Shou Sugi Ban is a Japanese technique of preserving wood by charring it with fire – an effective way of rendering it more durable when exposed to the natural elements and, ironically, making it more resistant to fire. While this method was traditionally applied to Japanese cedar, designers and architects have been using it for other types of wood, including Western red cedar, Douglas fir, cyrpus, pine or oak.
Here’s a round-up of five homes around the world that make use of this environmentally-friendly and aesthetically pleasing technique:
Shou Sugi Ban House, Debbie Kropf, USA
This holistic retreat by New York architect Debbie Kropf is a vision of Japanese minimalism with its charred wood facades, tranquil gardens and subdued interiors.Â
Franzen House, Robert Gurney Architects, USA
A four storey volume in one of Bethesda’s coveted neighborhoods, the blackened walls of the Franzen House blend in with its lush forest backdrop.
Arts Villa Resort, Formafatal, Costa Rica
The Arts Villa Resort is a group of rentable properties tucked between the lush landscape of Costa Rica’s mountains and sea. Exposed to natural elements on both sides, studio Formafatal clad its windowless backside with charred timber panels.
Camp O, Maria Milans del Bosch, USA
The cedar facades of Spanish architect Maria Milans del Bosch’s Catskills home and architecture studio were treated with Shou Sugi Ban, bolstering it against decay caused by water and fire.Â
Muskoka Boathouse, AKB Architects, Canada
The boathouse’s blackened exterior of locally-sourced cedar wood is charred in the Japanese wood-preserving process, with different planar elements distinguished by their horizontal and vertical sequences.Â