ArchWeek - New Wood Work - Philip Jodidio

[Kevin Matthews]

Discussion related to this ArchitectureWeek story, New Wood Work:

[Landy]

Great images and also wood architecture is architecture that doesn't stink. The smell of wood over fresh concrete is uncomparable. I think the problem with all the poetics of wood architecture is when it is used to pretend to be another material. Meaning most of the techtonics in the images can easily be done in steel, aluminum and concrete, materials that don't require the care that wood does. Wood is a material that doesn't escape it's truss technology aesthetic, pitched roofs, decks, log structures and parquet flooring examples where wood develops a natural patina of it's age that is somewhat pleasant. Examples of Philip Jodidio and other examples of boxy wooden architecture require a group of maintenance slaves and infinite budget to keep it looking as good as the images depict. *However in colder nordic climates I can only imagine such maintenance to be minimum.

[WalkerARCHITECTS]

Wood is an organic material and the properties of wood are both the reason for it's use and popularity as well as the invitation to embrace the dark side of inorganic "not found in nature" industrial alternatives. We are drawn to both in the course of our search for the aesthetic. Someday perhaps wood impregnated against time and elements or aging across a broader time spectrum.