By Michael Snow, Executive Director, American Hardwood Export Council, Sterling, VA 703-435-2900, www.ahec.org
AHEC recently returned for its fourth consecutive year at Denfair with a deep exploration of the physical and emotional properties of a material favored by Australian designers. American Red Oak has been selected in this collaboration with designer and architect, Adam Markowitz and top graphic artist, Marcus Piper, to create a space in which to relax, recharge and reconnect with a thoughtfully designed environment.
Oak REDefined was conceived having carefully considered research pointing to the beneficial effects on wellbeing of natural materials in our work environments. The space provides a respite from the visual vigor of Denfair in which visitors can relax, recharge their phones, laptops and brains.
The installation has been manufactured to a very high standard by Sydney-based Evostyle in both natural and thermally-modified Red Oak. It incorporates a number of different “moments,” from a hotdesk to a dedicated relaxation zone to a playable puzzle designed by Marcus Piper in the form of a tangram table. It demonstrates how functionality can be fun and how beauty and practicality can balance for an energizing and productive result.
Every element of the installation has been created from American Red Oak. Lesser understood in Australia than American White Oak, the species shares many of the same qualities, though Red Oak is more abundant in the U.S. forest. “I think that it’s important as a designer to understand as much as possible about the materials you are using,” says Adam Markowitz. “For me, Red Oak is a very interesting species because of its porous, stain absorbing attributes that are very different from American White Oak.” This attribute has been highlighted in the tangram table, which combines stained, natural and thermally-modified Red Oak. Rod Wiles, Director of The American Hardwood Export Council Oceania, says of the collaboration “We want designers able to make an informed choice about the materials that they use and so wanted to take this opportunity to share the capabilities and strong positive environmental profile of the most abundant American Hardwood species with the Australian design and architectural communities. Given the increasing number of research studies that point to the positive effects of wood in our built environment on wellbeing and productivity, it made sense to provide a space at Denfair, which allows visitors to experience this for themselves.”
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