Wood has always been a timeless, beloved material in outdoor space design. Celebrated for its warmth, natural beauty and inviting senses of softness and comfort, it's so often an indispensable part of the high-design places where people want to be. Taking the material to new heights, modern modified outdoor woods present designers a compelling opportunity - retain the key aesthetic and tactile experiences they seek in natural hardwoods all while elevating performance, durability and sustainability.

New to our material offering, options for dassoXTR Fused Bamboo® and Kebony Dually Modified™ Wood fit this bill precisely. These innovative materials preserve the authenticity and connection to the nature of wood while adding significant benefits to strength, stability, environmental responsibility and eligibility for credits in the LEED and SITES rating systems.

dassoXTR Fused Bamboo®

dassoXTR Fused Bamboo enhances bamboo - one of the fastest-growing, rapidly renewable resources on the planet - through a patented process that combines two stages of high heat to first carbonize the bamboo, removing all of the starch and sugar, and then restructure it, reinforcing its natural strength capabilities. The modified bamboo strands are then fused together using a phenolic resin which is thermal setting, non-reversible and contains no volatile organic compounds (VOCs). The result is an exceptionally stable, durable material with a rich, dark color that patinas gracefully to silver-gray over time spent outside in the elements.

Kebony Dually Modified™

Kebony Dually Modified Wood also utilizes a patented two-stage modification technique that permanently augments the natural characteristics of wood harvested sustainably from FSC®-certified forests (Forest Stewardship Council®CU-COC- FSC-813689) since 2010 from Kebony. Using a bio-based liquid, the wood undergoes both active and passive modification, reducing water sensitivity to improve durability and forming a polymer to enhance strength, hardness and richness in color. By replicating nature, Kebony achieves performance that's on par with, or even surpasses, that of the most sought-after tropical hardwoods. Like these counterparts, it endures the elements exceptionally while developing a refined silver-gray patina. But unlike tropical hardwoods, specifying Kebony Dually Modified Wood provides the confidence that there's no chance in harming some of the planet's most vulnerable and exploited ecosystems.

In adding dassoXTR and Kebony to our material offering, we're excited to bring together the best of the best in design, modern craft and material innovation - creating site furnishings and structure that capture the timeless appeal of wood while embracing the future of sustainability and performance. With these new options, designers, landscape architects and users of their creations can enjoy the best of both worlds: the unrivaled allure of wood with the resilience and responsibility that modern landscapes demand.