The headline above from the New York Times January 2nd Commercial Real Estate section, describes a growing trend in commercial construction - office buildings of up to eighteen stories constructed of wood. Much like the Lindal post and beam building system, the ‘wooden office towers” utilize exposed laminated beams and posts as their skeletal framework instead of the expected steel or concrete.
The article offers several validations for this use of wood that suggest it as a modern solution and not a brief fad:
Wood is green.
If you believe that we are poisoning the planet and that we have an obligation to leave future generations a healthier environment, the use of engineered wood products (e.g. laminated posts and beams, plywood etc.) is a green/ alternative to steel and concrete. Engineered wood products are manufactured of renewable new growth trees and require less energy to produce and deliver than steel and concrete. Engineered wood products do not contribute to the deforestation of old growth forests and global warming and have a smaller carbon footprint than steel and concrete.
Wood is structurally superior.
Wooden structures survive earthquakes better than steel and concrete. Concrete and steel buildings have rigid frames and can support high vertical force (weight), but literally collapse when extraordinary lateral (sideways) stress is applied. Wood construction is more flexible and superior in withstanding lateral force. A modern “Goldilocks” revision would have the Big Bad Wolf unable to blow the wooden house down.
Wood is happier.
Environments built with exposed wood structures and finishes are typically characterized as “warm,” “comfortable,” and “inviting.” It has long been considered that these qualitative benefits (in addition to wood's green benefits mentioned above) create happier and healthier living environments…and now working environments.
This is “old news” to us….The Lindal building system offers all of these benefits and more. And while the company still creates log cabins (today out of engineered wood logs) as well as fresh modern homes, every client’s home is a forward-looking personalized expression.
The National Association of Homebuilder Research Center chose Lindal Cedar Homes as its partner in developing the NAHB Green Building Standard a decade ago. The Standard has now been adopted as the green building code in twenty-six states, The NAHB's choice of Lindal was largely due to Lindal’s longstanding commitment to sustainability and the “green-ness” of the system’s material.
Every client's Lindal design is engineered to meet the strictest regional/local standard required to withstand extraordinary climatic events and environmental conditions – including seismic, snow loading, wind loading, exposure, fire resistance, hundred-year flood elevations, steep slope (unstable soil) and wetland protection.
This level of compliance is a struggle for some companies with less experience and no regional representation. At Lindal it is business as usual: our core competencies include seventy-five years of designing and engineering homes to be built in the most challenging and diverse regions and climate zones worldwide.
The legendary Lindal building system is a highly flexible kit of parts that can be assembled into nearly any shape and size.
Lastly, the inviting warmth and comfort of a sun-drenched Lindal home, purposefully connected to its natural environment, requires little explanation.
The added benefit of collaborating with Warmmodern Living is our architectural training and experience: over forty years of industry leadership and innovation in creating client-centric processes and products and then utilizing them to design system-built homes that are in harmony with their natural environments and the evolving lifestyles of my clients.
A text message from a WML client on November 17th:
“It’s 8:20AM, and the sun is reaching all the way
through the house! This house is ridiculously
beautiful!”
Visit warmmodernliving.com to see our recent work and to learn about our client-focused practices. Or give us a call to discuss your building plans and how Warmmodern Living and Lindal can provide an exceptional experience and a home that is a joy to live in. 1-844-warmmod.