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By Nancy B. Solomon, AIA

Aesthetic appeal

By looking at many of the exotics, one can instantly understand their allure: They offer a rich array of varied colors and patterns that can be very different from our domestic variety. Aesthetics, however, is not the only reason for the growing interest: Practitioners cite strength, stability, durability, and rot- and termite-resistance as part of the charms of these species. Surprisingly, availability and cost are also mentioned as factors.

 

Decking (below) at the Nike European headquarters in Hilversum, Holland, is massaranduba. Sun blinds for a building at De Montfort University in Bedford, England (above), were fabricated with angelim pedra. Photography: Courtesy Precious Woods

Johnston Architecture, a firm in Wilmington, North Carolina, that designs beachfront houses, initially specified redwood for many exterior applications because the homegrown lumber could stand up to the hurricane winds and salt spray typical of harsh coastal environments. “But redwood got so much more expensive in the late 1990s that we started looking for other durable species,” says partner Ian A. Johnston, AIA. He discovered, for example, that the bending strength of ipe is double that of pine, and mahogany does not warp or twist when ripped or expand and contract due to changes in humidity.

 

The tropical hardwoods on this page come from FSC-certified forests in Brazil: Housing (above) in Burry Port, Wales, is clad in red louro. The deck outside of Amsterdam’s new Passenger Terminal (below) is lined with louro gamela. Photography: Courtesy Precious Woods, except ecotimber (top)

Many woods from the tropical rain forest, in particular, tend to be extremely dense because they grow very slowly beneath a canopy of larger trees. In addition to being stronger, more linear, and more impervious to moisture, wood from such dense species generally develop very consistent grain patterns. Their size and visual regularity allow for the production, in sufficient quantity, of a high-quality “sequence,” or consistent pattern of veneer, across a particular application. “A wall that is made of lots of small sequences looks like a patchwork quilt,” explains Meyerson, “while large sequences give more uniformity, thereby achieving a more pleasing and visually rhythmic application.” Because of this preference for large quantities of consistent veneer, designers of large-scale interior projects often favor woods from the tropics.