9.02.2010

charcoal broiled

Coal House


You know, the search words "charcoal siding" can bring up some very unexpected results. I didn't mean for them to be taken quite so literally. What I expected to see was a particular shade of dark gray house siding, but this is as good a serendipity as I could have imagined. Only, I couldn't have imagined. Thank you, Internet, for bringing me charred houses.
Traditional Japanese homes commonly used shou-sugi-ban as external siding. The sugi was burned to resist rot and fire (it's harder for something already charcoaled to catch fire again). The result is a board that has a dynamic appearance. From different angles it can look black, silver, or dark brown.
How stunningly strange and beautiful. Too bad my trailer's a tin can.


Materia Designs : Shou-sugi-ban & Terunobu Fujimori

Dwell : Terunobu Fujimori

Pursuing Wabi : a family torchs their house

Remodelista : Shou-Sugi-Ban Wood Siding

Sebastian Mariscal : Architectural Studio

Sakuma Studio : House in Kajiyama

If not a house, how about : Notch Side Table

Materialicious : Shou-sugi-ban (burnt wood siding)

Japanese Craft Construction


Coal House 2

Coal House 10

Coal House