Expanding wood: Developing and validating a new material

Abstract

Expanded Wood is an openwork panel made out of wood that maintains its original strength but significantly gains width and minimally loses weight. The material uses raw wood in a more efficient way that can help to reduce deforestation and may offer a solution to the problem of dwindling natural resources. This article explores the process of creating and developing the new material through making, experiencing physical models and empirical, physical testing. The combination of these three techniques produces a creative process that is based in both individual sensory perception and quantitative data analysis.