It is important to find inspiration from the local scenery and this architect finds it in the intensive use of timber.
In the middle of the tree empire city, Vancouver, you will find the office of the architect Michael Green with his timber architecture that captures the spirit of the city. His buildings sit harmoniously within its surrounding capturing its rich nature and highlighting its minimalist architecture.
According to Michael:
“We hope each project captures the spirit of its client and community and enhances the wonder of living.”
“We believe that good buildings are good neighbours. That may mean they are modest and quiet, or it may mean they need to take a bold stance. As a good neighbour they must understand how they influence others and how the size of their footprint impacts ecosystems and climate change as a whole”.
Michael Green uses a variation of dense timber patterns arranged around simple basic geometry. These timber elements make the unit foundation for entire mass-timber buildings that are flexible and responsive to every project. Such a building reflects the natural history of its location while being functionally and visually inspiring and highly energy efficient. This minimalist contemporary represents the city spirit, yet it also represents our growing awareness of the value of nature and our will of preserving it.
if you visit North Vancouver, your eyes will be caught by this City Hall structure. This simple yet capturing building symbolizes its natural wood look. According to Michael:
“The design team’s goal was to create a very public building, about the community and for the community. The design is open and transparent. The main link between all departments and the public is found in the 67 metre (220 foot) long atrium space. The design creates a flexible, productive working environment for the diverse services offered to the public in the building and reinforces the city’s aspirations to showcase their new sustainable city mandate.”
In his proposal for Paris, Réinventer Paris which contains a mix of market and social housing, a student hotel, urban agriculture, Michael says:
“Our team (DVVD and REI France) proposed an inventive urban project called Baobab that would feature the world’s tallest wood building at 35-storeys and would see Paris define the next era of city building. Spanning the eight-lane Peripherique and reaching new heights in sustainable wood building, the proposal would transform the Pershing Site into a gateway to the city and a model for future projects around the world.”
Michael Green went as far as proposing a design of the Empire State Building made from timber wood which is kind of a shock and a dramatic change to the current image of the famous building.
We are fascinated by such live looking wood buildings.
All buildings are rising from earth and must go back to it, that is sustainability. Yet advocating the use of wood in most construction can be arguable!
