Materials and Sustainability 1
For the Ap 1 project I am going to research on materials and sustainability. For this, I will research on several types of wood , stone types and energy efficiency strategies. As for wood types I will research on cedar, mahogani, ebony and teak and as for stones I will research on granite, sandstone and slate while I will research on some energy efficiency strategies. However, in this post, I am going to research on several wood types as the first part of research on materials and sustainability.
Wood Types
Cedar
Cedar is a versatile and durable domestic hardwood. There are different types of cedar wood types and they are very prized for numerous reasons. Furthermore, Cedar is a natural insect and weather resistant wood type with a pleasing and recognizable scent. Mostly the colour of this wood is pinkish - red with purple tinges and mostly use for hope chests, flooring, decking, siding, indoor moulding and outdoor furniture. (Vermont Woods Studios, 2024).Moreover, this eco villa will be located in Mirissa , Sri Lanka and it is important to find better and quality places to find cedar wood type. However, Sri Lanka is not known for native cedar but there are plenty of places where can supply quality cedar wood from wood shops which import quality cedar. For example: (Go4worldbusiness.com, 2025),(Fordaq.com, 2025).
Mahogani
Sri Lankan mahogani is often known as" African Mahogani "or Cuban Mahogani". Specially, Mahogani is known for its durability , workability and and its elegant look. Mostly its colour is pink or reddish brown hue. This wood is speicifically used for paneling, cabinetry, flooring and doors. Moreover, it is commercially important and more expensive than softwood and hardwood(admin, 2023).Therefor, Mahogani can be easily found in Sri Lanka and a good choice for flooring of the eco villa.
Ebony
Diospyros spp or Ebony is known for its density and hardness. Ebony is a dense black hardwood which has different types such as Diospyros ebenum,( ceylon ebony) native to southern India and Sri Lanka and Diospyros crassiflora native to western Africa. However, Ebony is notably hard, heavy, strong and very resistant to termite attack. And also its hardness is 3220 and very popular as a durable and hard flooring choice(Luxury Wood Flooring, 2024).
Teak
Teak wood is exotic and emerged from the southeast of Asia. They are expensive due its beautiful colour and durability. The colour of Teak is mainly Honey Brown and Tawny gold. The cost is around $ 7 to $41per board foot.Moreover, teak is well known for outdoor furniture, carvings and floorings (Vermont Woods Studios, 2024).
However, as the eco villa is based on the theme of earthly delights , it is mostly rely on natural, eco friendly and sustainable materials. For the eco villa, I decided to use wood for flooring and walling which is resistant and suitable for tropical temperature in Sri Lanka. The above researched wood are better options for the process of eco villa.
References
admin (2023). Mahogany Wood Properties, Types & Uses: A Complete Guide. [online] Available at: https://wknightconsulting.com/mahogany-wood-properties-types-and-uses/.Sunspace (2017). Differences Between Mahogany Wood Species | Sunspace Design. [online] Sunspace Design. Available at: https://www.sunspacedesign.com/mahogany-wood-guide/ [Accessed 19 May 2025].
Luxury Wood Flooring. (2024). Ebony - Luxury Wood Flooring. [online] Available at: https://www.luxurywoodflooring.com/wood-species/ebony/.
Vermont Woods Studios. (2024). Teak Wood: Color, Uses, & Characteristics - Vermont Woods Studios. [online] Available at: https://vermontwoodsstudios.com/pages/teak-wood?srsltid=AfmBOop9KnL4efP4cJ5bEbIBGnflny4AM2GJp9mUlKzMDMOlnuCZtPyz.
Could you edit this post and add some links to how you think you might use each type of wood in your design? I understand you have added an 'overview' at the end, but this is not really a strong enough link. Are these woods readily available in Sri Lanka? How much is it going to cost to ship in? If you have to source it from elsewhere, what is the cost to the environment?
ReplyDeleteFirst reference should start White Knight Inc, not admin.