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Case Study
Translating to ‘burnt cedar plate’, Shou Sugi Ban is a Japanese term for the ancient art of charring timber to both preserve the wood and give it a unique burnt finish. Sharing its name with the charring techniques it practices, Shou Sugi Ban by Exterior Solutions Ltd are making use of MEDITE TRICOYA EXTREME to produce Kitai, a unique and striking variant of wall cladding that is being used for the interior design of new Leeds-based restaurant - Sticky Sisters.
The Solution
Producing a range of charred timber cladding products for a wide variety of specifications, Shou Sugi Ban create beautiful wooden wall panelling and cladding with natural timber boards that show an enhanced grain. The charring process forms a carbon layer on the exterior of the boards, which not only gives an enriched finish to design projects, but also protects the timber inside and can enhance the panel qualities making it more resistant to fire, rot and pests.
“With a refreshed interest in brutalist techniques in the architecture world, we are seeing a steep increase in interest for our charred timber cladding ranges, which are now being featured in award-winning houses,” says Karl Harrison, Director of Projects at Exterior Solutions Ltd, owners of the Shou Sugi Ban UK.
“In order to support this demand, we need to use base products that we can rely upon when we apply our charring techniques. We selected MEDITE TRICOYA EXTREME for our Kitai treatment due to its reaction to those processes. The material burns effectively to give a real aesthetic impact while maintaining its durability after the charring process.
“To create our finished Kitai product, MEDITE TRICOYA EXTREME is treated with an oil specifically developed in conjunction with MEDITE SMARTPLY to protect the wood and ensure it remains weatherproof. The process maintains the product’s 50-year external and 75-year internal use guarantee.”
The manufacturing process used to create MEDITE TRICOYA EXTREME, which involves a proprietary non-toxic and environmentally friendly modification process, helps ensure that the burning technique used to create Kitai produces no harmful gases.
The Result
Peter Clifton, Product Manager for MEDITE TRICOYA EXTREME, said, “Shou Sugi Ban’s products give a really distinct look and feel to design projects and it’s been fantastic working so closely with them on the development of their Kitai wall cladding. It’s particularly encouraging to see that MEDITE TRICOYA EXTREME has provided such a fitting material that’s able to withstand the impact of the charring process and maintain its high-performance value. It just goes to show the true diversity of one of the most innovative wood panels on the market today.”
The new Sticky Sisters restaurant in Leeds’ Merrion Centre is now open and offers customers a casual dining experience and a menu suited to all tastes. Specified for the indoor of the restaurant, the Kitai cladding gives the finished interior design a rich, textured finish that is at once both rustic and refined.
