Case Studies

A beautiful lakeside log and timber home is protected inside and out with Sansin.

This magnificent home, which is located on the shores of Okanagan Lake near Vernon, British Columbia, was built for an owner who really knows and appreciates wood. He owns sawmills in Alberta and wanted his lakeside estate to feature as much wood as possible. He picked two signature logs from his own mill to stand at the entrance of the home. The remaining spruce glulam timbers and cedar tongue and groove woodworking were sourced by European Timberframe Corp, which has been exclusively using Sansin coatings since 2015.

For this project, European Timberframe factory-applied two coats of Sansin SDF in a custom color to the timbers and tongue and groove woodworking that is featured inside and outside the home. The company’s team of Swiss and German-trained builders have a reputation for delivering stunning custom timber frame homes of exceptional quality to clients in North America since 2008.

“Our goal is to build the kind of timber frame homes that generations of families have enjoyed for centuries in Europe,” says European Timberframe owner Daniel Kilchenmann. “When you’re building these legacy structures with this kind of long-term thinking, you want to make sure you only use the best products that will stand the test of time, and Sansin never lets us down.”

Kilchenmann adds that his company values the range of color tinting available for Sansin coatings. “You can get any color you want with Sansin, while other companies are limited. We always create samples for our customers with the color codes on the back of the wood panels, and we have a really cool collection of Sansin colors to share with our clients now.”

An Investment in Wood

This home is a showcase of wood and features 704 different pieces of spruce glulam timbers, which equates to 24,600 board feet of timbers and a total surface area of 14,000-square feet. There are an additional 4,000-square feet of cedar tongue and groove planks. The spruce glulam timbers were imported from Austria to ensure the highest quality.

“If we built everything out of local Douglas fir, we would simply run out of trees,” explains Kilchenmann. “By using glulam, we can cut the wood from much smaller trees, which gives us nearly limitless options with what we can do with the wood.” He adds that the wood is kiln-dried, resulting in timbers that are incredibly stable, meaning fewer cracks, twists and checking.

European Timberframe applies Sansin in its factory. “We have an applicator who is simply the best and does all of our staining piece-by-piece by hand,” Kilchenmann describes. “The color of the spruce is very light and uniform, so the coating looks very even and once applied it makes it hard to see that the timbers are laminated.”

Sansin SDF: A Superior, Penetrating Finish

Sansin SDF provides lasting protection and brings out the beauty of wood. Its specially formulated oils and resins penetrate the wood, providing outstanding weather and UV protection in a wide range of natural, semi-transparent and even solid colors. Not only does SDF protect the outside of the wood, it also protects the inside by allowing the wood to “breathe”, which helps prevent moisture from getting trapped in the wood and causing rot.

About European Timberframe Corp.

European Timberframe Corp was co-founded by Daniel Kilchenmann who is a native of Switzerland. The company is built on two cornerstones: a commitment to timberframing with European quality and service, and the best and highest grade of materials you’ll find anywhere. “We want to build homes that last for generations, homes where memories are made!” says Kilchenmann. The company purchases Sansin’s products from retailer Decorworld Paint & Window Coverings in Vernon.

ABOUT THE SANSIN CORPORATION

For 35 years, Sansin has been the only wood protection company focused exclusively on researching and developing environmentally-friendly, water-borne interior and exterior wood products and technologies that deliver outstanding color, durability and performance without the toxicity found in conventional stains. Sansin wood treatments, finishes and preservatives use water, not petroleum solvents, to deeply penetrate and protect wood naturally, from within. Headquartered in Ontario, Canada, Sansin has offices in the Netherlands and Rhode Island and dealer locations in Canada, the U.S., Europe and Australasia. To learn more about The Sansin Corporation, or how to become a Sansin preferred dealer, visit www.sansin.com.

PRODUCTS USED IN THIS CASE STUDY

SDF

Penetrating one-coat finish for exterior wood.

Exceptionally versatile protection for siding, logs, decks and fences. Beautiful, durable, highly water-repellent, breathable and UV-resistant.

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More than 462 glulam beams are the signature feature at Hayward Field, a reimagined “theater” for track and field events.

Completed in 2020, the reimagined Hayward Field at the University of Oregon in Eugene is a “theater” for track and field events, including the 2020 U.S. Olympic Team Trials and the 2022 World Athletics Championships. Funded by gifts from Penny and Phil Knight, Nike co-founder, and more than 50 other donors, the 12,650-seat stadium was designed by SRG Partnership and built by Hoffman Construction. Working in collaboration with the architect and builder, the Sansin Corporation and Western Archrib were integral in bringing the stadium’s signature Douglas Fir glulam structural wood pieces to life.

Mass Timber, an Iconic Choice

Mass timber was selected to showcase Oregon’s history, culture and timber industry. More than 462 Douglas Fir glulam structural wood pieces were used to create 77 unique curves, each containing six pieces of bent wood. The iconic wooden roof canopy was sourced by Western Archrib and protected with Sansin’s low-VOC architectural finishes.

