Massive team effort in the workshop these days. We are churning out hundreds of linear meters of 4cmx4cm beams that we assemble into a 6m tall structure that will be shown at the Architecture Biennale in Venice in May. It all comes together quite nicely now. A great collaboration between @bento.architecture @permafungibrussels @bcmaterials_org Production of sustainable materials through biomimicry of the forest ecosystem. The trees of the Sonian Forest provide the Sonian Wood Coop with a noble, renewable and versatile material: beech wood. The transformation of this wood in our workshop produces small wood chips (as much as 1-2 t/month). These chips can be used by @permafungibrussels as a substrate for the cultivation of mycelium for the production of mycomaterials. The designers of @bento.architecture and @duplex.studio are exploring the possibilities of this new material from Brussels. Bento's project for the Venice Architecture Biennale brings together these different elements in a monumental structure, illustrating ongoing research and experimentation. Super proud of representing Brussels in the Italian design capital. The #brusselshousemilan is a new shrine of all the nice stuff made in Brussels. Recently opened to great fanfare, the Brussels House in Milan is the first of a series of concept stores developed by a motivated team from @hub.brussels. Congrats to that! When you work hard at the office, do it in style! Here is another preview of the office tables that will soon host the team of @sureal_experts. Bringing a lot of solid wood in this office tower brings a lot of warmth... and is good for the carbon footprint! Move on up! Today we started delivering gorgeous custom-made office desks for the growing team of @sureal_experts. Brussels-based SuReal is specialized in providing advice on integrated sustainability and circular construction for large-scale real estate projects. Thanks to their advice as much as 20000 t of Co2 have been already been avoided. Gluing stations. A couple of weeks ago we built a pair of frames on wheels for assembling panels. They work on both sides. You can use them separately for smaller pieces or together for very long stuff. Here is your Monday morning press review. We have made it on the cover of the latest edition of the magazine Ressources Naturelles Développement, which includes a dossier on short-circuit value chains in the Belgian wood sector. The whole issue is illustrated with beautiful photos made by @ambervanbossel of an amazing house designed and built by Thierry Decuypere from V+ architects in Brussels. Also: the @knackweekend issue included an article about the Brussels-based designer @lies_van_brukseilas with whom we collaborated on the creation of beech wood cutting boards in the form of the capital's #pentagone. If you like the outdoors in Flanders watch out for our new batch of oak benches. They pop up in locations chosen by the #bosalliantie to highlight places where new forests have been planted. We are currently busy with prototyping the elements of an impressive wooden structure designed by @bento.architecture for the Belgian pavillon at this year's Venice Biennale of Architecture. The elements are so tall that they almost reach the roof of our workshop. The frames are all in beech from the Sonian Forest but the overall project will marry our wood with mycomaterials from @Permafungi and earth from BC materials @bcmaterials_org to form a Brussels all-star team. Very exciting stuff!

Warande – pièce-unique furniture with wood from the Parc Royal Brussels

Photo credits: @ambervanbossel

For the 2022 edition of Brussels Design September we have the pleasure to present our latest collaboration with the designer/makers of studio PART. Together with craftsmen from the Sonian Wood Coop workshop, studio PART has developed the WARANDE collection.

WARANDE is pièce-unique furniture made from the recently replanted royal chestnut trees of the Warandepark Brussels. WARANDE is about a unique, noble resource turned into monumental, long-lasting objects. WARANDE is cultural and natural heritage transformed into vision.

During Brussels Design September, the workshop of the Sonian Wood Coop will host an exhibition that tells the fascinating story of WARANDE.

The WARANDE exhibition

Dates: 13.09 – 30.09

Opening hours : Mon. to Fri. : 9am > 5pm

Address: Circularium, Rue Heyvaert 140, 1080 Molenbeek-Saint-Jean

Parking behind the entrance gate

NEWS

  • WARANDE – unique furniture with wood from the Parc Royal Brussels
    For the 2022 edition of Brussels Design September we have the pleasure to present our latest collaboration with the designers/makers of studio PART. Together with the craftspeople from the Sonian Wood Coop, studio PART has developed the WARANDE … Read more
  • Proudly launching the Limited Edition “Parquet de Soignes”
    Today we celebrate the launch of Parquet de Soignes, our latest Limited Edition created with wood grown in the Sonian Forest.
  • What happened during the first Local Wood Summit in Europe?
    Assembly of the trailblazers On Friday Fri. 20th – Sat. 21st of November 2020 pioneers in working with local wood from different countries came together. During this two-day event about 60 participants joined the momentum and exchanged on … Read more
  • 1st LOCAL WOOD Summit
    1st LOCAL WOOD Summit ? Fri. 20th – Sat. 21st of November 2020 ? Online event Join the trailblazers of the local wood movements (AMS, BXL, AN) for what will be the first ever LOCAL WOOD summit organized … Read more
  • Talk and exhibition on the urban metabolism of trees at CIVA, 10th October
    An evening at CIVA dedicated to the Sonian Forest and its wood. The forest of Soignes has always been a precious resource: firewood, timber, hunting. In addition to being a prestigious hunting property, there were times when the … Read more
  • Grand opening of Sonian Wood POP UP
    A pop up wood yard in the centre of Brussels? Yes! On October 10 2020 we will launch our new space to discover – and touch – our local wood. The Sonian Wood POP UP is part of … Read more
  • Urban wood movement shows way to resilience
    You can add the forestry sector to the long list of industries that have received a hard blow from the Covid-19 disaster. Less visible than closed cafés and restaurants, many companies in the business of converting trees into … Read more
  • Wood in the sawmill
    Wood in the sawmill EN Converting trees into usable timber is a long process demanding know-how, equipment…and above all patience. We are fortunate to work with two Belgian sawmills mastering the conversion of broadleaf wood into planks and … Read more
  • Coop now officially registered
    Coop now officially registered EN It was an unusual launch party on May 1 when members of the Urban Ecology Centre Brussels, Walden Project and Osmos celebrated the official launch of the Sonian Wood Coop. on-line. A first … Read more