Experimental research project about natural form wood in architecture, completed as part of the final master’s thesis at Chalmers University of Technology.
The structure of a tree has evolved in response to the natural forces it was subjected to during its growth, by standardising and sawing wood for mass production, these qualities and natural intricacies are lost. I believe a more natural approach to wood is needed - preserving fibres, understanding its properties and how each part can be used for different purposes. Should we look at each tree individually, harvesting only what we need, instead of clearing whole forests?
This thesis explores a method of 3d scanning three particular trees and using them as efficiently as possible in order to incorporate them into a holistic structure. The focus is also on challenging the conventional approach where wood is being treated as a generic substance. The project takes the point of departure by criticising paradoxes of engineered timber, where we take a natural material, saw it into small pieces, glue it back together, to then only take it through a complex digital manufacturing process in order to use it in organic and geometrically complex structures.
Techniques like cleaving, instead of sawing were used for hundreds of years in boat building, to produce wood that was extremely strong, flexible and stable. These techniques were replaced by sawing wood into standardised stock, in order to get the most wood out of the tree. However, once the natural grain fibres, that are aligned to transmit force are cut, the material immediately loses strength. The final aim for this thesis is a design exercise that combines all the research and knowledge produced during the exploration into a ‘Zero Waste Pavilion’. This pavilion uses real trees that were 3d scanned, showcasing a more natural approach to wood as a building material, using the whole tree, looking closely at its natural properties and how each part can be used optimally, not only focusing on functionality, but also challenging the flatness and lost sense of materiality in the conventional aesthetic of wood in architecture.