Urban Evolutions Blog

I overheard Jeff Janson, my husband and co-owner of Urban Evolutions, talk about salvaging wood from barns. While he is driving up to a property, he is looking with anticipation at the trees along the road. He knows that 9 times out of 10, the species surrounding that bit of land — perhaps white oak, elm, or pine in our region — is what the farmer would have used to build the barn.

Nordic Design | Regional Sourcing Image by Neo Hytter

On the seventh floor of the Merchandise Mart in Chicago, we took a nostalgic trip back to where it all began. Twenty-seven years later Urban Evolutions is proud to feature our latest “evolutions” in reclaimed and decorative wood products at NeoCon, the premier event for the commercial design industry. This time around, we’ve infused our offerings with a decidedly modern twist. Dimant Medallion Wood Wall Panel Wins 2024 MetLikes Award Urban Evolutions is thrilled to receive its first MetLikes Award. Presented by Metropolis Magazine, this award recognizes products that demonstrate excellence in innovation, functionality, and sustainability. The Dimant Medallion wall panel takes the tradition of wood wall paneling, which is typically designed by a millworker, and creates a modular system that is easily customizable. The grid wall panel system features framed trim work and beautiful book-matched veneer panels. Each intersection showcases a dimensional, concave diamond-shaped medallion. In terms of sustainability, this product is made in the USA, Declare Label Red List Approved and manufactured with solid wood and MDF that exceeds the Eco-Certified Composites Standard. It is also part of Urban’s manufacturing takeback program.

Measuring the Environmental and Economic Impact of the JI Case Tractor Factory Deconstruction Project By salvaging what ended up being over 2 million board feet of lumber, 5,000 tons of CO₂ was prevented from being released into the atmosphere. That’s the equivalent of keeping over 1,000 cars off the road for a year! The deconstruction of the factory further led to the creation of 28 jobs for up to nine months. Compare that to a few guys and a wrecking ball and you see the kind of impact deconstruction can have.

Our engineered slat & veneer wood wall panels are designed with sustainability and circularity in mind at every stage.

A new and essential direction in environmentally responsible design © Jason O’Rear