From under-considered thermal properties to emerging manufacturing possibilities to forestry regimes to larger ecosystem and carbon cycle dynamics, wood is uniquely positioned for ecological urbanization in the twenty-first century yet remains inadequately characterized in architecture, landscape architecture, and urbanism. As the unique material properties of wood operate at multiple, simultaneous spatial and temporal scales - so should the discussions surrounding wood's role as a critical material for design today.
This book brings into conversation scholars and practitioners who focus on wood from a range of perspectives - from the working forest to the mid-rise building to the cell itself. The aim is to examine the implications and potentials of wood urbanism, drawing particular focus to the complex relationships between land-use, wood production, and wood construction. While relying on the inherent intelligence and depth of multiple disciplines, a more totalizing thermodynamic perspective on the role of wood in contemporary buildings, urbanization, and territories is needed: from the unperceptively small to the unperceptively large.