Wood Magazine - Issue 4, 2018

Photo: Nigel Young

To ensure good acoustics, laser perforated wood has been used as a sound absorber. The holes are, however, so small that they can only be spotted from a distance of 2 cm. The structure is one of the world’s most sustainable office buildings and has been given the highest ever BREEAM ranking in its category. The lobby has been nominated for several wooden architecture awards.
Photo: James Newton

To ensure good acoustics, laser perforated wood has been used as a sound absorber. The holes are, however, so small that they can only be spotted from a distance of 2 cm. The structure is one of the world’s most sustainable office buildings and has been given the highest ever BREEAM ranking in its category. The lobby has been nominated for several wooden architecture awards.
Photo: Foster + partners

To ensure good acoustics, laser perforated wood has been used as a sound absorber. The holes are, however, so small that they can only be spotted from a distance of 2 cm. The structure is one of the world’s most sustainable office buildings and has been given the highest ever BREEAM ranking in its category. The lobby has been nominated for several wooden architecture awards.

A welcoming vortex

Vortex in London, UK by Foster + partners

A new head office for Bloomberg has not only become a centre for financial information but also brought soft values to central London.

Foster + Partners have intentionally made use of natural materials with a connection to British history. Externally, for example, a large amount of Derbyshire limestone is used to complement the bronze clad façade, and internally, the lobby is lined with over 1,800 square metres of red oak. The lobby’s structure, comprising three curved wooden shells collectively named The Vortex, references the panelled entrances that are often found in British homes.

Wooden cores are covered with double layers of plywood that is cold bent during assembly and then clad in MDF panels with a red oak veneer. The whorls get their curves from the placement of the beams that emanate from the wooden frame. This allows the other elements to be kept straight, which means that the 6,000 prefabricated plywood panels have different shapes and sizes for the perfect fit.