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DESIGN REALIZATION
The Wood Floor from Coney Island
American white oak deck features in the Usa pavilion
at Milan EXPO 2015
THE AMERICAN HARDWOOD EXPORT COUNCIL (AHEC),
PHOTO BY GIOVANNI NARDI
T he American Hardwood Export Coun- But one of the strongest environmental mes-
cil (AHEC) supported the USA pavil- sages was told through the use of the sus-
ion at Expo in Milan with a stunning tainably produced new American oak.
500m2 white oak deck. The American hard- AHEC, using its ground breaking Environ-
wood floor ran the length of the pavilion on mental Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) re-
the first floor, where the main exhibition area search, has produced a full cradle to grave
was located. The white oak was chosen by environmental profile for the white oak
New York architect James Biber, whose prac- deck. Data on the forestry, sawmilling, dry-
ing and shipping impacts of sending the
tice designed the pavilion. He white oak lumber to Italy were combined
wanted a classic-looking with data collected during manufacture. In-
hardwood to blend in and cluded in the assessment are all the non-
complement the rest of the wood materials (glues, oils and fixings)
decking, which has been re- transport, installation and predicted life ex-
cycled from 100-year-old sal- pectancy. At end of life the deck can either
vaged timber from the origi- be recycled or burnt as a renewable fuel.
nal Coney Island boardwalks. The American white oak resource is not on-
The USA pavilion had a very ly renewable but is expanding. The resource
strong sustainability theme is so large and growing so rapidly that it
featuring a vertical farm, the latest energy takes less than 25 seconds for the white oak
efficient technologies and reclaimed wood.
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