In this issue
35 featuresFeatures
From the Forest
IWPA President Kenny MacMaster welcomes readers to the 16th edition of International Wood Magazine & Buyers Guide, alongside a comprehensive reference list of globally-sourced wood species and their scientific names.
By Kenny MacMaster
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Breathing New Life Into Old Timber
An introduction to Malaysian buildings that creatively reuse reclaimed tropical timbers such as Belian, Chengal and Meranti, featuring the Telegraph Pole House in Langkawi.
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Reclaimed Timber Architecture in Malaysia
A profile of two Malaysian projects built entirely from reclaimed timbers — the Gooi Residence terrace house and the Longhouse restaurant at Ferringhi Garden — alongside a species spotlight on Merbau.
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Villa Samadhi
Villa Samadhi, an Asian-inspired boutique hotel in Kuala Lumpur, uses salvaged Chengal, Balau, Merbau, Teak and Meranti alongside polished concrete for a raw yet luxurious ambience. Includes a spotlight on Meranti (Shorea spp.).
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Almaz's Weekend Villa
Almaz's Weekend Villa in Selangor, Malaysia uses reclaimed Chengal, Balau and Kempas timbers, plus species spotlights on Chengal and Teak with properties and applications.
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Wei Ling Gallery
The Wei Ling Gallery transformed a gutted colonial shop-lot into an airy art space using wooden platforms, stairs, bridges, and glass floor tiles revealing charred original timber.
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Purpose Before Profit
C.F. Martin & Co., the storied Nazareth, PA guitar maker, has become the first in its industry to achieve Certified B Corporation status, reflecting a deep commitment to conscious capitalism.
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Martin Guitars Achieves B Corp Certification
Martin Guitars achieves B Corp certification, continuing its legacy of sustainable sourcing from East Indian Rosewood to FSC Chain-of-Custody certified tonewoods.
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Martin Guitar's Commitment to Sustainable Wood Sourcing
Martin Guitar's FSC certification and sustainable sourcing practices, including use of exotic tropical hardwoods and recovered Sinker Mahogany from Belizean rivers.
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Elegant Design and Impeccable Green Credentials
The International House of Sydney is Australia's first modern engineered timber building of its size, built from certified CLT and recycled hardwood with a forest-evoking colonnade and strong green credentials.
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Cross-Laminated Timber: A Low-Carbon Building Solution
Continuation of an article on cross-laminated timber (CLT) construction, highlighting its low carbon footprint, thermal and acoustic performance, and reduced on-site waste compared with concrete.
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Wood Flooring Designs That Will Brighten Any Space
An overview of trending wood flooring designs, from wide planks and vertical cladding to light woods, gray and greige tones, and natural hand-finished textures.
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Wood Flooring: Texture, Style and Character
Continuation of a feature on wood flooring textures—handscraped, wirebrushed and distressed—with designer commentary on wood's enduring role in interior design.
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Ipé is Still the King of Decking Hardwoods
Opening title page of a feature article declaring ipé the premier hardwood for decking applications, with photography courtesy of Morgan Keefe Builders, Asheville NC.
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Exotic Woods are Attractive, Low-Maintenance and Durable
An overview of why tropical hardwoods—especially Ipé, Garapa, and Dark Red Balau—are favored for decking due to their durability, hardness, and scratch resistance, with a species spotlight on Ipé.
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Exotic Hardwood Species: Cumaru and Beyond
Continuation of a feature on exotic hardwoods, focusing on cumaru as a sustainable alternative to Ipé, with commentary from Bozovich USA on FSC certification and responsible timber harvesting in the Amazon.
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Silver by Design
The revitalization of St. Louis Union Station, a National Historic Landmark, showcases the natural silver-gray weathering of wood decking as an architectural design feature.
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Spotlight On: Goncalo Alves / Tigerwood / Jobillo
A species spotlight on Goncalo Alves / Tigerwood / Jobillo (Astronium spp.) by TigerDeck, covering origin, applications, appearance, Janka hardness, and drying behavior.
