Against The Grain: David Haig – bending the rules with steam

The Tongariro Crossing in the centre of New Zealand’s North Island covers 17 kilometres of mountain terrain and is listed among the top 10 one-day treks in the world. And timber plays an important role in this challenging environment.

The Western Australian Maritime Museum at Fremantle is a uniquely crafted building, visibly borne out of maritime forms and construction.

Although extremely popular for exterior and interior applications, the future use of western red cedar (WRC) has been clouded following the assertive stance taken by regulatory authorities to restrict its use in bushfire-prone areas of Australia.

Pole houses provide man and nature with a unique opportunity to live in mutual respect. This can be seen in the way they adapt to the land, rely on natural forces for cooling and ventilation, and exhilarate with their glorious marriage of timbers, earth and sky.

Australia’s efforts in addressing climate change include using products with reduced carbon footprint – and timber fits the bill perfectly.

Fears that houses with suspended timber floors can not achieve 5-star rating under the latest Australian national and state regulations for thermal comfort have been diminished by two recent independent studies.

New Zealand architect Hugh Tennent, an award-winning partner at Tennent+Brown, has a strong interest in environment-friendly architecture, the latest example being Canna House, a sustainability-focussed home at Days Bay in Wellington. timberDESIGN talked to him about the project, his interest in Buddhism, sustainable design and the extensive use of wood in his architectural projects.

This small building is a powerful and contemporary sculptural object that punches above its weight architecturally – and makes reference to New Zealand traditions of Maori architecture, sheds and creosote houses.