Exotic wood species with their intriguing grain structures and broad color palette have long inspired designers with their mystique and sophistication. Modern technologies applied to veneering make the process more refined than ever, giving architects and designers access to seemingly unlimited aesthetic expression within the media of wood. plentiful, but aesthetically neutral, exotic species (typically the sustainably harvested African species obeche (Triplochiton scleroxvlon) and koto (Pterygota spp.), or plantation poplar from Italy) to resemble the color and grain variation of more precious exotic species. To do this, manufacturers cut the base logs into veneer leaves, which are then dyed. These colored sheets of veneer are stacked in order to replicate more dramatic species and glued into a new “log” which is cut into exotic
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looking veneer. Composite veneers play an important role in forest management because they make good use of species considered less desirable due to their appearance, and at the same time they take pressure off the species they emulate. From a design point of view composites offer consistency that can be difficult to find in natural veneers. The first project that Oregon-based architects Corey Martin and Rob Lamb completed for the University of Oregon was the renova-
tion of its weight room, a project funded by Ducks uber-booster Phil Knight. Following that the athletic department asked Martin and Lamb to walk down the hall and look at what could be done to repaint the old football team locker room and install some new wood lockers. “After the first project we decided to shoot a little higher and see if they would go for it,” says Martin. “We proposed busting out the ceiling. Add all new mechanical systems, all new custom lockers with exotic wenge veneer, and create an elliptically shaped room that was more conducive to half-time team meetings.” The plan was a complete departure from the usual locker room design. It did away with the typical back alley set-up of lockers, and included a mezzanine allowing for two levels of lockers to ensure all the athletes have a clear view of the primary meeting space. “Phil Knight loved the proposal, so he decided to fund it,” says Martin.
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