International Wood International Wood 2006 | Page 12

“The walkway is just above the water flowing
through the space. Ipé was just what we were
looking for – it fades with sun to a silvery gray and
actually gets better with age, unlike concrete.”
Ed Uhlir
“Ipé was selected for the garden and the bridge because it’s
a replenishable resource, incredibly durable, impervious to
rot and attacks by insects, and weathers to a nice silver color,”
says Uhlir. “Mr. Gehry is very familiar with these woods, and
the color of ipé as it ages was a big factor.”
T ying the Past to the Future with Design
• African Mahogany
• Andiroba
• Aniegre
• Bubinga
• Garapa
• Genuine Mahogany
• Ipe
• Iroko
• Jatoba
12 i m p o r t e d
wood
• Keruing
• Leopardwood
• Lyptus
• Makore
• Massaranduba
• Nogal
• Okoume
• Phillipine Mahogany
• Purpleheart
• Santos Mahogany
• Sapele
• Spanish Cedar
• Steamed Beech
• Teak
• Utile/Sipo
• Wenge
All Domestic Species Available
Lurie Garden was designed by Jennifer Guthrie, ASLA
(American Society of Landscape Architects), a partner at
Seattle-based Gustafson Guthrie Nichol Ltd. She teamed
up with Pete Udolf, a “perennial plantsman” from Holland,
and theater set designer Robert Israel, to set a vision for
the space.
“Our proposal specified wood for the garden walkway,
and we wanted to be sure it tied in with the bridge, which
lands at the corner of the garden,” says Guthrie. “There are
two major components. First, the ‘dark plate’ on the east side
of the main walkway references the past, and the ‘light plate’
on the west side of the seam represents Chicago’s future, op-
timism, and proactive culture.”
“The seam itself alludes to when Chicago was lifting
itself up from the marsh. After the fire, Chicago was a city
of boardwalks, and we wanted to be literal to the material,
which is why wood was the perfect choice.
“We looked at jarrah first but chose ipé because it allowed
for the range of sizes for which we were looking. It was also
what Frank Gehry had specified for the BP Bridge, so we
wanted to tie into that language.
“It’s a hardwood, extremely durable, great for commercial
uses, and it has the same fire rating as concrete. It’s also pest
resistant and can handle light vehicular traffic.
“The walkway is just above the water flowing through the
space. Ipé was just what we were looking for – it fades with
sun to a silvery gray and actually gets better with age, unlike
concrete.