“Between ash dieback and the emerald ash borer, it is likely that almost all ash trees in Europe will be wiped out, just as the elm was largely eliminated by Dutch elm disease,” said Peter Thomas, a tree ecologist at Keele University, U.K., who did the analysis, published in the Journal of Ecology. “The two together are a double whammy.”
Sean Sutcliffe, of English contemporary furniture maker Benchmark, told ArchiExpo that he fears ash forests may be gone in as little as 20 years. Sutcliffe wants more designers working with ash before it’s too late.
Paul Timmer, a Dutch designer currently building with ash, spoke with ArchiExpo about his version of the wooden bicycle that he first built in 2015. Two models are currently on display at the London Design Museum and the design museum in Ghent, Belgium.
ArchiExpo e-Magazine: What inspired you to build a bicycle out of wood?
Timmer: I’m a big bike fan myself. I used to do a lot of road biking, now I’m mountain biking. I saw some wooden bikes online and I thought the details could be done better. After drawing for months and months, I tried to build one.
ArchiExpo e-Magazine: How did you choose ash wood?
Timmer: It’s lightweight, and the grain of ash is longer—compared to oak, for example. It’s tougher and harder to break. The handles of hammers and shovels are made of ash, which demonstrates its strength. In 2008, as part of my graduation from the Art Academy in the Hague I built a chair titled “Cheveux Blonds” using ash because I liked its light color with dark lines.
ArchiExpo e-Magazine: Any advantages over a steel-framed bicycle?
Timmer: It’s more comfortable. A wooden frame absorbs shocks better. Think of a tuning fork making a long sound when you hit it. Wood makes a short sound because it absorbs vibration immediately. However, a wooden bike is much harder to build. For now, it’s only for bicycling freaks like me. With future innovations, it could be easier and less expensive to produce.
