From Timber to Pergolas | Bringing Nature Closer to Everyday Life

A pergola provides more than shade—it creates a connection between the city and nature.

Contents :

The History of Pergolas
Advances in Construction Materials
The Return of Wood
Wood as an Engineering Material
CLT Park Harumi Pavilion
Wood Solutions for Outdoor and Landscape Projects

The History of Pergolas
When walking through a park or along a pathway, you may have seen a structure covered with climbing plants, creating a cool and shaded space underneath. This is a pergola—a simple outdoor structure supported by posts and crossbeams.

The concept of the pergola can also be extended to covered walkways and pavilions. For centuries, people have used wood to build outdoor spaces for resting, gathering, and enjoying the surrounding landscape. From pergolas in European gardens to traditional Japanese and Chinese pavilions, similar structures can be found across different cultures. Although their designs may vary, their earliest forms shared one important material: wood.

Advances in Construction Materials
As cities developed, steel, aluminum, and composite materials became increasingly common in outdoor public facilities. These materials offer durability, easier maintenance, and predictable costs.

However, their environmental impact should also be considered. Producing one ton of steel can generate nearly two tons of carbon dioxide emissions. Aluminum production requires even more energy; aluminum production alone has historically accounted for around 5% of electricity consumption in the United States.

Many composite materials are also made with recycled plastics. Under strong summer sunlight, their surfaces can become very hot. Their manufacturing processes still require significant energy, while their mixed composition can make recycling more difficult.

The Return of Wood
Over the past decade, wood has gradually returned to public spaces across Europe and Japan.

The reason goes beyond appearance. Wood stores carbon, offers unique natural grain patterns, and creates a warmer and more comfortable feeling in outdoor environments. It also allows structures to blend naturally into the surrounding landscape in a way that concrete and metal often cannot.

In the past, concerns about decay, termites, and maintenance discouraged many people from choosing wood for outdoor structures. Today, however, advances in wood treatment and engineered wood technology have changed what timber can achieve.

Wood as an Engineering Material
Modern preservative treatments can significantly extend the outdoor service life of timber. Engineered wood products such as GLT (Glued Laminated Timber) and CLT (Cross-Laminated Timber) can also meet structural strength requirements and applicable building standards.

Material selection is equally important. Naturally durable species such as Pacific Ironwood and Southeast Asian Beech can provide good outdoor performance, while other timber species can achieve longer service life through proper preservative treatment.

With the right species, treatment, and engineering, wood has evolved into a reliable material for long-term outdoor applications.

CLT Park Harumi Pavilion
In 2020, Kengo Kuma and Associates opened the CLT Park Harumi Pavilion in Harumi, Tokyo. Built with Hinoki cypress and CLT, the pavilion created a shaded public space where people could gather and relax.

Its wooden elements were arranged in a dynamic form inspired by leaves swirling through the air, combining structural design with the natural character of timber.

After the pavilion completed its one-year period of use, the structure was designed to be dismantled and returned to the region where the timber originated, allowing the materials to be reassembled and used again.

This project demonstrates an important idea: sustainability is not only about choosing natural materials. Thoughtful design can also extend the useful life of those materials.

Wood Solutions for Outdoor and Landscape Projects
bestwood provides comprehensive timber solutions for landscape architecture and outdoor facilities, including pressure-treated timber, GLT, LVL, CLT, plywood, custom-sized processing, and FSC-certified timber from sustainable sources.

GET YOUR BEST WOOD FROM bestwood — Let pergolas create a comfortable connection between the city and nature.

If you are considering a timber structure for your next project, contact bestwood through our official LINE account. Our team can help you review specifications, discuss suitable materials, and find the right timber solution.

A better public space starts with the right wood.

Yakisugi

Alishan Zhaoping Station

From Timber to Pergolas | Bringing Nature Closer to Everyday Life

From Timber to Pergolas | Bringing Nature Closer to Everyday Life

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