, and with the arrival of new technologies, company competitiveness increasingly depends on rapid, flexible production. IT systems are behind this revolution/ transformation and guarantee optimization, monitoring of operations, data tracking and correct management of the stages of production.

In order to control the complexity of use and programming of machines as far as possible by interpreting and making the concepts of Factory 4.0 their own, Biesse has, in recent years, invested heavily in the world of software, its main aim being to make machines human. By working with a dedicated team, it develops software solutions which are conceived through close observation of the customer's everyday work, with simple interfaces designed to guarantee practical daily use of the machine.

One of these solutions is B_CABINET FOUR, a new module that supplements the tried and tested B_CABINET, software, which can guarantee total control and maximum optimization of furniture design and production to achieve a maximum level of efficiency.

This is a unique solution for managing furniture production from the 3D design phase to production flow monitoring.

The software, which specializes in furniture design, allows users to develop designs for a given space, and quickly identify the individual elements in it. It provides a virtual environment that replicates the actual

space, where the user can design individual pieces of furniture or complete furnishing solutions with the greatest ease. The switch from design to production mode then requires just a few clicks, which means significant cost savings.

B_CABINET is a software application that can be purchased separately from the machine software (bSuite) and can also be used to operate competitors' machines in the production process. Also designed for designers and architects, B_CABINET can be used for fully customizable, quick and flexible designing of each item of furniture, panel programming for machining centers, cutting lists for panel saws, edgebanding sequences, assembly diagrams, requirement reports as well as offering a powerful photo rendering engine.

B_CABINET, in line with the principles of Industry 4.0 and through the development of services that have helped to achieve complete data digitalization, is complemented by a new supplementary module called B_CABINET FOUR. This makes it easy to manage all the machining phases (cutting, milling, boring, edgebanding, assembly, packaging) with just one click. By controlling the materials, hardware, machining technology and data routing, B_CABINET FOUR can be used to quickly and efficiently send information useful to the production process to each workstation.

B_CABINET FOUR includes an environment dedicated to real time monitoring of the production process. This means complete control of the order status, step by step, thanks to charts and 3D images. Each workstation receives the job order, the production sequence, additional information on each assembled part or project, the machining and cutting lists, and the PDF assembly diagram.

With B_CABINET FOUR, ideas take form and shape.

B_PROCESS is part of the

Image Š Biesse

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Industry 4.0 framework. The software, with intelligent tools for product engineering through automatic integration of the machines, is an open component that unifies and centralizes the interface between management and production. B_PROCESS is a logical information manager, which uses rules defined in the customer's ERP to control production in the specified system. B_PROCESS can also track production and represent it as a mimic panel so that the state of the system can be constantly monitored, both in terms of production and machine status.

Biesse also offers innovative software, which can be used to access the most cutting-edge technologies. With B_SUITE, design has no limits. B_SUITE is a coordinated series of perfectly-integrated software applications designed to meet every production requirement, including design, programming, simulation, implementation, factory testing and data analysis.

The suite consists of B_SOLID, B_EDGE, B_WINDOWS and B_DOORS. B_SOLID is a 3D CAD CAM software application that, with a single platform, supports every type of machining

operation thanks to the use of vertical modules designed for specific production processes. It enables the graphic illustration of the final product and the full automation of the design, engineering and production optimization processes.

B_EDGE is a bSuite plug-in which, by using the suite's design and simulation capabilities, makes edgebanding even the most complex shapes very simple.

B_EDGE sequentially orders edgebanding operations (preedgebanding, edgebanding and post-edgebanding) to maximize efficiency and prevent any programming errors.

B_WINDOWS is a software application for the door and window market used to design door and window frames.

Boasting enormous potential, this product allows the user to design any type of door or window frame, and is even capable of handling extremely complex projects with large numbers of components.

B_DOORS is a fully integrated, intuitive, practical software application for designing doors.

