Private Forested Home in Bois-Le-Roi, France, Harmonises Residential Life with Sustainable Architecture
Posted on 18th October 2023
For the past two years, the home of two architects in Bois-le-Roi, in the heart of the Fontainebleau Forest near Paris, has been clad entirely in sustainably sourced Kebony wood. The previous all stucco property has completed redevelopment with the use of knot-free Kebony Clear wood, simultaneously delivering a striking contemporary style, and complementing the predominantly stone architecture of the local area.
The wood has also been chosen for the exterior decking of the home, as well as for extensive use throughout the interior, including lining the stairs and kitchen. This continuity of material used across different spaces in the property reflects the aesthetic sensibility of the homeowners and the landscaped, tree lined garden that the property sits in, giving an overall sense of harmony to the design, and delivering an understated yet intimate abode.
The couple chose Kebony Clear wood to clad their own home due to its superior sustainable credentials, durability, and aesthetic characteristics. The owners wanted their house to be fitted in vertical siding, with no ribs or veins, ensuring a sleek and uninterrupted facade. Above all, they wanted to avoid using endangered tropical hardwoods, such as Ipe or Cumaru, without having to make sacrifices on either build or visual quality.
“After carrying out a great deal of research, we realized that it was the best solution for achieving the result we wanted in technical, aesthetic, and environmental terms. Above all, Kebony wood is a viable alternative to other woods such as tropical hardwoods, which are less in tune with our vision of healthy architecture”, explains the couple.
Developed in Norway, Kebony provides a sustainable alternative to tropical hardwoods, helping to ease the global dependence on traditional construction materials, thereby reducing the continued environmental damage caused by deforestation. Through the production of enhanced dually modifiedTM timber, sourced from fast growing FSC-certified sustainable softwoods such as pine, Kebony offers architects a wood product with the same characteristics of protected wood species such Ipe and Cumaru, without the same cost to the carbon footprint.
Increasing the dimensional stability and hardness of the wood by forming locked in furan polymers in the wood well walls, this dual modificationTM ensures resistance to all weather conditions and guarantees a long design life with minimal maintenance requirements. The Kebony Clear cladding will also gradually acquire a characteristic silver-gray patina, weathering alongside the building and allowing the house to blend harmoniously into its woodland surroundings over time.
Nina Landbø, International Sales Manager for Kebony, comments,: ‘’We are delighted to see Kebony proving to be a popular choice of cladding material for architects worldwide, and to see these eco-conscious inspirations brought to life through beautiful new private home projects. We hope the homeowners at Bois-le-Roi have many years of enjoyment in their stunning residential property, and the calming natural harmony afforded by the use of sustainably-sourced Kebony wood‘’.
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