Make Like a Tree and Leaf!
Autumn is upon us, as evidenced by the chill in the air, pumpkin spice on everything, and leaves changing their color.
As we all know from third grade science, leaves are generally green due to the presence of chlorophyll in them. Chlorophyll is the pigment which helps convert sunlight into food and energy for the plant.
But in the fall, because of changes in the length of daylight and changes in temperature, the leaves stop their food-making process. The chlorophyll breaks down, the green color disappears, and the yellow to orange colors become visible, giving the leaves their fall splendor.
As my kids have been on a leaf picking spree every time they go outdoors, I've been getting better at identifying the different leaf types. More importantly, I've been thinking about how trees can be incorporated into our designs.
Here are some commonly found trees and their uses in the course of our architectural designs.
OAK
Oak is a hard wood that is typically used as a structural framing member (think beams, girders, or wood floor planks) due to its durability, strength, and stability. It is also used in furniture for the same reasons. Oak will cost you more, but is ultimately more cost effective when you factor in maintenance and life cycle costs. There are 60 types of oak trees which give you many different grain patterns. Common types are white oak and red oak. The grain is often valued for its straight yet random pattern.
PINE
Pine is a soft wood. That's actually not an indication of the strength of the wood. It simply tells you if the wood is from a coniferous/ evergreen tree vs. a hardwood/ deciduous tree. Pine would generally be used for interior framing members, i.e. wood panels, window frames, roofing, or wall framing members. Because pine trees don't grow in diameter as much as oak trees, for instance, they're limited in usage due to their size of the trunk. Pine, while sturdy, can dent easily. Knotty pine is intentionally used as a decorative element, giving a country/ rustic feel.
POPLAR
Poplar is a common and low-cost hardwood that is typically used as a utility wood. It does not have much of an aesthetic appearance. It is a functional wood type, used for pallets, crates, upholstered furniture frames, paper (pulpwood), and plywood. It is also commonly used as a wall base material.
WALNUT
Black walnut wood is dark, hard, dense, and tight-grained. It's prized by woodworkers for its strength, grain, and color. It polishes to a very smooth finish, and the color ranges from creamy white in the sapwood to a dark chocolate in the heartwood.
As the only dark-brown domestic wood species, it has a large following of devoted woodworkers and fine furniture aficionados. Walnut is also found in upscale cabinets, natural wood flooring, kitchen accessories (like cutting boards), and more.
Although there are many varieties of walnut trees, just a handful are native to North America. Of them, the Eastern Black Walnut, also called the American Black Walnut or American Walnut, is the one typically used for woodworking, commonly used as finished paneling or high end furniture. This is certainly a wood type that is displayed and highlighted, not concealed or painted over.
MAPLE
Although there are dozens of species of maple trees around the globe, the species most common among American woodworkers is hard maple (aka sugar maple or rock maple).
Sugar maple trees grow abundantly in Vermont and throughout the Northern US and Canada, and are also the source of maple sap – it’s almost a crime to cut them down!
Maple wood is commonly used in high-end furniture, flooring, cabinetry, and kitchen accessories. Because of its durability and strength, maple can be used as flooring in bowling alleys and for bowling pins. It was also once a popular choice for wooden baseball bats before being largely replaced by Ash, which is equally as strong but more lightweight.
It’s unique color, smooth grain, and strength make maple a popular choice among woodworkers of all types. In its natural state, it can totally brighten a room, yet stained maple looks equally gorgeous and can be dressed up to suit any preferred style. Maple wood also tends to get chosen when durability is a concern because it can take a beating.
So the next time you’re admiring the colorful fall foliage, you can also think about how architects and designers incorporate trees into the built environment.
William Wong, AIA, LEED® AP, Principal