Sustainable Bark House Style

[image via Highland Craftsmen]

I recently got the book, Bark House Style: Sustainable Designs from Nature from the library, and it got me thinking a lot about bark in design. I used to think of bark design as more just a rustic beach house look, but this book was cool; it shows a lot of different ways in which bark can be used for home design; from rustic to contemporary. I also didn’t know how sustainable bark could be. Of course there are ways it might be unsustainable, but if you work with a decent company, you could have a home outfitted in sustainable bark.

For example, Highland Craftsmen Inc., notes…

“We are a “green” building company, and proud members of the US Green Building. Through the Arbor Day Foundation, we plant a tree for every job done. Many of our Bark House materials and products use zero water and very little energy in their manufacturing process.  By 2010, we will use water exclusively from rainwater catchment systems. If glues or sealers are needed, we educate clients about quality green products to use.  HC offers FSC (Forest Stewardship Council) products as well.”

Versatility of bark in home structures:

Something I picked up from the book and Highland Craftsmen website is that bark is way more than shingles. The HC website explains it as, “Bark House materials are characterized by their natural, un-milled and unprocessed state. Although usually left bark intact, the bark may also be removed. Being unprocessed does not mean they are not precise. On the contrary, the dimensional variances as well as the specific recommended uses for the materials took years of research and development to establish. Materials include twigs, logs, poles, massive wooden slabs, sheets of bark that are un-laminated and stumps with stems.”

You can see lots of bark design options in this gallery.

My favorite part of this book was the bark house history chapter. There are some truly beautiful old house images shown, and some great stories about builders of the past who utilized bark as a structure material. Part of the history chapter covers the the lovely six story Oregon Caves Chateau located at the Oregon Caves National Monument. I’ve been there, and the Chateau is an amazing example of an old school bark structure; made from peeled Douglas Fir logs. Below is an old image of the Chateau…

[image via Oregon Caves Chateau - see more historic images]

If you’re interested in bark; or not, but think you could be, I highly suggest reading Bark House Style: Sustainable Designs from Nature. It’s chock full of beautiful images partnered with info you can use; either to simply learn more, or to make decisions about building your own bark style house. I was never that into bark, and only picked this book up on a whim, but I’d give it an A.