Hay Festival 2009

Hay Festival 2009The main feature of the central square at this years Guardian Hay Festival, was a canopied area designed by Clare Keil, with a seating installation designed in American tulipwood by Philip Koomen.  The choice of timber species for this outdoor project was surprising in a number of ways.  American tulipwood is a timber more commonly associated with interior use, often painted and stained for functional applications such as framing and moulding.  Its use externally, particularly in the frequently rainy conditions of the Brecon Beacons, is a key feature of a research programme by wood treatment specialists Osmose in cooperation with project sponsors the American Hardwood Export Council. The American Hardwood Export Council sponsored the initiative which is part of its ongoing research programme with Osmose to develop tulipwoods huge potential for outdoor applications. 

 

Designer Clare Keil was behind this innovative project.  Her brief was to design and coordinate an outdoor seating area right at the centre of the Festival site where visitors could enjoy a break from the Festival buzz. Taking his inspiration from the sea, furniture designer Philip Koomen created a combination of furniture and sculpture in his Wave and Splash seating installation.  Philips Wave and Splash bench and chair combination represents the relationship between furniture and sculpture, function and fantasy. The idea was based on the form and movement of a wave and a splash interpreted by Philip using treated American tulipwood. 

Hay Festival 2009Each element and component is individually shaped and contoured to create the necessary dynamism that characterises the design. Tactile quality is emphasized by the rounding of all the visible edges of the backs.  The three seats of Wave and Splash are made from 80mm solid tulipwood, shaped using hand tools and sanded well to a high finish.  The bench is constructed with stainless steel fixings and the backs are secured with 150mm stainless steel bolts with recessed washers. The seats are jointed with 10mm fixing plates and six adjustable stainless steel feet for additional stability.    

 

As part of an ongoing research programme with treatment specialists Osmose, the tulipwood used for the project was treated with Osmose Stabilising Oil, combined with a biocide to protect the tulipwood against decay and deterioration from exposure to external weathering.  This oil-based finish penetrates the wood, through a standard treatment delivery process, to 3 to 5 mm giving the timber a long lasting resistance to water penetration and mould.  The programme is expected to open up a new world of opportunities for American tulipwood for external applications, capitalising on its adaptability, easy working and cost effectiveness. 

The research began with the tulipwood Sclera project by David Adjaye for the London Design Festival.  It has led Osmose to develop a unique treatment system which involves the combination of its external finishing treatment Osmose Stabilising Oil, which is based on natural vegetable oils, with treatments which preserve tulipwood very effectively against decay and deterioration caused by exposure to external weathering.

The treatment process and delivery has proved successful in every respect. It combines treatment and finishing in one process to reduce costs and environmental impact and uses oil to deliver the preservative into the wood to minimise dimensional change and provide a water shedding function so that water cannot penetrate the wood or create stain.  And the process uses existing Osmose treatment facilities to deliver the final product.

For Philip Koomen, its variegated colour was particularly attractive, working well aesthetically for this large piece of external furniture to enhance the design. He says: Many architects and designers specify uniformity of colour in timber. For me the colour variance of tulipwood adds to its appeal, particularly for a sizeable project like this.

On Friday 29th May, the eigth day of the festival, a sponsorship collaboration between AHEC and bd, brought Deyan Sudjic, author of The Language of Things and director of the Design Museum, together with leading architect George Ferguson, to discuss their views on the impact of a recession on architecture and design in a panel event chaired by bd editor Amanda Baillieu.   

Watch the video to find out more and how architecture fitted into the overall conversation.

**Hay Festival Press Releases

American tulipwood - timber of choice at the Guardian Hay Festival

A bench for all seasons