Due to its ease of use, the B_SUITE plug-in can be used

for the simplified and parametric design of door uprights and rails, the handling of routed doors and the parametric design of joints and blank horizontal and vertical slats.

The Biesse range of software includes and is complemented by a set of specific optimizers, that includes B_NEST and OPTIPLANNING. B_NEST is a bSuite plug-in, which can be used to easily organize nesting projects in a straightforward way while at the same time reducing material consumption and machining times. It identifies the most efficient shaped cut sequence for flat elements and also optimizes production times.

OPTIPLANNING is a software application to optimize cutting patterns and maximize efficiency for both material costs and consumption and cutting times.

It provides extremely reliable algorithms for production batches in small- and medium-sized companies and can be used to automatically import softwaregenerated cutting lists for designing furniture and/or ERP management systems. With its simple, user-friendly interface, it offers intelligent, assisted management of the cutting stages.

SmartAction - compact, connected, accessible SmartAction is the new smart factory, designed for companies that want to make the most of the advantages offered by digitalization. SmartAction allows for the creation of a carpentry workshop that is compact, connected and accessible, by adopting all the features offered by Industry 4.0.

The machines are all connected in real time and guarantee rapid, optimized performance, making the whole company more competitive. A smart factory can be set up within a small manufacturing area, exploiting the power of highly integrated solutions to offer standardized processes without renouncing customization.

The main focus of this new concept is the integrated management of production by means of software that allows the various machines to exchange data and process production reports, all within a small floor space, with limited investments and an easy learning curve. Through the complete digitalization of processes, furnishings can be produced quickly, flexibly and with room for customization.

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Perkins and Will design the world's tallest hybrid wood tower

Image Š Delta Group and Perkins and Will

Canada Earth Tower will be a zero-emissions building and will not consume fossil fuels, such as natural gas, in operation

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The project is planned for a 1.3acre (0.5-hectare) property along Eighth Avenue near Vancouver's

Burrard Slopes neighborhood.

At the present moment, the site is occupied by an ordinary, four-storey building built in the late 1970s. Encompassing 31,587 square meters, the tower will comprise approximately 200 apartments, in addition to shops, restaurants and office space. The tower is not the only hybrid timber tower in Vancouver.

Construction is currently underway on Terrace House by Japanese architect Shigeru Ban, which claims to be the tallest hybrid structure in the world, topping out 71 meters at its upper tip.

The mixed-use development, which is aiming to become the world’s tallest hybrid wood tower, dramatically reduces the project’s greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions through carbon sequestration.

Beyond timber, the project will be a zero-emissions building; it will not consume fossil fuels, such as natural gas, in operation. Equally

Image © Delta Group and Perkins and Will

‘No limitations’ were the words Delta Land Development used when they asked Perkins and Will to design a project that would ‘revolutionize the development industry’. With those words, Canada’s Earth Tower was born, designed to advance a comprehensive set of environmental goals in an unprecedented way. The project is a 340,000 square foot mixed-use development that will become the world's tallest hybrid wood tower at 35-40 storeys tall. Beyond timber alone, this visionary project will advance a comprehensive set of environmental goals in an unprecedented way. In collaboration with Delta Group, a private developer, the project will demonstrate that leading a shift toward dramatically higher environmental standards is feasible.

Image © Delta Group and Perkins and Will

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important, the project will support community and dramatically improve livability in tall, urban residential buildings. By creating meaningful connections to the natural environment, it will restore local biodiversity and provide public areas that are vibrant and accessible.

Canada’s Earth Tower will include elements that celebrate and encourage the love of nature and natural systems and leverage the inherent health and wellbeing benefits this brings to the inhabitants. The choice to use heavy timber as the primary building structure is a part of a comprehensive material strategy that will make Canada’s Earth Tower the healthiest place to live and work. The hybrid approach to the structure uses a concrete core and foundations in conjunction with timber floors, walls, and columns. This approach balances structural performance with dramatically reduced GHG emissions.

