OAK REDEFINED

AHEC and award-winning South African furniture makers, Houtlander, collaborated on the 'Preservation Bench' for 100% Design South Africa 2019. Known for their modern take on spindle furniture, Houtlander re-worked their signature style to celebrate the sapling growing from the forest floor, seeking the light and reaching up towards the canopy. By using thermally-modified American red oak, which is stable in the presence of moisture, the designers were able to create three grounded benches that curve into one gravity-defying twisted form that seemingly disappears into the air. So vast is the U.S. hardwood forest that all of the red oak lumber used to create the installation would be replaced through natural regeneration in less than 1 second.