dear designboom reader,

the role timber and wood play in architecture resembles a malleable and serene character. they can tower over beachgoers as giant, leaf-shaped pergolas or overlap like a matrix for the exterior of a pavilion in rural switzerland. at times, they become a reason guests gather and linger in a space, just like lina ghotmeh’s recently-unveiled serpentine pavilion in london.

past their durable quality, timber and wood often tone down the harshness that steel and glass embed. this charred wood residence in oregon looks more inviting with the combination of the three, while the use of wood allows this luminous pod sauna to mimic the surrounding landscape in the danish woodlands.

what other qualities do timber and wood possess?

matthew burgos | editor