Have your friends ever asked you to go “forest bathing?” Unless your friend is Japanese, the answer is likely no. We all know the refreshing feeling from time spent outdoors surrounded by…
3 Commercial Shou Sugi Ban Projects to Inspire Your Next Award-Winning Build
Whether your next shou sugi ban project is building a cabin-resort in the woods of Washington state or a bird sanctuary in Pennsylvania, siding is one of the most important elements in…
Shou Sugi Ban Wood: 5 Things Every Architect Should Know Before Specifying
Today’s architects face many challenges. Working with contractors and homeowners, researching new products like shou sugi ban wood, spending countless hours from conceptual drafts to detail diagrams, and of course managing their…
Biophilic Design (and wood)
What is Biophilic Design? Biophilia is the human love of nature. Biophilic design is the practice of consciously incorporating materials or spaces that reinforce our relationship with the living world into the…
The Japanese Concept of “Mottainai”
There are several ubiquitous words in Japanese that are great culture studies. One of the most important is the concept of “mottainai”. Mottainai represents the concepts of efficiency, modesty, and practicality, all…