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Designed With Silver in Mind
Tigerwood decking from TigerDeck was selected for Union Station's boardwalk, chosen to weather naturally into a silver patina thanks to its durability and high oil content.
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Looking Ahead at Wood Moulding Trends
A look at current trends in wood moulding, where natural materials and real wood tones are making a comeback in both residential and commercial architectural details.
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Moulding Impossible
Feature on oversized mouldings exploring stacking techniques, the Rule of Three in trim design, simpler contemporary profiles, and bold color trends replacing traditional white trim and cabinetry.
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Letting Wood Shine Outdoors
Exotic woods are increasingly used in outdoor applications such as mouldings, rainscreens, corbels, and siding accents, delivering detail, warmth, and durability.
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Hudson Yards
Hudson Yards is a 28-acre, $25 billion Manhattan megaproject built over Penn Station's railyards. Its flagship 30 Hudson Yards tower boasts the Western Hemisphere's highest outdoor observation deck.
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Spotlight On: Anegre / Anigre / Aniegre
A species spotlight on Anegre (Aningeria spp.), a West and East African hardwood used for cabinetry, veneers, flooring, and high-end millwork, featured at 30 Hudson Yards in Manhattan.
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Hudson Yards Tower Lobby Wood Selection (continued)
Continuation page describing Hudson Yards tenants and the search by Hector Griffin of The Related Companies for wood to be used in the main and observation deck lobbies.
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The Perfect Anegre Log for Hudson Yards
Interwood Forest Products' Rick Banas recounts discovering a rare quartered figured Anegre log in Ghana in 2014 that ultimately supplied 80,000 square feet of veneer for the lobbies at 30 Hudson Yards.
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A Toast to the Jack Daniel's Circassian Walnut Slab Project
Brown-Forman commissioned a live-edge Circassian walnut conference table crafted from two bookmatched 21-foot slabs for Jack Daniel's new bottling facility in Lynchburg, Tennessee.
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Spotlight On: Circassian Walnut / English Walnut
A species spotlight on Circassian / English Walnut (Juglans regia), prized for centuries for fine furniture, firearm stocks, cabinetry, and instrument making.
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Working with Live-Edge Walnut Slabs
Designer Malmstrom discusses the challenges of working with massive live-edge walnut slabs for a signature table at Jack Daniel's, where the 21-foot design was reduced to 17 feet with the offcuts used for coffee and television tables.
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Nine Emerging Wood Species
IWPA profiles nine lesser-known tropical hardwood species — including Hura and Red Mandioqueira — that promote sustainable forest management and offer viable alternatives to classic species.
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Species Spotlights: Boxwood, Antiaris, and Greenheart
Species spotlights on Boxwood (Phyllostylon rhamnoides), Antiaris, and Greenheart (Ocotea rodiaei), covering origin, applications, appearance, Janka hardness, and durability.
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Species Spotlights: Sandé, Tornillo/Cedrorana, and Garapa
Species profiles for Sandé (Brosimum utile), Tornillo/Cedrorana (Cedrelinga catenaeformis), and Garapa/Brazilian Ash (Apuleia leiocarpa), covering origin, applications, appearance, Janka hardness, and notable characteristics.
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Spotlight On: Santa Maria
A species spotlight on Santa Maria (Calophyllum brasiliense), covering origin, applications, appearance, and workability, alongside an industry comment on Carribean Walnut as an emerging species.
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A Reinvention of Baltic Birch Plywood
InstaCoatings, founded in 2017 by Sergejs Kotov and Anton Chuikin, supplies pre-finished, UV-coated Baltic Birch plywood panels from Riga, Latvia in grades, sizes, and colors previously hard to obtain.
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InstaCoatings Baltic Birch Plywood (continued)
Conclusion of a feature on InstaCoatings' Baltic Birch plywood, highlighting sourcing from northeastern Europe, the co-owners' experience, and Pittsburgh Forest Products' role in distribution.