The project will be Passive House certified and will exceed the City of Vancouver’s Zero Emissions Building Plan performance requirements, well ahead of the 2030 target. Aggressively reducing GHG emissions, in construction and operations, is a priority for the

project. As a part of the Canada Green Building Council (CaGBC) Zero Carbon Buildings Pilot program, Canada’s Earth Tower will be a zero emissions building.

The building will not consume fossil fuels, such as natural gas, in operation. Beyond a low-carbon structure and highly efficient passive house enclosure, the building will generate emissionsfree electricity, on site, using building integrated photovoltaic

technology.

According to Perkins and Will, creating meaningful connections to our natural environment throughout the building will be a defining characteristic of the design. In collaboration with preeminent Canadian Landscape Architect Cornelia Hahnn Oberlander, the ‘wilding’ of the site will restore local biodiversity and will create a new, vibrant, and

accessible public realm. Canada’s Earth Tower is also designed to support community and dramatically improve livability in tall urban residential buildings.

Generous south facing winter gardens act as shared terraces - a place to connect with neighbors while enjoying sunlight, views, and a range of plant life.

By employing BC wood from sustainably managed forests as

Image © Delta Group and Perkins and Will

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columns and composite floors will comprise the structure of the occupied spaces. Together, this will set a new benchmark for sustainable building performance and wood construction.

“I want Perkins and Will to reach around the corner and create something on this site that is the best response known to man for climate change and buildings,” said Bruce

Langereis, President, Delta Land Development.

Living closely together in cities demands considered design to encourage positive social interaction. As such, Canada’s Earth Tower will deliver a superior indoor environment for its office and residential inhabitants. By integrating three-storey south facing winter gardens, inhabitants will be

given interconnected social spaces that offer an immediate connection with nature in clusters of 12-18 households.

In addition, a rooftop terrace - complete with a greenhouse - will offer an unprecedented connection with nature and 360 views. By working with a visionary client, Perkins and Will aim to show the world that we can, and we must design better buildings to affect real change.

Image © Delta Group and Perkins and Will

Image © Delta Group and Perkins and Will

its primary structure, Canada’s Earth Tower will advance the industry by altering market perceptions, providing choice, and putting the performance and environmental implications of construction at the forefront.

The tower will use locally manufactured mass timber and a hybrid technique that will use reinforced concrete elevator cores to provide lateral stability to the structure, while engineered wood

Image © BIG | Bjarke Ingels Group

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Toyota Motor Corporation and Bjarke Ingels Group unveil the world’s first urban incubator at the foothills of Mt. Fuji in Japan Toyota Woven City to advance mass timber construction combining the legacy of Japanese craftsmanship and the tatami module with robotic fabrication technology

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Together with the Toyota Motor Corporation, Bjarke Ingels Group (BIG) have unveiled the Toyota Woven City as the world’s first urban incubator dedicated to the advancement of all aspects of mobility at the foothills of Mt. Fuji in Japan. Envisioned as a living laboratory to test and advance mobility, autonomy, connectivity, hydrogen-powered infrastructure and industry collaboration, Toyota Woven City aims to bring people and communities together in a future enabled by technology yet grounded in history and nature. The vision, along with an animation by Squint Opera, was presented at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas by the CEO of Toyota, Mr. Akio Toyoda, and BIG Founder Bjarke Ingels.

“In Higashi-Fuji, Japan, we have decided to build a prototype town of the future where people live, work, play and participate in a living laboratory. Imagine a smart city that would allow researchers, engineers and scientists the opportunity to freely test technology such as autonomy, mobility as a service, personal mobility, robotics, smart home connected technology, AI and more, in a real-world environment.

This is a truly unique opportunity to create an entire community, or ‘city’ from the ground up and

Image © BIG | Bjarke Ingels Group

Image © BIG | Bjarke Ingels Group

Toyota commissioned Danish architect, Bjarke Ingels, Founder and Creative Director, Bjarke Ingels Group (BIG) for the design of this landmark project.

