An Architect’s Guide To: Wood Flooring

Walk through the steps to designing rich wood flooring.

Architizer Editors Architizer Editors

 

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Choosing the right wood flooring can be daunting — it will underly your design for years to come. Considering everything from cost to context, and width to depth, the process can feel like a nightmarish whirlwind. And once it feels like you have a handle on the situation, you may end up coming across the unseen possibilities of Listone Giordano’s mind-bending Slide parquet or the kaleidoscopic craftsmanship at Tham & Videgård’s Humblegården. Now you’ve really been thrown for a loop.

If any of this sounds familiar, the following guide will prove handy. From an invaluable specification guide to the epic journey of The Hudson Company’s reclaimed timber, enclosed are tools, tips and tricks to guide your next project!

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Primers

How to Specify: Wood Flooring

“Technically, wood isn’t the most complicated building material, but it does come with a lot of choices. The main concern is aesthetics: the species, color, grain and finish of the wood and how it’s cut and installed into your space. Sometimes, the room will require a softer or harder wood depending on how the floor is being used, but there are so many durable finishes nowadays that wood suppliers should be able to work with you to achieve your vision.” Check out the full story here.

Which Is Better? Engineered vs. Solid Hardwood Flooring

“Let’s talk timber. More specifically, let’s talk solid vs. engineered wood flooring. There’s a sheer difference between the two types, and it’s key that architects get the dirt on which one’s which and why the right kind — and its respective thickness — might best benefit a project. But before we dig deep into the material and how it’s processed into pristine architectural flooring, there’s something you need to know: Wood moves.” Check out the full story here.

Archi-Quiz: Can You Tell Which of These 10 Wood Floors Is Real or Fake?

“Do you think you can pick which of these are real wood and which are imitators? Grab a pen and paper and note down “wood” or “not wood” for each of the following floors. The answers can be found by clicking the link at the end (no cheating)!” Check out the full story here.

Inspiration

© PARTISANS

© PARTISANS

10 Beautiful Wood Floors That Fold Into Stairs

“Great floors shape space. Read in different ways, they encourage a slower pace by inviting us to take a second look. Usually covering a single interior surface, floors can also extend to walls or ceilings to form continuous environments. These “folded floors” explore continuity and fluidity to encourage movement or to capture a new perspective. Often tied to program, they challenge traditional construction by opening spaces to new circulation.” Check out the full story here.

Case Studies

Behind the scenes at the Hudson Company’s factory

Good Wood: The Epic Journey of Reclaimed Timber Flooring

The Hudson Company, a New York–based wood manufacturer, knows the detailed work that goes into designing and fabricating premium wood flooring. Out of their 30,000-square-foot mill in Dutchess County, they process reclaimed and live species of wood into stunning floors for private residences, commercial spaces and cultural institutions such as the Jewish Museum of New York, the Anchorage Art Museum and the Whitney Museum of American Art.” Check out the full story here.

Left: Slide in Zeritale, image via Iterni; right: Slide in Avana, image via Trentini

How to Craft Geometric Wood Flooring Like You’ve Never Seen Before

“Italian hardwood flooring manufacturer Listone Giordano sits at the epicenter of chic plank design. Take, for instance, their mind-bending Slide parquet. Straight from the company’s sustainable Natural Genius collection, which they describe as “redefining the aesthetic rules of classic wooden boards and common laying patterns,” comes this unique flooring composition featuring geometries that fit together like a giant ground-plane puzzle.” Check out the full story here.

© Tham & Videgård Arkitekter

© Tham & Videgård Arkitekter

How to Create Parquet Flooring in Bold, Bright Colors

“Humblegården is a true exhibition of craftsmanship. With its creation, Tham & Videgård discovered a novel way of detailing architecture that combined age-old industrial processes with modern highly technical materials. Beyond materiality, the position of every piece was rigorously specified, completely eliminating random placement from the construction process. And while Humblegården is wholly unique, Tham & Videgård are not the only ones toying with the colored possibilities of parquet.” Check out the full story here.

 

Architizer's A+Product Awards is open for submissions, with the Extended Entry Deadline fast approaching on Friday, February 23rd. Get your products in front of the AEC industry’s most renowned designers by submitting today.

 

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