FSC Certified Hardwood Siding Featured in Award Winning Design

Written by Amy Cornell | Tue, Aug 11, 2015 @ 10:08 AM

If your state-of-the-art office was inspired by a treehouse would your job actually feel like work? Not likely, according to the designers of MetroNational’s award-winning “Treehouse” project. Located within Houston’s Memorial City, The Treehouse is a 15,000 square foot, LEED Double Platinum certified facility which was created to gather and inspire the development company’s innovators and its partners.

MetroNational is a Houston, Texas real estate investment, management and development company that specializes in sustainable cutting-edge projects, like The TreeHouse, located in “Memorial City” which is commonly referred to as Houston’s “city within a city”. This innovative 265-acre multi-use area features a luxury mall, sleek high-rise apartments, gourmet restaurants and the second largest medical campus in Houston.

When the Treehouse project was announced, it was guaranteed to be nothing short of spectacular. AIA Houston’s 2015 Firm of the Year, Studio RED Architects, was selected to design the facility. Their sought-after ability to think creatively and design sustainably has earned them a diverse client mix which includes commercial, residential, religious institutions and civic organizations. In addition to their award-winning architectural services, they offer interior design consultation and solutions for sustainability, planning and renovation. When designing The Treehouse, Studio RED utilized their collective talents to create a stunning modern design that exemplifies green building practices.

The Treehouse was designed as "a place where free thinking idea generation would translate into workable solutions".

Partner in Charge, Pete Ed Garrett, AIA, describes The Treehouse in the firm's informational video as, “a place where free thinking, idea generation would translate into workable solutions”. The design concept of this project is cleverly rendered with organic and whimsical touches inspired by their treehouse muse: a life-size tree "grows" through the lobby floor, a 100% FSC-Certified Machiche hardwood suspension bridge (think Swiss Family Robinson) connects the adjacent building and glass-pane garage-style doors expose second floor offices to a wraparound balcony. There is a surprise at every turn.

The most advanced innovations in green building design were utilized. The Treehouse is a model of eco-conscious and socially responsible development practices. Its self-sustaining, energy-efficient design includes geothermal heating and cooling, solar panels, a rainwater collection system, wind turbine and a rooftop garden. Building

materials were also carefully chosen to include recycled, sustainable and rapidly renewable resources wherever possible.

The building’s spectacular facade features 100% FSC® Certified Machiche Rain Screen Siding. Machiche is a beautiful high density hardwood that is sustainably harvested and highly durable. Machiche hardwood siding's incredible density and durability is proven to outlast wood and synthetic alternatives reducing a project's life cycle cost and eliminating wasted resources. When the FSC-Certified hardwood is combined with the stunning rain screen design, the resulting benefit is a highly sustainable project that will endure for decades.

The Treehouse was awarded the prestigious LEED Double Platinum certification, the U.S. Green Building Council’s highest possible rating.

The Machiche hardwood rain screen siding featured on The Treehouse is 100% FSC-Certified, earning the project considerable points toward a Double Platinum LEED Certification. Indeed, this project has earned the second highest LEED Certification ever in the United States. According to FSC's website, "The Certified Wood Credit in LEED has arguably been the single most important driver of forest conservation in history, contributing to tens of millions of acres of improved management and protection. And when it comes from an FSC-Certified responsibly managed forest, wood is among the most sustainable building materials. So people working to promote forest health should be heartened that LEED v4 will continue promoting responsible forest management and incentivizing forest conservation."

This remarkable project has raised the bar for green building. As a result of their prestigious LEED Double Platinum certification, MetroNational has become leaders in the field of sustainable design. In an article written for MultiHousing News.com, Glenn Fuhrman, AIA, Vice President of Design & Construction at MetroNational said , "We take pride in being market leaders and adopting advanced environmental standards and practices that demonstrate our commitment to corporate social responsibility.” What truly defines the group as innovators is their ability to maintain their green building commitment without sacrificing beauty, functionality or design.

Thank you for reading our article. If you would like to learn more about eco-friendly products such as 100% FSC-Certified Machiche rain screen wood siding, please visit our website. All of our beautiful and durable hardwoods are sustainably harvested.

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