Filed under: Announcements
Seattle Cancer Care Alliance Patient Housing
Architect: Weinstein A| U
Seattle, WA
South Lake Union Neighborhood
While spending some time in Seattle with Lighting Group Northwest, our rep, we came across this project, the Seattle Cancer Care Alliance Patient Housing. It provides 80 units of temporary housing for out-of-town cancer patients. Weinstein A|U Architects and Urban Planners’ design caught our attention with their use of Ipé in its alternating pattern as a rainscreen. Scot Carr, an architect with Weinstein A|U says this “This was our first use of this material on such a large scale.” They specified a penetrating oil finish similar to the finish we use our all of Structura’s wood products. Go to their website to see other works of theirs using wood outdoors in urban architecture. Weinstein A| U
Filed under: Announcements
We are very excited to have our new catalog back from the printers today. The binders designed by Clifton and Chase at Reactor Studio are awesome. The recycled bare board binder speaks toward our philosophy of using renewable and recyclable materials in our products. 
Thank you Ethan! Ethan is our intern from Kansas State’s School of Architecture. He spent the afternoon putting them together. We’ll be sending out quantities to our reps around the country next week. If you live in an area where we currently don’t have a rep, request one by giving us a call or emailing us at projects@structura.com. If you can’t wait or don’t have the shelf space, you can download all the spec sheets here on our website in PDF format.
We use Cumaru for our poles, bollards and site amenities. It’s often referred to as ironwood similar to Ipe because it is some of the strongest most durable wood available.
Cumaru is naturally resistant to insect attack and rot. More than 3 times harder than teak and 10 times harder than redwood they are also the hardest woods. This density and hardness make them extremely resistant to vandalism.
When compared to others woods commonly used outdoors such as teak, redwood, cedar, or chemically pressure treated woods it has 3 to 5 times the life without the need for costly annual application of finishes. In its natural state outdoors, Cumaru weathers to a silver/grey. This weathering does not affect its structural integrity. The original warm color can be maintained by simply cleaning and reoiling. Structura’s finish is non-film forming, penetrating the wood, and is easy to maintain.
For the reasons mentioned above, this wood has a very long life-cycle compared to other woods. Our wood is supplied by those who practice responsible selective harvesting through managed forests taking only one tree per acre. The greatest danger to the forest is clear cut conversion to cattle ranching or farming. Managed logging practices add economic value to standing forests encouraging land owners to keep forests as forest, resisting the temptation to convert the land for other use. When properly managed, sustainable forest practices increase a forest’s health.
Structura understands its environmental responsibility and is pursuing FSC certification as an option for its products. FSC certification is a seal of approval from the largest international non-profit organization, the Forest Stewardship Council, dedicated to establishing international standards for sustainable use of forests around the world. With FSC certification and “chain-of-custody” certificates, wood is tracked from the FSC certified forest, through the mill, manufacturer to the point of sale.
Filed under: Environmental
The following article was reprinted from the Swiss Federal Office of the Environment (FOEN)
The use of fossil fuels and other raw materials can be reduced through the use of wood. This substitution effect is unlimited in terms of time and contributes to the fulfilment of the Kyoto commitments. (more…)
Structura is a member of the U.S. Green Building council. USGBC is the nation’s leading building industry coalition promoting structures that are environmentally responsible, profitable and healthy places to work and live. USGBC developed the LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) rating system for designing sustainable buildings which focuses attention on sustainable site development, water savings, energy efficiency, materials and resources selection, and indoor environmental quality.
Filed under: Announcements
We’re moved in. Our much anticipated move has finally arrived. Our new space offers us a bit more room than our humble beginnings. Thank you Clockwork Architects for helping us put it together. Under one roof we now have office, wood shop, metal shop, welding, assembly, and our soon to arrive custom 6-axis, 30′ CNC lathe/panel machine.
Filed under: Announcements
Office build out and shop improvements are underway at Structura’s new location in Olathe, KS. This new 20,000 sq ft facility will place all product design, fabrication, and administration under one roof. Construction will be complete mid-October. Racking gets a fresh coat of paint while new and heirloom equipment are set in place.
Filed under: Announcements
Structura’s products have gained interest with hotel and resort designers nationwide. Working with Bruce Yarnell of Yarnell Associates in Kansas City, MO, Structura developed a wood LED bollard for use on several of Bruce’s international resort projects. The graceful curves of Bruce’s bollard design will certainly turn heads. Archit Jain of Lighting Design Alliance in Long Beach, CA says Structura’s products “definitely fill a void in the market.” The warmth of Structura’s wood paired with purposeful design is something not often seen in the lighting industry.
Filed under: Announcements
Shawn brings with him 12 years of production management experience from the plastics industry as well as expertise in CNC equipment automation.
Filed under: Announcements
Attending the 2008 Light + Building tradefair in Germany, Structura met with international lighting designers, product designers, and manufacturers from Europe, Asia, and North America. The fair was a excellent opportunity to understand the market needs of the design community, provide critique of Structura’s forthcoming product launch and form strategic partnerships with luminaire manufacturers and sales representatives.