According to Ingels, a swarm of different technologies are beginning to radically change

how we inhabit and navigate our cities. Connected, autonomous, emission-free and shared mobility solutions are bound to unleash a world of opportunities for new forms of urban life. With the breadth of technologies and industries that they have been able to access and collaborate with from the Toyota ecosystem of companies, they now have a unique opportunity to explore new forms of urbanity with the Woven City that could pave new paths for other cities to explore.

allow us to build an infrastructure of the future that is connected, digital and sustainable, powered

by Toyota’s hydrogen fuel cell technology,” said Akio Toyoda, CEO, Toyota Motor Corporation.

mobility. The city will utilize solar energy, geothermal energy, and hydrogen fuel cell technology to strive towards a carbon neutral society, with plans to break ground in phases beginning in 2021.

Located on a 175-acre former factory site in the city of Susono in Shizuoka, Toyota Woven City creates a new equality among vehicles, alternate forms of movement, people and nature, streamlined by the promise of a connected, clean and shared

"Building a complete city from the ground up, even on a small scale like this, is a unique opportunity to develop future technologies, including a digital operating system for the city's infrastructure. With people, buildings and vehicles all

Image © BIG | Bjarke Ingels Group

Image©©BIG ICD/ITKE of Stuttgart Image | BjarkeUniversity Ingels Group

Image © BIG | Bjarke Ingels Group

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connected and communicating with each other through data and sensors, we will be able to test connected AI technology... in both the virtual and the physical realms... maximizing its potential," added Toyoda.

Toyota will extend an open invitation to collaborate with other commercial and academic partners and invite interested scientists and researchers from around the world to come work on their own projects in this one-of-a-kind,

real-world incubator. According to Toyoda, the aim is to welcome all those inspired to improve the way we live in the future, to take advantage of this unique research ecosystem and to join Toyota in its quest to create an ever-better way of life and mobility for all.

The Woven City is conceived as a flexible network of streets dedicated to various speeds of mobility for safer, pedestrianfriendly connections. The typical road is split into three, beginning

with the primary street, optimized for faster autonomous vehicles with logistical traffic underneath.

The Toyota e-Palette - a driverless, clean, multi-purpose vehicle - will be used for shared transportation and delivery services, as well as for mobile retail, food, medical clinics, hotels, and workspaces.

more isolated than ever. The Woven City is designed to allow technology to strengthen the public realm as a meeting place and to use connectivity to power human connectivity,” added Ingels.

“Today the typical is mess - with everything and nothing happening everywhere. With the Woven City we peel apart and then weave back together the three components of a typical road into a new urban fabric: a street optimized for automated vehicles, a promenade for micro-mobility, and a linear park for pedestrians.

The resulting pattern of porous 3x3 city blocks creates a multitude of different econiches for social life, culture and commerce,” said Bjarke Ingels, Founder & Creative Director, BIG

The recreational promenade is occupied by micro-mobility types such as bicycles, scooters and other modes of personal transport, including Toyota’s i-Walk. The shared street allows residents to freely meander at a reduced speed with increasing amount of nature and space.

The third type of street is the linear park, a path dedicated to pedestrians, flora and fauna.

An intimate trail provides a safe and pleasant environment for leisurely strolls and nature breaks through the ecological corridor connecting Mount Fuji to the Susuno Valley.

“In an age when technology social media and online retail - is replacing and eliminating our traditional physical meeting places, we are increasingly

The three street types are woven into 3x3 city blocks, each framing a courtyard accessible only via the promenade or linear park. The urban fabric of the

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Image © BIG | Bjarke Ingels Group

The buildings at the Woven City will advance mass timber construction. By combining the legacy of Japanese craftsmanship and the tatami module with robotic fabrication technology, Japan’s construction heritage lives on, while building sustainably

Toyota’s R&D spaces will house robotic construction, 3D printing and mobility labs, while typical offices will flexibly accommodate workstations, lounges and indoor gardens. Residences in the Woven City will test new technology such as in-home robotics to assist with daily living. These smart homes take advantage of full connectivity using sensor-based AI technology to perform functions such as automatic grocery deliveries, laundry pick-ups or trash disposal, all while enjoying spectacular views of Mt. Fuji.

