London: David Adjaye chooses American Tulipwood for landmark “Sclera” pavilion

This year’s world renowned London Design Festival saw architect David Adjaye in a unique collaboration with the American hardwood export council (Ahec) to create a dramatic pavilion of American tulipwood. The pavilion standed at the Southbank centre, near the back of the Royal Festival Hall, from 13 September to 12 October. Named “Sclera”, the pavilion demonstrated the flexibility of American tulipwood in a unique application which blurs the boundaries between architecture, design, engineering and sculpture. 
It’s not surprising that the pavilion is elliptical, with a large inner chamber whose airiness and freedom is emphasized by the lightness and transparency of the timber construction. Its open design invited visitors to experience the stunning effect of light and contrast in the curved interior.
David Adjaye selected American tulipwood for its inherent flexibility, strength, attractive grain and varying colour hues of pale yellow through to mid brown. Its working properties make tulipwood suitable for a wide range of applications, but it is not generally specified for external applications or such large scale projects.
Leading wood preservation specialists Osmose have been technical advisors to the project and will be working closely with Ahec  in the coming months on further research to extend tulipwood’s range of potential applications for external joinery and cladding.