Sansin’s Coating System: Durable & Beautiful

Sansin worked with the team to develop a comprehensive coating system that would bring out the character of the glulam pieces, while also providing maintainable protection from UV and moisture. A three-coat system from Sansin in a custom Golden Wheat color was chosen for its durability, beauty, and environmental profile. KP-12 UVW tinted to Golden Wheat is the first coat, offering a penetrating undercoat that helps to dimensionally stabilize the massive pieces of glulam and moderate water uptake while allowing the wood to breathe. This first coat also kicks off a three-layer strategy to build strong UV protection across the system.

The second and third coats comprise Sansin’s exterior clear topcoat, Precision Coat ENS. ENS is highly water repellent, building a breathable barrier. Sansin worked closely with the architectural team to develop a finish system that led to the beautiful final color, while maintaining clarity through to the wood grain. Prefinishing the glulam with two coats of the Sansin finish in the Western Archrib shop prior to shipment not only ensured proper preparation and adequate product coverage (mil thickness), it also protected the members in transit and in situ during construction. Prefinishing ahead of field acclimatizing helped reduce “checks” or newly opened surfaces as the wood settled. Per the specification, a final coat of Sansin’s Precision Coat ENS was applied at the track and field site allowing an opportunity to spot-finish any newly opened surfaces prior to applying the final coats over the entire surface.

Why Sansin?

There were numerous factors that contributed to the selection of Sansin, including the company’s professional and knowledgeable support team, its success with transparent wood coatings on previous projects, the durability of the coatings for an extended maintenance cycle, and the flexibility of the application process.

“Sansin was the ideal partner because they were able to accommodate the numerous color choices and products that could work well for the demanding exterior environment this wood would experience,” says senior manager of projects and technical services at Western Archrib. “Another important factor is that Sansin could provide long-term maintenance support for the client with a unique proactive aftercare program (called Sansin Care).”

About Sansin

For more than 35 years, Sansin has been the only wood protection company focused exclusively on researching and developing environmentally-friendly, water-borne interior and exterior wood products and technologies that deliver outstanding color, durability and performance without the toxicity found in conventional stains. Sansin wood treatments, finishes and preservatives use water, not petroleum solvents, to deeply penetrate and protect wood naturally, from within.

Headquartered in Ontario, Canada, Sansin has offices in the Netherlands and Rhode Island and dealer locations in Canada, the U.S., Europe and Australasia. To learn more about The Sansin Corporation, or how to become a Sansin preferred dealer, visit www.sansin.com.

PRODUCTS USED IN THIS CASE STUDY

Precision Coat KP-12

Adaptable wood protection for industrial applications.

Dramatically improves topcoat performance for timbers, dimensional laminated lumber and engineered wood, while also protecting wood during construction. Can be used as the first coat of an architectural coating system.

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Precision Coat ENS

A beautiful premium finish with exceptional adhesion.

ENS is a tough, durable satin two-coat finish that can be applied to virtually any surface – from millwork, to siding, to decks and even to improve the performance of other coatings.

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Canada House Convention Centre Protected with Sansin Classic 1-2-3

A stunning convention centre in Ontario features massive logs and is protected inside and out with Sansin.

Canada House is a 34,000-square foot log facility – the largest log convention centre in the world – that references the history of log construction in the Georgian Bay Region of Ontario. The convention centre is nestled in the pink granite of the La Cloche Mountain range that embraces the charming, historic town of Killarney. Canada House is an addition to the Killarney Mountain Lodge and serves to create a 12-month revenue stream, allowing the formerly seasonal resort to stay open year-round.

The grand facility – which was custom built to a 200-year standard – offers eight meeting rooms, two banquet halls with a combined capacity of 370, a state-of-the-art fitness centre, a Ranch House fine-dining restaurant, and a variety of configuration options.

Showcasing Local Wood

The owner was dedicated to utilizing the talents of local experts as much as possible and to sourcing the majority of the materials locally. The logs – the showcase of the structure – were required to be at least 18” in diameter with some as big as 24” in diameter.

To pay homage to the First Nations history in and around Killarney, the owner worked with log crews in the Wikwemikong Unceded Indian Reserve to harvest over 170 tons of white pine logs for the project, ensuring the people of Wikwemikong became part of the history of the building. The remaining logs were sourced from Quebec. Structural wood – Douglas Fir timbers for posts and beams – came from British Columbia, a trek of more than 3,000 kilometers.

Great care was taken to prepare the logs for construction. The logs were stripped of bark and seasoned for several weeks before being hand-shaped with a draw knife. Then, they were pre-assembled at the builder’s yard in a process that included tagging, numbering and disassembling the logs. Finally, the tagged logs were trucked to the construction site and assembled in what came to be referred to as a “ballet of cranes.”

Why Sansin?

The owner put as much care into selecting the coating system for the wood as he did into sourcing the logs themselves. Canada House needed a sustainable finish that provided not only superior protection, but also the right aesthetics. Selecting finishes that were easy to maintain for years to come was also paramount to the decision to coat the wood with Sansin.

