October 17, 2006 (RALEIGH, NC) – Frank Harmon, FAIA, principal of Frank Harmon Architect PA in Raleigh, will present a seminar entitled “Wood: The Ultimate ‘Green” Material” during the Canadian Wood Council’s first annual Wood Design & Building Expo to be held in Anaheim, CA, November 6-8, 2006.
The Expo will bring together wood professionals, designers and architects from around the world to share their knowledge and expertise through education sessions focusing on specific professions and topic areas related to products, applications, and design.
Frank Harmon is well known for award-winning buildings of primarily wood construction. “Harmon’s portfolio is filled with small projects in which he has achieved a remarkable refinement with the humblest materials,” observed senior editor Sarah Hart in Architectural Record (February 2001).
According to Harmon, his seminar at thee Expo will teach participants three primary points: (1) How to observe and learn from traditional/vernacular techniques to inform a modern architectural application, (2) How to detail wood for durability in warm, humid climates, and (3) How to take advantage of wood as the ultimate “green,” common, renewable material.
“The vocabulary of construction in the South has been defined by wood for over 300 years,” Harmon said recently. “That was the only building material the settlers in North Carolina, South Carolina, and Virginia had. Yet when we gained access to other materials, wood endured. Why?” He counts six primary reasons – all of which, he said, point to wood as the ultimate ‘green’ material.
First, he said, wood is available locally and is renewable. “It doesn’t have to be trucked in, and it can be replenished through careful forestry practices. Besides, if we harvest wood locally, we’ll take better care of our forests.”
Secondly, wood, especially old wood from historic structures, can be reused or recycled. “In the 19th century, the major commercial building types in North Carolina were textile mills and tobacco manufacturing facilities. They were made of virgin-growth long leaf pine. They are being torn down now, but their beams can be reused in many ways, such as flooring and trim, thanks to the advent of local sawmills that specialize in the reuse of old lumber.”
The third reason wood has endured as a building material for over 300 years, he said, is because “by using the correct species and by paying attention to construction methods, wood becomes extremely durable and permanent. Early settlers quickly learned that by building broad overhangs and raising their houses and barns up off the ground to keep them dry, they were not only making their buildings pleasant for inhabitants. They were also protecting the wood structure itself.
The fourth reason: “Wood is an economical material, compared to steel and concrete. It’s practical. And pound for pound, it is as strong as steel.”
The fifth reason: “Wood is familiar, friendly. People can connect with and relate to the look and feel of wood. We understand it. Its imperfect nature also makes it inherently interesting. And if we read those imperfections, we can use it to its best advantage.”
Finally, he pointed out that, “If it is used properly, would doesn’t need finishes, and some of our most toxic environmental substances are a byproduct of paints and stains.”
For the past 20 years, Harmon has been studying 100-year-old vernacular structures — farmhouses, barns, boats, and old textile mills — to learn how they were built and why they have remained intact all these years. “This has had a dramatic impact on the way I design and build,” he said. “I’ve been able to translate the lessons I’ve learned from these old, wooden structures into a modern architectural vocabulary.”
More information on the 2006 Wood Design & Build Expo is available on internet at www.wooddesignandbuilding.com. For more information on Frank Harmon, visit www.frankharmon.com.