Image © BIG | Bjarke Ingels Group

“The Woven City bridges the gap that exists today between vehicles and accessibility, by looking at mobility and public space as a symbiosis. Furthermore, by designing desirability as an element of accessibility - through nature, space and safety - we can ensure an active public realm in the city, especially for an aging Japanese population. As it happens Toyota was born in the 1920’s as a loom company, helping people weave fabric. Now in 2020, the Woven City is a tribute to those origins while looking to the future of an urban fabric enabled by technology and mobility,” said Leon Rost, Partner, BIG.

and efficiently into the future.

A mix of housing, retail and business - to be built primarily of carbon-sequestering wood with photovoltaic panels installed on the roofs - characterize each city block, ensuring vibrant and active neighborhoods at all times of the day. Toyota also plans to weave in the outdoors throughout the city, with native vegetation and hydroponics.

“As a replicable framework, the Woven City can serve both as a prototype for future cities and as a retrofit to current cities. By simply ‘reprogramming’ existing streets, we can begin to reset the balance between people, mobility, and nature in cities as diverse as Tokyo or New York, Copenhagen or Barcelona,” concluded Ingels.

“Toyota Woven City has the potential to lead as an example

Image © BIG | Bjarke Ingels Group

woven grid expands and contracts to accommodate a variety of scales, programs and outdoor areas. In one instance, a courtyard balloons to the scale of a large plaza, and in another, to become a central park providing a city-wide amenity. Hidden from view in an underground network lies the infrastructure of the city, including hydrogen power, stormwater filtration and a goods delivery network dubbed the ‘matternet’.

for how advances in mobility and technology will shape the physical world we live in. The Woven City is BIG’s first project in Japan and the latest masterplan unveiling following Oceanix City at the United Nations last year.”

Neighborhood parks and a large central park for recreation, as well as a central plaza for social gatherings, are designed to bring the community together.

Toyota believes that encouraging human connection will be an equally important aspect of this experience. Toyota plans to populate Woven City with Toyota Motor Corporation employees and their families, retired couples, retailers, visiting scientists, and industry partners. The plan is for 2,000 people to start, adding more as the project evolves. The groundbreaking for the site is planned for early 2021.

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GATE furniture system is an ingenious system of modular shelves made from movable wooden bars

Image Š Zak Architects

Reconfigurable shelves made of solid ash blades can be operated with a single touch

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Designer and Architect Artem Zakharchenko-Halytskyi has designed an ingenious system of modular shelves made from movable wooden bars placed on a metal rod creating a dynamic structure that can change to fit a fast and always changing pace of daily life. According to the designer, the specificity of GATE, in addition to its variable dimensions, lies in its dynamic instantaneous transformation.

The shelves are made of solid ash blades and can be operated

with a single touch, a system of magnets allowing them to stay in a vertical position.

Lowered or folded as needed, they come in five widths and two depths. GATE is memorable because of its adaptability, its powerful character and its sharp aesthetics, making it a striking element in every interior. “The GATE furniture system is a bright example of form that can be dynamically transformed into various functional zones.

It can be used as a wardrobe

or a furniture ensemble for the living room. It can function as a dressing table or to be a part of the home office. As such, the system perfectly complements cafes, restaurants, bars. The system is not only an aesthetic dominant of your space, but also a multi-functional basis of your interior,� said ZakharchenkoHalytskyi.

