Draft:Abodo Wood

ABOUT

Founded in 2001 by the Gudsell family, Abodo is a New Zealand owned, family business with an environmental purpose. Abodo uses only FSC® certified New Zealand grown timbers providing an alternative to unsustainable old growth wood and helping to address the climate crisis by absorbing carbon.

Abodo has a Head Office, Warehouse and Showroom in Mangere Auckland, Warehousing and Manufacturing in Ohinewai and, showcase feature buildings in Cardrona and Matakana. Abodo employs over 70 people nationwide and supplies timber merchants locally in New Zealand and internationally to Australia, South Pacific, UK, Europe, US, Canada and Asia.

Abodo crafts timbers with lasting beauty that are safe for people and the environment. Many exterior timbers are harvested from unsustainable old growth forests or are treated with harmful chemicals. By contrast, Abodo is “demonstrating how local alternatives can be used to replace unsustainable imported timber from old-growth forests.”

“Abodo is a company that operates with tomorrow in mind. A design ethos focused on innovation, sustainability and eternal beauty has led to the creation of timber products that stand the test of time.”

SUSTAINABILITY

Abodo uses timbers sourced from New Zealand's FSC® certified plantation forests, which are known for their sustainable growth due to the fertile soils and abundant rainfall. Covering 1.8 million hectares in total (Forest Owners Assn, 2018/19), New Zealand's Radiata Pine plantations offer an ideal supply of raw material with high yields.

New Zealand is the ultimate base for sustainable forestry. Consistently ranked in the top two for the world’s least corrupt country (Transparency International, 2020), New Zealand is broadly unaffected by the corruption that affects wood producers in other parts of the world (International Criminal Police Organization, 2016).

Abodo selects high quality logs, which are then sawn near the plantation, reducing transport emissions and optimising operational efficiency. Strong partnerships with forest owners in New Zealand's North Island helps to ensure a consistent supply of FSC® (FSC-C010962) certified logs.

Abodo timbers are thermally modified for durability and stability at the sawmill site. Most companies that use wood modification technology source their timber internationally and ship to Europe to process. By contrast, Abodo’s local process reduces transport-related emissions and increases speed and flexibility.

Abodo has created a patented face-laminating method that joins mainly flatsawn grain timber lengthways into blocks. This increases stability and improves weathering characteristics plus it helps to create a wider range of possible timber dimensions and therefore a wide variety of practical uses.

When it comes to carbon capture, government agency, New Zealand Trade and Enterprise states that “every cubic metre of Abodo’s finished wood captures around 500kg of carbon from the atmosphere, even taking the full manufacturing and supply chain into account.” (Source: Abodo’s Environmental Product Declaration (EPD))

TIMBER SOURCES

Kaingaroa Region - New Zealand

Much of Abodo’s Radiata Pine and Douglas fir is sourced from the Kaingaroa region, in New Zealand’s central North Island. The Kaingaroa Forest, is one of the largest man-made plantations forests in the southern hemisphere. Today the Kaingaroa Forest is managed by Timberlands, a global forest manager, on behalf of investors. It is a world class forest, which is Forest Stewardship Council® (FSC®) certified. Wood fibre from the Kaingaroa region is prized for its medium density, and high consistency.

Hawke’s Bay Region – New Zealand

In New Zealand’s eastern North Island the Hawke’s Bay region is home to a high-quality pruned Radiata Pine resource. This forest region is Forest Stewardship Council® (FSC®) certified. All Abodo timbers are Forest Stewardship Council® chain of custody under certificate number SGS-COC004944. This label gives assurance that the timber comes from responsible sources.

PROJECTS

Cardrona Cabin – Queenstown, New Zealand

Designed by Assembly Architects and built by Dunlop Builders, the cabin is set in the harsh alpine climate of New Zealand’s South Island, between Wānaka and Queenstown. It demonstrates “the durability, along with the beauty of Abodo timber products and processes.”Designed as a showcase for Abodo Wood, it embodies the Abodo company motto ‘carefully crafted timber’ with “timbers that stand the test of time while prioritising environmental sustainability.”

