ART4D SPEAKS WITH WOODDEN ABOUT THE STORY OF TEAK MANUFACTURING PROCESS FROM UPSTREAM TO DOWNSTREAM TO PROVIDE THE UNDERSTANDING OF THE SUSTAINABLE USE OF WOOD
TEXT: KITA THAPANAPHANNITIKUL
PHOTO: KETSIREE WONGWAN
(For Thai, press here)
In most people’s minds, tree cutting is synonymous with deforestation. But with a true understanding of how wood can be managed and used, such a notion isn’t always the final answer. Under proper management, cutting down trees can actually have beneficial environmental impacts. With this being a fact, a greater awareness of sustainable production and use of wood can be better promoted and recognized.
Apiwitt Phongsphetrarat, Managing Director of TPS GARDEN FURNITURE, better known as WOODDEN, a brand with over sixty years of experience in manufacturing, processing, and distributing high-quality teak wood, was invited by art4d to discuss the sustainability of teak wood. The discussion covers the brand’s goals of expanding the body of knowledge surrounding the production and use of wood to the general public. The mission is also the inspiration behind WOODDEN’s collaboration with PAVA Architects for the creation of the Thematic Pavilion at the Architect Expo’ 2023, with a design that tells the story of WOODDEN’s teak manufacturing process, from the growing and harvesting of trees in forest plantations to the products people use in their homes.
Apiwitt Phongsphetrarat, Managing Director of TPS GARDEN FURNITURE
art4d: What is the origin story of WOODDEN?
Apiwitt Phongsphetrarat: I may need to give you a bit of an intro first. TPS Garden Furniture’s primary business was initially teak wood production. We exported wood from Myanmar to Europe and the United States. We have also been a leading manufacturer of WOODDEN floor panels and doors for large-scale residential projects such as condominiums and housing estate developments in Thailand for over 60 years.
Because we’ve been in this industry for so long, we’ve developed comprehensive know-how in teak wood processing, and we want to share this body of knowledge with users, whether they’re homeowners, condominium owners, or people who help create residential structures and living spaces, such as architects and designers from various disciplines.
The brand WOODDEN was created to showcase products that we have developed and mastered especially to consumers in the single-detached home market, which include high-quality products in the Home Solution line ranging from floor panels, stair threads, decks, and doors. We also have our own team of experts who handle installation for our clients.
art4d: Why teak wood?
AP: Thai people are already familiar with teak wood, which is probably the most unique type of softwood in the world due to its durability, low shrinkage and expansion, and distinctive grains.
Teak wood was once the primary material used in ship construction, particularly for the deck, which required it to withstand harsh weather conditions such as heat, cold, humidity, and salt water. As a result, teak wood is a material with exceptional physical and functional properties, as well as adaptability to various styles of design.
art4d: What are the challenges and factors that WOODDEN considers important in running this business?
AP: People have a preconceived notion that cutting down trees equals deforestation. However, this is not always the case. Proper cutting and use of wood not only means sustainable use of the resource, but the consumption of wooden products may also mean a production process with reduced carbon emissions. Wood, especially teak wood, is also recyclable. The important thing is to understand the entire process of wood processing, from upstream to downstream, and where the material comes from. One of the core values of our company is spreading knowledge regarding the positive environmental impacts of the wood industry.
art4d: What is the process like?
AP: The wood that we manufacture is sourced from Myanmar and harvested using the “sustainable harvesting” process, which Myanmar has been developing for over 100 years. They think of forests as a bank where they keep their money, and the interest grows each year, supplying them with money. The interest is equivalent to the trees that grow in excess, allowing people to harvest them without affecting the capital or the existing environment. With each survey, we would send a team to document the number of trees growing in a specific forest area, as well as how much these trees will grow in the future, in order to create a quota for which trees could be harvested.
Myanmar’s sustainable forest has a small carbon footprint as well because it uses little heavy machinery and employs a selective cutting method that prevents uncontrollable cutting, allowing the remaining trees to flourish and grow.
The woods are divided into 30 plots. During the first year, our team was only permitted to cut down trees growing in the first plot. After we finished cutting, they would clear the entire area, demolishing all of the roads and built structures before moving on to the next plot. This process will continue until the thirtieth year, at which point the first plot of forest that was cut down will have fully regrown.
art4d: Could you tell us a little bit about the Thematic Pavilion that you worked on with PAVA architects for this year’s Architect Expo?
AP: This year, we collaborated with PAVA, and we chose them because they share our passion for wood and an understanding of sustainable wood usage. We and the architect agreed from the start that we wanted to educate designers and consumers about environmentally friendly and sustainable wood cutting processes, as well as how to use wood properly. The booth was transformed into a semi-exhibition space that tells the story of teak wood, showcasing visitors how every part of teak wood, from logs to processed wood, can be used, as evidenced through different parts of the exhibition space.
It is undeniable that environmental issues and sustainability have become major factors in the current scenario, not just in Thailand but globally. PAVA architects, like us, have a similar belief and have been pushing this topic. Their previous works have also expressed some interesting issues and approaches, so we’re confident in the ability of this architecture team, and we gave them full creative control to present these stories to the public.
art4d: How do you see the future of WOODDEN?
AP: If we’re talking about the future, I believe we’re still in the beginning stages as a brand. We have goals for the future, one of which is to change people’s perceptions of wood, making it a primary material that can be used sustainably, as it is in Europe and the United States.
art4d: Lastly, what do you want to tell your clients or people who are interested in wood or looking for ideas to decorate their homes to consider WOODDEN’s teak wood products?
AP: I want everyone who loves and is interested in wood to learn more about our products at our showrooms, from our flagship showroom in Design Village in Kaset Nawamin, Bangkok, or the home solution showroom in Sathorn, to another of our major showrooms in Phuket, which will open this year. Everyone will be able to see the beauty of teak wood and its incredibly diverse applicability for themselves. They will be welcomed to meet with our team, who will be more than happy to provide you with all of the information you need about the usage, preparation, and maintenance of teak wood.
Apiwitt Phongsphetrarat, Managing Director of WOODDEN
It doesn’t matter if you’re going to use our products or not. The most important thing for us is for everyone to have a better understanding of a good, sustainable process for how wood can be used, as well as the origin of the material, from the forest it is derived from to when it is transformed into everyday objects in our daily lives.