TIMBER WITH A CONSCIENCE
A centuries-old Japanese timber tradition brings sustainable beauty to Tauranga’s newest design showroom.
A centuries-old Japanese timber tradition brings sustainable beauty to Tauranga’s newest design showroom.
WORDS JO FERRIS / PHOTOS SALINA GALVAN + SUPPLIED
Centuries’ old Japanese philosophy and unique timber is catching eyes with the opening of a brand-new showroom in Tauranga’s Piccadilly Arcade. Sugi is Japanese cedar.
As a construction material, cedar isn’t new in this country. What makes yakisugi — charred Japanese cedar — unique, is the extraordinary effects created in various profiles; both as exterior cladding and internal elements.
Architects and builders have used sugi in several homes in this region. However, the product has sat relatively under the radar. Pentarch Forest Products is the New Zealand arm of Australian company Pentarch Forestry, one of Australia’s largest suppliers of hardwood. Its new showroom introduces this unique timber in a variety of forms and finishes.
Yakisugi isn’t simply cedar. It is an artform; complex in its simplicity, visually striking, durable and healthier.
Pentarch imports manager Margerita de Kwant says sugi is timber with a conscience. When you understand its history in Japanese culture over thousands of years, it’s easy to appreciate its place in New Zealand; as designers, builders and homeowners seek more eco-friendly products.
Pentarch imports manager Margerita de Kwant
With about 68 percent of Japan covered in forests, thoughtful stewardship involves careful planting; harvests timed to maintain forest health, while reducing waste and minimising transport impacts.
Thanks to Japan’s efficient marine freight, Margerita says the carbon footprint of shipping is on a par with sourcing other materials. With sugi sustainably grown in Japan and processed in New Zealand, it is an affordable alternative.
The secret lies in yakisugi’s making. Through a highly-controlled fire process, yakisugi achieves stronger durability in minutes — involving intense kiln drying and removing the need for chemical stains or synthetic paints.
Thanks to Pentarch’s association with Motueka-based Natural House Company, its range of natural oils — comprising earth pigments and beeswax — enhance sugi’s healthier aesthetics and striking tones. This, on top of the various profiles themselves. Defying logic, the fully charred, black surface provides the highest durability and thermal quality, as evidenced in the ancient shrines of Japan, according to Margerita.
As the timber is brushed to create differing effects, the result is not only artistic, it’s three-dimensional when viewed in different lights and angles. Against varying backdrops, colours also appear to change.
Depending on location, external cladding’s maintenance reduces as years pass; making yakisugi even more cost-effective. Internally, its use is limitless — wall panelling, battens, screens, architraves — even furniture. Stepping inside Pentarch’s showroom in Piccadilly Arcade is like entering a whole new world in construction and interior design.