The SiOO X Story – Protecting the Planet - Book - Page 11
Preface
WOOD IS A remarkable material which has been used by hu-
protection system which imitates nature’s own protective techniques to improve the properties of the wood with a protective
layer. The reaction between the protection system and the wood
scatters the light to produce a lustrous silvery/grey appearance
of nicely-weathered wood.
mans for the whole of our evolutionary history. The use of timber in construction and as a cladding material can be traced
back to the Stone Age, with archaeological evidence for the
use of cleaved planks used in the outer walls of buildings in
settlements that have been excavated at Niederwil in Switzerland and Horton near Windsor in England, to name but two.
These developments are firmly in the vanguard of 21st century
wood modification developments, so the secondary purpose of
the book is to show through case study examples and photography how this modern protection technology is being applied
to enhance the design, construction and sustainability of new
wooden buildings. The motivation is to encourage the greater
use of timber in architecture and hopefully bring about a better
understanding of how wood can be used and protected in a
sustainable way.
Timber has been the material of choice for building envelopes
for many regions of Europe and is especially prevalent in Scandi
navia, where it is part of the rich culture of making functional,
yet beautiful, objects out of wood. In the UK, from the 18th to
the late 20th century, there was a progressive decline in the use
of wood to build new homes and to form other buildings. We
are now seeing a renaissance in the use of wood in construction, mainly because of its highly advantageous environmental
credentials, but also because of its aesthetic qualities. There is
also an increasing use of uncoated wood, which seemingly has
low maintenance requirements, but means that the effects of
weathering must be accepted and accounted for in the design.
Sadly, there are too many examples where the appearance of
external timber surfaces is marred by uneven weathering, potentially discouraging wood being specified by architects and
engineers in new buildings.
There are now many beautiful examples of buildings which have
used the SiOO:X products. Choosing examples to include was
difficult and we apologise for the many excellent designs which
have used SiOO:X but have not been mentioned.
We hope that you will enjoy reading about the buildings we
have chosen and that this book will provide an inspiration for the
many buildings to come that will use the beautiful, sustainable
material that is made from sunlight and carbon dioxide.
The primary purpose of this book is to tell the story of the
Sioo company and the development of its remarkable wood
Callum Hill, Peter Wilson, Alan Coultas
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