An avant-garde house fully integrated into the Alentejo (a remote region of Portugal), designed by architect Gonçalo Bonniz, is clad in sustainable Kebony Clear wood.
The FdP house, which has very clean lines and an avant-garde design, blends wonderfully into the Alentejo landscape, adapting to the morphology of the land and its environmentThis objective was achieved by using materials in local colours, with a combination of concrete and Kebony Clear wood.
Architect Gonçalo Bonniz explains: “ One of our main motivations was to build a house that would dominate the landscape. This project is largely inspired by the location, with guidelines such as solar orientation, view, terrain morphology, colors, and tree preservation, which helped shape the house and promote its integration. ". Chromatic integration is one of the important factors in concealing the house in this rural landscape... a connection that would not have been successful without the presence of multi-colored, gray and brown slates, gray-pigmented concrete and Kebony Clear wood.
The untreated façade features Kebony Clear wood, which has a dark brown hue and will turn silvery gray over time and with exposure to the elements… it will eventually blend in with the reinforced concrete used in the building’s construction. Choosing Kebony wood for the exterior of this particular house allowed, among other reasons, this color combination. Kebony wood has other advantages such as its durability and stability, which is especially important in the harsh climate of a region, and of course its aging is controlled and maintenance operations are not necessary.
Kebony Clear wood is also featured inside the FdP house; this unique project is by the Portuguese studio Flores Lisboa. In addition to its use on the terrace and exterior façade, this wood is used largely for the house's furniture (including the kitchen area), but also for the cabinets and circulation areas, including doors over three meters high.
Carpintaria Feitoria carried out all the installation work for the Kebony Clear wood… very resistant, easy to handle, soft to the touch are advantages that give this wood a superior quality finish, without any added product.
Wood engineer Mario Neves, Kebony's representative in Portugal, comments enthusiastically: " This versatile application of Kebony wood on facades, terraces, and furniture reflects the strength and stability of this material, as well as its attractive aesthetics and sustainable qualities. The FdP house is already a major reference in the Kebony portfolio. ».
Kebony from the Clear range is a high-quality and particularly durable wood, it is FSC® certified. Its appearance, stability, hardness, and strength make it an attractive wood that is easy to maintain.
Kebony Clear wood is produced from FSC certified radiata pineTM, it has a uniform surface and homogeneous treatment without knots. The produced boards can be planed like hardwood. The process and technology developed in Norway, allow to significantly improve the properties of durable softwood… easy-care material, no additional treatment except normal cleaning.
About Kebony
Kebony, real wood, high-end, ecological and durable, has many uses outdoors… terrace, cladding, roofing and furniture.
Kebony responds to a certain technology, it is a patented production process that improves the properties of softwoods, giving them properties comparable to those of exotic woods. Kebony wood is impregnated with an organic liquid derived from agricultural crop waste… this process is completely environmentally friendly. By heating it, the furfuryl polymers in the cell walls of the wood are impregnated… as a result, its density and dimensional stability increase, which gives it a beautiful dark brown color, a color found in tropical wood.
Kebony's international headquarters are located in Oslo, Norway, with production facilities in Skien, south of Oslo, and Antwerp, Belgium. The company was founded in 1996 as Wood Polymer Technologies (WPT), and changed its name to Kebony in 2007.
Kebony's environmentally friendly technology offers an alternative to the scarcity, even disappearance, of tropical hardwoods and traditionally impregnated wood. Through pressure, vacuum, and thermal treatment, the liquid transforms into furan resin, which binds to the wood's cellular structure to permanently improve its properties. Kebony woods are FSC and PEFC certified and have the Nordic ecolabel "The Swan."
Woodtarget photos and architecture Gonçalo Bonniz.
André Tirlet
