Touch Wood: Material, Architecture, Future (eds. Carla Ferrer, Thomas Hildebrand, and Celina Martinez-Cañavate; Lars Müller Publishers, 2023) is a new, comprehensive book about wood as the building material of the 21st century. The book looks at wood from forest to buildings: material properties, structural characteristics, Japanese joints and other regional traditions as well as new architectural examples. With contributions by Hubertus Adam, Herzog & de Meuron, Seng Kuan, Kengo Kuma, Katharina Lehmann, Stephen Pyne, Helene Romakin, Philip Ursprung, Albena Yaneva, and many others.
Wood is the building material of the 21st century. Understanding the renewable raw material and its potential requires recognizing it in its ecological, technological and cultural-historical contexts. These are explored in the publication and presented with inspiring examples – practical and visionary.
On this basis, the use of wood in architecture appears to be the order of the day, and Switzerland’s leading role in wood processing and building aesthetics is demonstrated in an international context. Authors from various disciplines create the content framework in which wood can be experienced sensually and its possibilities and limitations can be discussed. Touch Wood – Material, Architecture, Future is aimed at an engaged audience of experts and laypersons who want to enrich their experiences with knowledge and thus become actors in the promotion of wood in architecture. In addition to documenting exemplary buildings in accessible texts and with numerous illustrations, the publication also illuminates the many relationships that connect people with wood as a material
– Carla Ferrer, Thomas Hildebrand, and Celina Martinez-Cañavate (eds.), Touch Wood: Material, Architecture, Future (Lars Müller Publishers, 2023), description from the publishers website
The text is in English. The book is lavishly illustrated with photographs and architectural drawings.
