Black wood

In Riehen, Switzerland, a place known for its radical residential architecture, this modernist villa by Barcelo Baumann Architekten makes a powerful statement through material restraint. Japanese and South American influences come together in a design defined by strong horizontal lines, layered volumes and a carefully composed palette of black, brown and grey. Lukas Galantay For this project, Marugame by Zwarthout | Shou Sugi Ban was selected to bring depth, texture and intensity to the façade. The deep black charred wood contrasts beautifully with the raw concrete structure, while at the same time reinforcing the architectural clarity of the building. Between the concrete bands, the Marugame boards introduce rhythm, shadow and... More

Cenotaph – is a project by kera, a Tbilisi-based architectural practice, executed in 2 phases – 1st as a temporary installation presented at the Tbilisi Architectural Biennial 2024 and 2nd as a permanent structure serving as a belltower for a 10th century church in the village of Soli, Lenjeri community, Svaneti, Georgia. Ana Gabashvili kera kera Cenotaph—derived from the Greek kenotaphion, meaning “empty tomb”—refers to a monument that honors someone buried elsewhere. As the main theme of the biennial was abandoned rivers of Tbilisi, the installation was situated on a creek, just before the point of its burial into an underwater tunnel. The project was an attempt to guide observers to not... More

Velvet Concrete is a residential interior located in Zabłocie — a post-industrial district of Kraków undergoing rapid transformation. The project reinterprets this industrial heritage through material logic and spatial clarity, rather than through obvious aesthetic references. ANNA GRUSZKOWSKA ANNA GRUSZKOWSKA ANNA GRUSZKOWSKA The design is based on a continuous spatial flow, where boundaries between zones are defined only by transparent architectural elements: full-height glass partitions, mirrored arcs and subtle shifts in textures. This strategy preserves openness and allows natural and artificial light to act as shaping devices — modelling depth, direction and hierarchy. Materiality provides the main... More

The new fire station for Wegberg has a wooden construction and Marugame cladding thanks to the design of Scheidt Kasprusch Architekten! The reasons for a wooden construction are because of its beauty, sustainability and energy efficiency. Constantin Meyer Fotografie Designed as a passive house, the fire station focuses on the sustainable use of materials and resources. A high ecological standard is ensured by reusable and recyclable building materials and energy-optimised equipment. Constantin Meyer Fotografie Finally, economic quality is largely ensured by low-maintenance components and materials, including the Marugame cladding. Constantin Meyer Fotografie More

A modern biophilic country house that harmoniously blends nature, is designed to offer its residents a deep sense of well-being and connection with the environment. The house was designed by Steven van Leeuwen of ORGA architect and landscape designer Nico Wissing in such a way that natural materials and organic forms can be seen everywhere, both inside and outside. Wood is one of these natural materials. Sustainable Marugame boards from Zwarthout | Shou Sugi Ban are used to cover the walls at the back side of the house and used as elegant elements in the design. The refined scale structure and silvery glow match beautifully with the Fraké wood façade parts, terraces, balustrades and the undersides of roofs. Photos commissio... More

Since the restaurant already had an established brand and its own philosophy, it was important to create a space that would reveal the existing ideology, become its logical continuation. The task was to design a cozy interior, not overloaded with unnecessary details and decorations, so that the main focus remains on the food, and the context does not distract from it. Anton Ivanov The underlying theme is the forest as a natural space, inside which you can feel really cozy. We chose solutions in terms of materials and light, relying not only on visual images, but also on tactile sensations, smells and sounds: the rustling of the grass, touching wood bark with the fingers, the crackling of a fire. We tried to recreate these sensations t... More