Here are a few of the finest specimens from a book by designer William Hall – who has written tomes devoted to concrete and brick – that is, appropriately, called Wood
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| Landesgarten exhibition hall Schwäbisch Gmünd, Germany, by University of Stuttgart A structure built by a computer – the work of designers at the University of Stuttgart’s institutes for computational design, building structures, structural design and engineering geodesy. Resembling a peanut shell, it is comprised of 243 digitally cut plywood panels. Offcuts from the job were used to make the building’s parquet flooring Photo: ICD/ITKE/IIGS at the University of Stuttgart |
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| Uchronia at Burning Man, Nevada, USA, by Arne Quinze Call it a pop-up city: each summer Black Rock City is built in the Nevada desert for the week-long Burning Man festival before disappearing for another year. This installation by the Belgian artist Arne Quinze was built at the 2006 event from 100 miles of wooden beams. When the festival was over it was, appropriately, set alight Photo: Jason Strauss |
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| Barn B, Kentucky, USA, by De Leon & Primmer This simple-looking latticed hay shed is on Mason Lane Farm in Goshen. While its form resembles agricultural structures, its material – bamboo – is highly unusual for the southern US state Photo: Roberto de Leon |
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| Evolver, Zermatt, Switzerland, by Alice Studio/EPFL There’s more than one way to enter this temporary structure in the Swiss Alps: visitors can sneak in through the apertures in the walls to experience what its architects described as ‘a destination and an activity’. It is one of the fascinating buildings collected in Wood, by William Hall and Richard Mabey, published by Phaidon Photo: Joel Tettamanti/Alice Studio EPF |
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| St Henry’s ecumenical art chapel, Turku, Finland, by Sanaksenaho The form of this slender pine chapel (and sometime art gallery) was inspired by the Christian fish symbol, ichthys. Slivers of glass that go from the floor to the ceiling provide natural light Photo: Jussi Tiainen |
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| Jean-Marie Tjibaou cultural centre, Nouméa, New Caledonia, by Renzo Piano The Pritzker-winning architect designed 10 interconnected turrets with a visual nod to the traditional huts of indigenous Kanak people. The iroko-wood slats are designed to protect those inside against sun and heat, while the structures are placed to help shield occupants against the Pacific wind Photo: John Gollings/courtesy Renzo Piano and the Jean-Marie Tjibaou cultural centre |
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| Fireplace for children, Trondheim, Norway, by Haugen/Zohar The children of Trondheim come to sit around the fire and tell stories in this whimsical cone hut, made with materials recycled from a construction site Photo: Jason Havneraas |
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| Volga house, Tverskaya, Russia, by Peter Kostelov Seven types of slatted panels comprise this dacha (country home). As the new book Wood puts it: ‘Their complementary rhythms soften the blocky superstructure. Peter Kostelov considers the design suggestive of Soviet era dachas, which were built piecemeal and utilised whatever materials became available’ Photo: Alexey Knyazev |
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| Bird observation tower Heiligenhafen , Germany, by Gerkan, Marg und PartnerLocated in the Graswarder nature reserve on Germany’s northern Baltic coast, this avian-shaped tower comes complete with a viewing room 15 metres up in the sky Photo: Heiner Leiska |
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| Grotto sauna, Ontario, Canada, by Partisans This sauna on the shores of Lake Huron was built with wood milled using computer modelling. The components were then constructed on site as if piecing together an oversized, outdoor jigsaw puzzle Photo: Jonathan Friedman/Partisans |
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| Three mountain, Green village, Bali, by Jörg Stamm This inventive bamboo structure – designed with a nod to nearby volcanoes – houses workspace for 300 people Photo: Mark Magidson |
Source: Shiver me timbers! Astounding wooden architecture – in pictures
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