Surface Design Awards – Complete

• EXTERIOR SURFACE OF THE YEAR - NEW
  This is a new category that recognises wall and surface design products including decorative, creative and inventive surfaces for the exterior of building including both commercial and residential properties.
• HOUSING - EXTERIOR
  Buildings such as houses, flats and apartments that are used for sheltering people. These could be either part of the private or public sector and could be individual dwellings or multi-dwelling developments. Social rented, affordable rented and intermediate housing, provided to specified eligible households whose needs are not met by the market are included.

Residing atop a jungle overlooking the Pacific Ocean, the ‘Raintree House’ in Nosara, Costa Rica, delivers a standout residential project inspired by healthy bioclimatic architecture. Completed in November 2022, the 750m² private home was delivered around a framework of contemplation and balance with its jungle surroundings, and with the use of Kebony Character wood cladding, provides a stunning showcase in the ways contemporary housing designs and innovations in eco-conscious building technologies combine to create immersive, nature-inspired living experiences.
Located in an existing clearing on a hill, the Raintree House is constructed on a strong concrete foundation to which they could affix an asymmetrical acrobatic structure made of prefabricated steel. This allowed the rest of the house to be cantilevered over the hillside, appearing to float over the jungle with no extra support. A large roof umbrella structure extends out over the entire living space, encapsulating the home creating the sense of a shared ecosystem between the structure and the jungle.

Architects Studio Saxe were commissioned by international clients to create a home that would facilitate a more sustainable way of modern living, centred on wellbeing through a connection to nature: “We wanted a home that felt like it had always been there, hugged by the canopy, dancing with the jungle”. Informed by the principles of sustainable architecture, and selection of Kebony wood exterior cladding reflected a brief to harmoniously blend the project with the rainforest not only in appearance, but in very structure of the material.

Developed in Norway through a pioneering dual modificationTM process that permanently transforms sustainable, FSC-certified softwood species such as pine, Kebony exterior cladding has allowed the architects to successfully deliver the project without the need for deforestation of precious hardwoods and protect the planets vital carbon sinks, such as the very same rainforests integrated into the central living experience of the Raintree House.

Studio Saxe Architects worked alongside Studio Saxe Interiors to deliver the design of the project’s living spaces, with this integrated workflow allowing for a collaborative and precise choice of materials at every scale. The interior palette includes burnt wood, teak, hand-made hydraulic tiles, and woven lamps, the combination of which bring a sense of local craft to the entire design. The main living areas, the master bedroom, and the infinity style pool were placed on the second floor, where the experience of the jungle canopy is felt more imminently, and where the ocean and sunsets are captured through meticulously framed views. An interior/exterior network of stairs and walkways was designed to complement this ecosystem, encouraging the inhabitants to remain connected to the natural world that surrounds them as they move through the building.

Following completion, the Raintree House serves not only as the client’s private home, but also as a rental property, offering a greater audience the opportunity to enjoy in this unique leisure and residential experience.

Kebony Character wood was central to the project’s eco-inspired design, with the choice of exterior cladding material providing the same rustic aesthetic and structural benefits of a hardwood product, without the detrimental environmental impact that would infringe on the ethos of the Raintree House. A pioneer in sustainable building practices for over 25 years, Kebony permanently transforms sustainable softwood species such as pine into Kebony wood, with features that are comparable, and in some cases superior, to those of tropical hardwoods, helping to divert the need for deforestation of sanctioned and endangered hardwood species.

The patented Kebony dual modification™ process permanently transforms the wood cell walls to become 50% thicker, forming locked-in furan polymers in a two-stage process. The wood is first infused with furfuryl alcohol produced from a bio-based liquid to make it dimensionally stable, before being cured in a heating process. The dimensional stability, durability, and hardness of the wood are all increased, guaranteeing both a long life and a high level of safety. The wood does not splinter and contains no toxins or chemicals, as well as staying cooler in the summer, reducing any maintenance demands.

Taking advantage of the home’s unique tropical setting, the Raintree House allows rainwater to be captured and recycled for irrigation and reuse, while solar panels meet much of the property’s energy demands. The design accommodates both the strong rains during the green season and the intense heat during the dry season, with water captured and recycled for irrigation and reuse.

Kebony Character cladding was used to complete the exterior façade of the Raintree House, providing a sustainable wood product reinforced with predominantly bio-based chemicals. While tropical hardwoods can take 80-200 years to grow, fast-growing softwoods used for Kebony products, such as Pinus Radiata and Pinus Silvestrus, grow in as little as 25-30 years. During the growth of the trees and crops used as raw materials for Kebony, carbon is captured from the atmosphere, contributing to a global reduction in CO₂ through carbon sequestration.

For the reporting year January 1st to December 31st 2022, Kebony products produced are calculated to have assimilated 25,773 tons of CO2 equivalents. More specifically, Kebony calculates an estimated emissions saving of 143,000 metric tons of CO2 had Kebony products been substituted in place of the total US and EU sales output of Ipe hardwood materials across 2022.

Kebony also sources timber from forestry based on sustainable practices, certified by the Forest Stewardship Council, FSC, thereby satisfying demand for hard, durable timber whilst protecting vulnerable pristine forests. As a company, Kebony developed a Greenhouse Gas (GHG) inventory as a first step in their ambition to be Net Zero by 2035, and committed to the Science Based Targets initiative in 2022.

From the outset, the vision of Raintree House was to create a new project that incorporated and respected the surrounding environment, with Studio Saxe ensuring every single existing tree on the site was preserved before construction commenced.

In addition to maintaining an aesthetic connection to the context of the local habitat, the Raintree House required a precise selection of structurally durable materials that could hold up to the intense rainfall and heat of the rainforest, without requiring constant chemical maintenance that would risk degradation the surrounding eco-system.

The selection of Kebony wood cladding allowed for the architects to address the dual challenge of upholding the aesthetic and structural integrity of the home. Following installation, Kebony requires no additional chemical treatment throughout its lifetime and, if required, can be recycled or turned into green energy. Over time and exposure to the vagrancies of the tropical climate, the Kebony wood adorning the façade of the Raintree House will transform from its rich brown colour to acquire a unique silver-grey patina. As commented by Benjamin G. Saxe, Founder and Design Director for Studio Saxe, this natural aging effect was integral to the material’s selection: ‘’this wood will weather with the elements, bringing with it a Pacific Northwest element that we love”.