Architect Mark O’Dwyer explains why one of the oldest building materials in the world – wood – makes such a good external insulator. “Timber has that benefit; it’s a wonderful shade screen, an external skin,” he said. “Timber itself likes to expand and contract. It thinks it’s still on the tree. As it heats up and accepts and rejects moisture, it expands and contracts the same way it did when it was in the tree.”
Mr O’Dwyer, a director of H2o architects in Melbourne, was discussing timber’s role in what was a unique project: the Australian Grains Genebank in Horsham, in Victoria’s Wimmera grain belt in the state’s north-west.
Media Release:
MR-Wimmera-Timber.pdf
