American Hardwood Export Council (AHEC) Speech

Theme: Life Cycle Assessment and the True Environmental Impact of Materials

I. Intrinsic Beauty and Value of Wood

The best friend of earth of man is the tree. When we use the tree respectfully and
economically, we have one of the greatest resources on the earth.
- Frank Lloyd Wright

It's surprising how much of our world is and has been built and furnished by wood - be it what you sit
around to eat on, lie on at the end of the day, or simply walk around, under or in between.

Wood is both universal and unique. No other material is as deeply embedded in the history, culture and
life of humans worldwide. Yet every single piece of wood is unique. The color tone, texture, durability,
flexibility and even sound qualities of different tree species have challenged artists, architects, designers
and builders for thousands of years.

Still today, nothing matches wood in versatility or beauty, so it is great to see how todays designers and
architects continue to face the challenge of wood, and use it creatively to interpret sleek, modern designs.
People seek calm surroundings, simplicity and minimalism to counter the constant visual overload they
face. Woods warmth and natural beauty works wonders for creating a sense of balance and calm.

II. Personal Relationship with Wood

I have noticed that people build strong emotional connection with objects that are
imperfect. Objects with an imprint of time passed and usage enable us to create a profound
relation.
Hilla Shamia

Since the beginning of humanity, wood has been a familiar and ordinary substance, common in peoples
lives, used for heat, shelter, food preparation, light, tools, weapons, toys, storage, land and sea vehicles,
decoration and design. It is in fact so familiar that we often dismiss it as common. Yet its use and
appearance send a strong signal of class, status, and authenticity.

Today usage of wood has been superseded by manmade substances. However, it still persists despite its
formidable disadvantages.

It rots and burns. Its gnawed by insects and pecked by birds. Trees take decades to grow to maturity, or
at least usability. They are huge and require dangerous work to be removed from the forest and processed
into useable forms. Trees are inconsistent in quality and resistant to most forms of human effort to
regulate and manage their growth. They burn in wildfires, die in floods, and fall from great winds. It is a
plant material, subject to the damaging effects of heat, light and humidity. It expands, contracts, changes
color, cracks and breaks as environmental factors change. Most woods scratch easily or are subject to
staining, darkening or bleaching. So why, then, do we still love wood?
 III. Wood Tells A Story

To take something thats living and create something of enduring beauty thats a story,
thats true sustainability.
- Robert Louey

Despite all the aforementioned, we love wood because of its malleability, physically and emotionally.
Unlike other materials, it can be truly handcrafted but also susceptible to an admirers touch. This is the
way wood lends itself to interconnectedness. It is shaped by the hand that crafts it yet also able to be
shaped by users over time. In this way, it is a medium of human communication. Wood carries with it a
story and a story is the highest form of consciousness as the need for narrative is embedded deep in our
brains.

Also, part of the continuing lure of wood is that it is entirely organic, associated with nature in its wild
and domesticated forms. It provides an interconnectedness between the indoors and outdoors and the way
in which buildings merge with their surroundings. Wood is a living object and design, in a way, makes it
immortal. Design allows it to live on through the project. For example:

Angkor Wat Life changing experience, especially Ta Prohm also known as the Tree Strangled Temple.
Even though it is in a state of disrepair, there is a strange beauty in the embrace between nature and
human handiwork.

As a material, wood has been in service since humans appeared on Earth. Today, in spite of technological
advancement and competition from metals and plastics, we have not abandoned wood. Instead we have
embraced it.

There is a harmony, energy, warmth and charm that emanates from wood. I use it whenever the
opportunity arises because wood is a material that possesses qualities that make up the foundation of my
philosophy, invisible design; that design isnt just what you see but what touches you, what creates a
tangible atmosphere, what creates an experience.

IV. Reclaimed in Modern Reflections

It is a demanding, noble, ancient, living material that we have the privilege to use and
enjoy. In wood, the architect, designer and builder face the exhilarating challenge of the
sculptor to reveal the character of the specific species, the individual tree. And we, the
viewers and users of their work, have the opportunity to discover it for ourselves.
- Tuija Seipell

As a designer, not only do I value how affective wood is, I also value how effective it is. It possesses a
versatility that lends itself to imposing, bulky structures, yet also yields to delicate, undulating forms. It is
strong in relation to its weight, insulating to heat and electricity and has desirable acoustic properties.

The pure versatility of wood is amazing. From rustic, to smooth and sleek, wood in its various
incarnations can easily transform a room from boring to beautiful regardless of your design style. It has
the generous capacity to be current and cool while exuding a classic timeless elegance. As its track record
indicates, that is unlikely to change; no matter what new and flashy materials become available to
consumers. It is the cultural power of wood and by extension the forest that informs this reality.

At the heart of it all, with wood there is a satisfaction of living with something that is good to the core, as
solid as it is on the outside, as beautiful underneath as on the surface and simplya useful thing with no
pretense but great presence.