International Wood International Wood 2017 | Page 22

LEVO : BauBuche Beech
Veneer Floats to Top Honors
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PHOTOGRAPHY BY NICOL A REHAGE
22
INTERNATIONAL WOOD
teel, glass, and polymer con-
structions have taken top hon-
ors at the prestigious German Design Awards*
for years. This year, however, the Council
named a BauBuche dining ensemble as a
winner in the Material and Surfaces category.
The project was imagined and constructed by
industrial designer Moritz Putzier of Bremen.
BauBuche is an engineered wood prod-
uct made from European Beech lumber that
is suitable for timber constructions, interior
design elements, and furniture. Thanks to
its exceptional strength, BauBuche allows for
exceptionally sleek, slim, and intricate designs.
Putzier’s furniture design is testament to
the design capabilities. Despite its consid-
erable size, the table top is extremely thin
and rests on blank metal elements attached
to black legs. The stark color contrasts give
the impression of a floating table top and is
reflected in the name of the product, “LEVO”
which is Latin for “I float.”
“To me the outstanding features of Bau-
Buche are its versatility and, above all, the
material saving applications this wood prod-
uct offers,” said Putzier. “Also, its very unusual
surface optics represent a particularity in the
fields of architecture and design and made
this furniture project very exciting for me.”
BauBuche is a laminated veneer lum-
ber manufactured exclusively by Pollmeier.
Beech logs are rotation-peeled to a thick-
ness of 3mm, and layers are then parallel- or
cross-laminated; glued under pressure; and
turned into boards, panels, beams, and floor-
ing elements. BauBuche preserves the mor-
phology and strength of the natural wood by
applying precision technology. The end prod-
uct features an attractive striped pattern that
distinguishes it from standard wood grain
finish products. The high surface quality