In the heart of the Cardrona Valley, the cabin’s gable form is a contemporary interpretation of the rural huts that are scattered across the valley. It is designed to age and weather over time to match the surrounding tones of its alpine environment.

Cottesloe House – Perth, Australia

This luxury resort style home, designed by John Lewis Architects and Courtico Interiors, is connected to landscape and light, “extending and blurring the threshold between inside and out.” The home is built with sustainability in mind and uses timber blades as large sculptural cantilevers to manage and control the direct sunlight.

Tūhoe Living Building - Lake Waikaremoana, New Zealand

Te Uru Taumatua was built under the criteria of the international Living Building Challenge, a building in the words of LBC’s founder, Jason F. Mclennan, “that will never have an energy bill, that will never have a water bill, that are built with non-toxic materials, that are adapted perfectly to the site that they’re on and the climate that’s there.” Te Uru Taumatua is a Tūhoe building designed by Jasmax as a centre of governance and a meeting place for iwi. The building uses Abodo’s sustainably harvested eco-timbers.

The Seagull Wing Cabin – Lower Hutt, New Zealand

The concept for this cabin was based on the Richard Bach’s book, ‘Jonathan Livingston Seagull’ with the roof designed to create the impression of a seagull wing. It uses cladding and natural elements to connect the cabin to nature.

Vodafone Building – Christchurch, New Zealand

Abodo’s eco timber helped the Vodafone Building achieve its Green Star rating. “Designed to promote natural ventilation and light, and conserve water and energy, the planet-friendly building has achieved a 5 Green Star Design rating from the New Zealand Green Building Council.”

Noir – Brisbane Australia

Built by Zephyr Industries in Brisbane’s Hamilton Hill, Noir is a high-end, entertainer’s paradise with views over Brisbane city. The build was an “extremely challenging project” according to Zephyr Industries’ Brayden Larkin. Terracing down a steep hill, the house cuts a dark silhouette with Abodo’s blackened, textured timber cladding.

PRODUCTS

Cladding

Vulcan cladding is made using FSC® certified New Zealand plantation timber, thermally modified for durability. Tundra cladding is produced from New Zealand plantation Douglas Fir heartwood, sourced from forests in New Zealand’s Central North Island.

Decking

Sustainable and natural, decking is created from thermally modified, rapidly renewable, softwood timber.

Screening

Engineered from thermally modified plantation timber with a vertical grain, screening can weather harsh environments as demonstrated by the alpine climate setting for the Cardrona Cabin.

Panelling

A lightweight, stable sarking timber for interiors such as ceilings, walls and eaves.

AWARDS

Abodo’s products have featured in a number of design and architecture awards.

Award	Year	Recipient	Category	Result	Architect/Builder	Referece
Property Council New Zealand Awards	2014	Te Uru Taumatua (Tūhoe building)	Special Purpose Property	Best in Category	Jasmax
Best Awards	2014	Te Uru Taumatua (Tūhoe building)	Purple Pin – Nga Aho [New Zealand Design Association]	Winner	Jasmax	Ref
Green Ribbon Awards	2014	Abodo Wood	Green Economy	Winner		Ref
New Zealand Timber Design Awards	2018	Te Wharehou o Waikaremoana	Wood and Fibre Creativity	Winner	Tennent Brown Architects	Ref
Australian Timber Design Awards	2018	Roscommon House	Interior Fitout	Winner	Neil Cownie Architects	Ref
NZIA Southern Architecture Awards	2020	Cardrona Cabin	Small Project Architecture	Winner	Assembly Architects Dunlop Builders	Ref Nzia.co.nz/awards/local/award-detail/8845
Interior Awards	2020	Cardrona Cabin	Retail	Winner	Assembly Architects Dunlop Builders	Ref
Registered Master Builders House of the Year Awards	2021	Cardrona Cabin	Southern Show Home	Regional Category and Gold Winner	Assembly Architects Dunlop Builders	Ref
Best Design Awards	2022	Cardrona Cabin	Spatial Retail Environment	Gold Winner	Assembly Architects Dunlop Builders	Ref
A’ Design Award & Competition	2022	Cardrona Cabin	Architecture, Building and Structure Design	Gold Winner	Assembly Architects Dunlop Builders	Ref

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