Congratulations to Dave Plunkert, who produced our lumberjack illustration, and let his work set sail this week for the New Yorker with “Blowhard”.
Passive House
Working with Reclaimed Wood
Course No. 001
Working with Reclaimed Wood
Participants will be guided through basic woodworking skills that make use of hand and power tools to construct side or coffee table from reclaimed wood. The class also introduces the sources of the woods – both forest origin and the historical structure – along with finishing options, safety considerations, and a review of available leg options.
Featured reclaimed woods include NYC heartwoods, Barn hardwoods, Redwood storage tank and the Coney Island Boardwalk
Tuition: $175 + material (ranging from $40 to $100)
Time: Sat./Sun 10-2 pm
Location: Sawkill Lumber – 71 Troy Ave. Bklyn Trains: A, C to Utica Ave.
Class size: 6
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Dormer Takes Flight, Reference to 19th c. Egyptian Revival, and an unused drawing plan for the towers of the Brooklyn Bridge
Salvaged Step-by-Step
The reclaimed wood stairwell may be the last step of the house to be completed, as the transition pieces on the railings need to be custom milled. But the exceptional work by Jim Hartin and his crew at Blueline Construction produced the rustic and finely crafted steps, carving out stringers from dense 3 x 12 antique Pine timbers that arrived from 514 West 29th St.- the ascent feels like earth underfoot.
Reclaimed Redwood paneling at Passive House Brooklyn
The reclaimed Redwood paneling within the entryway to 951 Pacific St. in Brooklyn welcomes visitors to the city’s first condo built to Passive House energy standards. The accent wall provides rich natural wood tones in a small but prominent entry vestibule, reflecting the quality and sustainability of the development project. R-951 is a project by Paul A. Castrucci Architects.
Shou Sughi Ban, Worcestershire Sauce and Climate Change
Shou Sughi Ban on reclaimed Douglas Fir at 158 Clifton, a Passive House project. The old growth woods were recovered from Worcestershire Sauce tanks in NJ, and milled into 5” & 7” clapboard. Oslo exterior finish of natural oils was applied as a top coat. The ebonized facade is characteristic of the Japanese fire treatment technique that dates to the 1700’s and serves as a modern application, furthering the exterior performance of a sustainable material, and producing a subtle and dramatic silhouette of the underlying virgin Douglas Fir figure. The darkened boards amplify a sublime quality of the Egyptian revival inspired dormers, bound to the Mansard slate roof and seeming to take flight. Less expected – an oiled and darkened reflection of climate change denial now taking root in the Capital.
