A new book on wood architecture by Ruth Slavid argues forcefully that timber is no longer the sole preserve of the traditionalist, but has an important role to play in the contemporary world.
It can be ’stretched’ to perform as it has never done before by the use of new technology and careful detailing, writes Ms Slavid, an experienced architectural journalist with AJ and AJ Focus.
Divided into seven chapters, Wood Architecture explores the different uses of timber in the environment.
In Touch with Nature celebrates wood as the natural building material par excellence. Despite all the modern methods used in the manufacture of timber and the engineering of today’s structures, wood is still seen as the ’natural’ choice by those who want to build in harmony with beautiful, often rural, locations.
Modern Vernacular shows the best architectural designs that have drawn on local traditions to create a new aesthetic for the 21st century. As so many people over so many centuries have relied on wood as their prime building material, the reinvention of traditional types is often all the more startling.
Inspired Pragmatism discusses wooden architecture that thrives on constraints. Unconventional buildings often arise when the architect is faced with a minimal budget, a soulless site or a brief stipulating the recycling of material. One of the most striking examples in the book is the Tower of Babel, built entirely from scavenged timber by the Artists’ Community of Ruigoord in the Netherlands.
A Sense of Place features buildings that have so great an impact that they come to define their surroundings, like Frank Gehry’s iconic Guggenheim Museum which regenerated Bilbao.
Inside Story shows the inventive use of wood as a vital part of interior design, as warm and inviting to the eye as to the touch.
Pushing Technology celebrates designers who have achieved the seemingly impossible. Their buildings prompt even a casual observer to exclaim, ’I just didn’t know you could do that with wood.’
Changing Views explores buildings with moving elements, or those that alter when seen from different angles as a result of the architect’s clever use of reflection or obstruction through timber screens and shutters.
The book contains 300 illustrations; 225 in colour.
Buy Wood Architectureon-line, or contact TRADA Publications on 01494 569602 or for details on our design advice services
A new book on wood architecture by Ruth Slavid argues forcefully that timber is no longer the sole preserve of the traditionalist, but has an important role to play in the contemporary world. 
Modern Vernacular shows the best architectural designs that have drawn on local traditions to create a new aesthetic for the 21st century. As so many people over so many centuries have relied on wood as their prime building material, the reinvention of traditional types is often all the more startling.
Inside Story shows the inventive use of wood as a vital part of interior design, as warm and inviting to the eye as to the touch.