ARCHITECTS

This project was a small closet renovation in a typical Philadelphia rowhouse. The door was a custom designed and fabricated by swrl. It was made from what is called Yaki Sugi やき すぎ, which is the Japanese wood for burnt cedar. It is also know in the United States as Shou Sugi Ban, which actually stems from a miss translation of the Kanji. So the proper Japanese name is indeed Yaki Sugi. This process burns the, in this case red cedar, to char, which seals the wood and creates a natural finish. This natural finish actually helps protect the wood from moister, bugs, and rot. For this project the cedar was left with this natural finish, to allow the fragrance of the wood be a part of the experience of the closet. To create a space efficient closet, we designed a system of plywood that fits together without glue or fasteners, to create his and hers sides of the space limited closet.