Wilkinson Residence (Portland , Oregon), designed by Robert Harvey Oshatz architect in 1997 and completed in 2004, is a forest-based house. Located on a flag lot, a steep sloping grade provided the opportunity to bring the main level of the house into the tree canopy to evoke the feeling of being in a tree house. A lover of music, the client wanted a house that not only became part of the natural landscape but also addressed the flow of music. One must actually stroll through the house to grasp its complexities and its connection to the exterior. One example is a natural wood ceiling, floating on curved laminated wood beams, passing through a generous glass wall which wraps around the main living room. But is this tree-hourse truly sustainable? Well, looking at these pictures, we realize the design's characterized by many elements that do not seem really recyclable or with a low impact on the environment; the location is undoubtly eco-friendly but not sure of the materials and production methods used to build such a marvellous house. What do you think about it?
Talking about forests and the wood material, it is undeniably true that primary forest is an absolute asset for humanity, an ecosystem that has taken millions of years to give as an enormous flora and fauna biodiversity that, once destroyed, can never be reconstructed again. By penetrating the forest, the wood industry devastates gigantic areas, destroying animal and plant species and the cultural, nutritional and medicinal resources on which the native populations depend. The forest is also in danger due to the fires that prepare the territory for other, just as destructive, activities such as breeding and agriculture that prevent the growth of new trees. The forest is also vital for the rain cycle and to preserve the microclimate: in fact, deforestation contributes to the acceleration of global climatic changes on the Earth and increases the greenhouse effect. This is why it is important to avoid using wood coming from the primary forest and to favour species grown in purposely-created plantations or in European woods in which valid and certified forestry projects are in course.
Valcucine has no part in the exploitation of the primary forest and uses only wood species that come from plantations in which there is a balance between felling and planting.
