The purpose of this project has been to explore potentials for using wood in building design in order to strengthen the narrative of our connectedness with our environment. How can an architecture tell the story of wood as a material that we are dependent on? And how does wood as a building material situate us in an environment?

The project explores how wood can become a driver for a contemplative, connective architecture, that revolves around wood as both an aesthetic driver, building component and programmatic content.

The goal has been to create a place for a collection, that display our profound fascination of and dependency on our environment and to develop an architectural design for the xylotheque to become a functional cataloging, teaching and research space. The project has evolved into an investigation into the poetics of collecting and how wood can be used to create a permeable surface that can lead to an experience of connection between the visitor, the building and the surroundings.

The collections create a programmatic foundation for the architecture, that gets developed through the investigations of digital tools as they are employed in the traditional craft of wood block printing. The manufacturing process of the wood block prints has been used to inspire a digital process for a cataloging space for wood as well as creating a poetic language for the overall feel of the project.