The shelves are formed of wooden bars slotted onto a metal rod that allows them to pivot up or down. Horizontal

metal profiles complete the structural frame of the wallmounted system. Circular magnets recessed into the wooden sections snap onto the metal bars when the shelf units are flipped into the vertical position. This enables them to be locked out of the way when not in use, but also easily folded down by gently touching the ends.

The shelf units come in five widths and two depths to suit different spaces and

applications. There is also the possibility to specify various add-ons, such as mirrors, storage boxes and surfaces to create a desk or dressing table.

As a consequence of its variable configuration, the system can be used as a wardrobe with space for hanging clothes. It can also provide a storage solution for the kitchen or living room, in addition to serving as a versatile workspace solution.

Zakharchenko-Halytskyi wanted to create a product

that is universally suitable for people with diverse abilities.

The design's simplicity of use and flexibility is intended to make it easy for anyone to understand and adapt to their specific requirements. Braille symbols can also be added to the ends of the wooden bars to assist the visually impaired. This focus on accessibility earned the product a special diploma from the United Nations Development Programme, which supports inclusive design as part of its remit.

Image Š Zak Architects

Image Š Zak Architects

Image Š Zak Architects

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INDIAWOOD

Holz-Handwerk

Malaysian International Furniture Fair

LUBDREW

February 27 - March 2, 2020 Bangalore International Exhibition Center Bengaluru, India www.indiawood.com/home ...........................................................................................

March 6 - 9 Putra World Trade Center and Malaysia International Trade & Exhibition Center.

Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia https://2020.miff.com.my .............................................................................................

March 18 - 21 Exhibition Centre Nuremberg NĂźrnberg, Germany www.holz-handwerk.de/en .............................................................................................

March 20 - 22 Lublin Trade Fair and Exhibition Center Lublin, Poland www.lubdrew.pl .............................................................................................

Export Furniture Exhibition

Bois & Habitat

The Big 5 Saudi

MEDWOOD

FIMMA

FORST Live

VIFA-EXPO

Project Qatar

LAS-EXPO

World of Furniture

Dubai WoodShow

TECHNOMEBEL

March 9 - 12 Kuala Lumpur Convention Center (KLCC) Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia http://efe.my .............................................................................................

March 8 - 11 Jeddah Centre for Forums & Events Jeddah, Saudi Arabia www.thebig5saudi.com .............................................................................................

March 10 - 13 Feria Valencia Valencia, Spain https://fimma-maderalia.feriavalencia.com/en/ ............................................................................................

March 11 - 14 Saigon Exhibition and Convention Center (SECC) Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam www.vifafair.com .............................................................................................

March 13 - 15 Kielce Trade Fairs Congress Center Kielce, Poland www.targikielce.pl .............................................................................................

March 16 - 18 Dubai International Convention & Exhibition Center Dubai, UAE www.dubaiwoodshow.com ..............................................................

March 20 - 22 Namur Expo Namur, Belgiun www.bois-habitat.be/en .............................................................................................

April 2 - 5 Metropolitan Expo Athens, Greece www.medwood.gr/en .............................................................................................

April 3 - 5 Offenburg Exhibition Center Offenburg, Germany www.forst-live.de .............................................................................................

April 7 - 9 Doha Exhibition & Convention Centre (DECC) Doha, Qatar www.projectqatar.com .............................................................................................

April 18 - 21 Inter Expo Center Sofia, Bulgaria http://furnitureexpo.bg/en .............................................................................................

April 27 - 30 Inter Expo Center Sofia, Bulgaria http://technomebel.bg/en .............................................................................................

LEADING THE WAY For 15 Solid Years June 9 - 11, 2020 Dubai World Trade Centre, UAE

REGISTER YOUR FREE VISIT www.woodshowglobal.com

ZERO JOINT INVISIBLE EDGEBANDING. Biesse’s high technology responds to increasingly complex market demands by developing an all-new technology like none other of its kind for the application of edges on shaped and linear panels: RAY FORCE SYSTEM and AIR FORCE SYSTEM.

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