Passive House

backwoods of oregon c. 1960 to backyards of brooklyn 2016

Timber Delivery
The backwoods of Oregon c. 1958 to the back yard decking of the Brooklyn row house 2016. Sal organizes the unloading of these 3 x 10' Doug Fir and 4 x 10 White Pine for the back deck. Eastern White Pine and Douglas Fir have traditionally been moderate to good woods for exterior. With a clear coat and an installation that allows for air circulation, drainage, limited sun exposure and some periodic upkeep, the woods should last for decades.
Mid-century New York via the Northwest
The Douglas Fir joists are emblematic of mid-century construction in NYC; when transport lines were well established, northern and southern forests were depleted; and the stable, strong and economical lumber of the Pacific Northwest were framing small warehouses in the outer boroughs or replacing joists in tenement repairs.
Rollin Lumber Co.
Rollin Lumber. The company was started in the mid-century era Oregon by Rollin Pratt. It employed about eighty people and closed around 1970. Stamped No. 1 grade, it was suited for structural applications.

Passive House Conference 2016 NYC

passivehouse_reclaimedwoods_menck001

Sawkill Lumber joined with Menck Windows at the North American Passive House Conference 2016. The intersection of reclaimed woods – a certifiable ‘passive’ forest product – and energy efficient windows, was a triple-pane window made with reclaimed Redwood (salvaged from dismantled vinegar tanks), supplied by Sawkill Lumber and manufactured at the Menck Windows facility in the U.S.; just three hrs north of NYC in Chicopee, MA. Thanks to Menck for their leap into the process and putting the salvaged wood through their state-of-the-art milling equipment. Their acceptance of what’s otherwise a clear ‘defect’ in the wood was certainly stretched on this one. A remarkably technical, beautiful and uber-sustainable window emerged. The first one was installed at a Brooklyn passive house on the opening day of the conference.

What goes with wood? Paint colors and reclaimed.

reclaimedwood_paintcolorsAnnie Coggan, an interior designer (Coggan and Crawford), and professor at local Pratt Institute, works with a selected range of neutral colors against the skip planed antique Pine in the attic space. With the floors chosen or installed, paint colors came into play. While there are no hard and fast rules on color and reclaimed woods, Annie inter-changed a restrained (passive?) palette of neutral colors for each room, helping to reflect or throw more light around the space, create mood, define volume and frame the floors “…the woods are the diva”, she says.

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