Reclaimed wood never looked so modern
Project Location: Arrowhead Pharmaceuticals | Madison, WI
Featured Products: White Oak Veneer & Slatted Wood Wall Panels
Material Provider: Urban Evolutions
Architect: EUA
Over 14K sf of white oak veneer panels sourced from salvaged city trees grace this modern corporate headquarters in Madison WI. Repurposing these felled trees allows architects and designers to participate in reclaimed sourcing without sacrificing a clean and modern aesthetic. Unlike barn beams and factory lumber, reclaimed urban trees produce lumber and veneer that closely resembles their virgin counterparts. This opens tremendous possibilities for incorporating more salvaged and underutilized wood in the contemporary built environment. We are thrilled to be an innovator in bringing these options to market.
If we capture only 20% of the approximately 12.7 million metric tonnes of potential high-grade urban lumber each year, the carbon offset achieved would be equivalent to planting approximately 154 million trees and growing them for 10 years.
Source: Urban Wood Network
The Look
Our Live Sawn approach to processing these rescued city trees offers a less edited whole grained aesthetic to our veneer wood paneling. A perfect way to promote the biophilic attributes that this open sunlit office seeks to maximize. Biophilia is defined by providing a direct well recognized connection to nature. We feel strongly that in this era where hyper-consistent laminate wall and floor coverings are the norm, the investment in natural wood products should convey the character-rich variation and beauty of natural wood. Our Live Sawn approach is highly curated but with nature as our guide.
The warm reclaimed wood, with its natural character, provides a stunning contrast to the neutral office spaces and the sleek, undulating exterior.
Meg Arndt, Senior Interior Designer, EUA
Material Health
All products are Red List Free with low VOC finishes. Veneer & Slat Wall Panels are mounted on CPA Eco-Certified MDF with up to 75% recycled content.
Read more about our committment to sustainability.
Climate Impact
From Waste to Wood
“…36 million trees come down in cities across the United States each year due to disease, development or old age. Much of this wood ends up burned, chipped into mulch or tossed into landfills, despite its potential to become a valuable product.”
Source: World Resources Institute
On this LEED Silver project, 30 trees were diverted from the waste stream and were able to produce approx 14,000 sf of veneer paneling, slatted wall paneling and solid trim.
Some other metrics:
- 27,000 lbs diverted from waste stream
- 23.25 metric tons CO2e sequestered
- Total CO2e Sequestered equal to rough emissions of 5.5 cars’ yearly emissions
- 30 new trees donated back to Wisconsin cities for planting
The EUA and Arrowhead teams were excited to use salvaged and local materials, which not only looked beautiful but also aligned perfectly with their ambition for LEED accreditation, a goal they proudly achieved.
Meg Arndt, Senior Interior Designer, EUA
Local Industry Impact
With all of our wood products our aim is to support local and regional lumber and manufacturing industries. We are proud that all manufacturing of the wood materials for this project, from tree collection to installation, occurred within a 215 mile radius.
Currently, an estimated 6 of 10 hardwood plywood sheets are imported into the US annually, most coming from Russia, China, Vietnam, Brazil, and Indonesia. (US Census Bureau)
