Kebony Clear Facade is a beautiful pine wood recommended by leading architects. It is sustainable, durable and requires no maintenance beyond normal cleaning. Kebony’s performance has been proven in a variety of applications including decking and cladding.
Developed in Norway, the Kebony® technology is an environmentally friendly, patented process, which enhances the properties of sustainable softwood with a bio-based liquid. The process permanently modifies the wood cell walls giving Kebony premium hardwood characteristics and a rich brown color. Kebony is available in clear and character grade. After exposure to sun and rain the wood develops a natural silver-gray patina. Performance is maintained, while beauty is enhanced.
Recognized as Technology Pioneer by the World Economic Forum and listed as a Global Cleantech 100 company, Kebony has been embraced by leading architects, designers and developers, which are served through a global sales and distribution network.
Dually Modified™ Wood Technology
Kebony employs a patented technique to enhance the wood’s strength and longevity significantly. To obtain this, Kebony is using a biobased liquid to modify the wood. Two major actions are happening simultaneously in the wood cell:
Active modification: the biobased liquid reacts with OH-groups present in wood and reduces the water sensitivity significantly. This reaction increases the durability of the wood.
Passive modification: the biobased liquid forms a polymer that is reinforcing the wood which contributes directly to the strength and hardness of the wood and gives the brown color.
Thanks to this unique dually modified™ process Kebony is able to replicate nature and produce wood with equal or superior performance of tropical hardwood, in a fast and sustainable way.
Because Kebony permanently changes the wood’s behaviors as compared to natural woods, there is no need to consistently maintain the surface for longevity; you can simply let the wood naturally gray like Ipé or other Brazilian hardwoods.
Modification process: Kebony vs- thermally-modified
Kebony uses a patented and proprietary modification process called furfurylation. Furfurylation uses a bio based liquid called furfuryl alcohol derived from agricultural plant waste. Furfuryl alcohol is injected into the sapwood cells and when combined with heat, permanently bonds together, resulting in a softwood being permanently transformed into the characteristics of a hardwood. Even though chemicals are used, the product is non-toxic both during and at the end of service. Kebony comes with a 30-year warranty.
Thermal modification of wood is a chemical-free process where wood is heated in a kiln to temperatures between 180ºC and 230ºC. This also results in a permanent change of the wood cells creating improved durability and performance. Thermal modification is very common, many companies use a variation of this science. Most thermally-modified woods come with a 25-year warranty at the most.
Since Kebony’s process is thickening wood cells while thermal modification thins wood cell walls, increasing brittleness, the advantage goes to Kebony.
Durability: Kebony vs thermally-modified
Kebony contains a permanently swollen and stable cell wall providing a long life span and a wood more similar in performance to tropical hardwoods. The furfurylation process produces resistance to microbial decay, increased dimensional stability, hardness, stiffness and a controlled moisture content. For these reasons, Kebony offers a 30-year warranty on Kebony products.
Thermally-modified woods bake out the wood sugars that are a food source to insects while controlling the wood’s moisture content in order to produce a more stable product than the original species. Because of the removal of substances from the wood cells, thermally-modified woods are less desirable for heavy traffic areas like boardwalks or commercial decks. As a decking or site furnishing, it has the drawback of the cell walls being reduced in thickness. Which leads susceptible to cell collapse and it can be prone to wear in high foot traffic areas.
Kebony: Natural wood made to last
In 1997, Kebony was created in Oslo, Norway with the intent of redefining the treated-timber industry. The new company began testing the technology, and by 2003, it was validated and a pilot production facility opened in Norway. Kebony has since expanded its horizons to full scale manufacturing plants and international distribution agreements with subsidiaries in France, Germany, The United Kingdom, the United States, Canada, Sweden, Denmark, and Belgium. As the demand for Kebony products worldwide increased exponentially, factories expanded and new ones were built to increase supply.
Today, Kebony is thriving internationally as customers around the world choose the route of sustainability for its wood design projects. The modern, minimalist aesthetic of the products is admired and Kebony’s durability promises installations that stand the test of time.
Reference Projects
The Burke Museum is the oldest public museum in Washington State with a collection of over 16 million artifacts and specimens, ranging from totem poles and gemstones to dinosaur fossils. Because the Burke’s collection is so wide-ranging and continues to grow – it is a collecting museum – the new building needed to serve as a coherent, effective container that would allow for flexibility over time. The building is LEED-Gold certified and clad in an unfinished Kebony Clear Facade.
In the summer of 2017, a stunning construction project was completed in Stavanger, Norway. The Archive House is the above-ground part of an extensive underground storage facility, and houses state-of-the art office space. The light, ultra-modern interior is arranged around an atrium with an open staircase on one side. Kebony was selected for the exterior cladding of the Archive House to create an eye-catching geometric ‘folded’ facade.
This contemporary, eco-friendly villa was constructed near Vilnius, Lithuania by architectural firm Arches. The villa features Kebony cladding, the natural look and feel of which seamlessly complements the pine trees in the surrounding environment. The home is modern and displays forward-thinking, while effortlessly blending the modern with the natural.
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