PRODUCTS USED IN THIS CASE STUDY

Classic System

High-performance penetrating system for log homes.

Penetrating environmentally-friendly three-coat system designed for big timber and logs in exterior applications.

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Purity Floor

Ultra-tough gymnasium grade protection for floors.

Easy to apply, and durable, chemical- and scratch-resistant, Floor is the ultimate in beauty and protection for wood floors of all kinds.

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Timber-Tec

Industrial-strength wood treatment for in-yard protection.

Protects against surface discoloration and weathering. Repels moisture and allows wood to breathe. Can be applied to both green and seasoned timbers.

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A beloved four-season recreational facility in London, Ontario, builds a new multi-purpose chalet featuring stunning cedar soffits protected by Sansin SDF FR.

Boler Mountain is Southwestern Ontario’s most dynamic destination for outdoor adventure. Over the last 70 years, Boler has expanded to become a four-season destination with skiing, tubing, mountain biking, beach volleyball, an Ariel Adventure Park and zip lining. Boler attracts over 120,000 outdoor enthusiasts annually.

In 2016, Boler Mountain announced it was adding a $6.1 million chalet at the base of the ski hill, resplendent with beautiful cedar soffits and cedar bulkheads. The 16,000-square foot, three-level facility with huge walls of windows opened in December 2017. It brings a new level of guest services, offering spectacular views of the ski hill and a cozy place to sit and watch the activity outside. It also features a state-of-the-art kitchen and dining facilities, increasing capacity to host weddings and corporate events. The new structure was designed and built to complement Boler’s existing chalet, which was given a face-lift and is now used for equipment rental.

Wood – A Natural Choice

The design of the new chalet – with the dramatic use of cedar and stone – emphasizes the strong connection to the natural landscape, while taking a modern approach to a traditional ski lodge. The building – with sweeping cedar soffits that start in the breezeway outside and extend into the interior spaces – is designed to maximize views to nature and draw natural light into the open-concept facility. The flexible space can be configured to accommodate small gatherings or groups of up to 200 people.

“Wood was selected for the new chalet to harken back to historic ski chalets, but with a modern twist,” explains Ryan Stirling of Architects Tillmann Ruth Robinson. “It also ties nicely into the existing building, which we wanted to complement with the new look.” Stirling says cedar wood was chosen because it can better withstand the moisture created by Boler’s snow-making machines and Mother Nature.

Why Sansin?

The Boler Mountain team knew they wanted to protect their investment in the wood-forward facility – the most financially ambitious undertaking in Boler’s 70-year history. To beautify and protect the wood on new and existing buildings, Sansin’s flagship SDF finish was chosen for its ability to repel moisture, protect from UV exposure and withstand weather fluctuations.

A custom dark grey color (Modified Chesapeake) was used on the original building’s pine siding. For the cedar siding, Sansin’s popular Autumn Gold color was applied on both the existing building and the cedar soffits for the new chalet.

To meet code, the new cedar soffits had to be coated with a fire retardant finish, so Sansin SDF FR tinted to the Autumn Gold color was selected for its ability to be used on outdoor, non-exposed surfaces. Sansin was able to accommodate both needs with two products that were tinted in a way that made the existing and new building look seamless and coordinated.

Marty Thody, a member of the Boler Mountain management team, says Sansin was the obvious choice because of its reputation as a top manufacturer of wood finishes. “We wanted a fire retardant that could work outdoors as a Class ‘B’ finish, while helping the wood last but not take away from the look of the cedar,” says Thody. “Sansin makes the best product – it’s not milky or heavy; it lets the wood shine through.”

Thody says Sansin worked closely with his team to ensure the color for the cedar soffits on the new chalet matched the cedar cladding on the old building and that the pine panels created the desired look. “The new chalet has been open for about a year now, and the cedar inside and outside has significant sun exposure, which would normally set off alarm bells about fading. But thanks to the Sansin stain, it’s not a concern,” remarks Thody.

PRODUCTS USED IN THIS CASE STUDY

SDF

Penetrating one-coat finish for exterior wood.

Exceptionally versatile protection for siding, logs, decks and fences. Beautiful, durable, highly water-repellent, breathable and UV-resistant.

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SDF FR

Class “B” flame protection for interior and exterior non-exposed surfaces.

SDF FR, available in clear or tintable, forms an ignition barrier and reduces flame spread.

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For a busy high-end restaurant in Ontario, the recipe for success includes a farm-fresh menu, impeccable service and a gorgeous al fresco dining patio, resplendent with rich teak wooden tables and benches.

Named one of Open Table’s Top 100 outdoor dining experiences in Canada in 2017, Dolcetto restaurant in London, Ontario, is an elegant, bustling bistro that honors the Italian way of life. The restaurant, which opened in 2012, artfully creates a space that celebrates family and community in a warm and welcoming dining experience for customers.

To invoke a European flare, the walls in the restaurant open to the gorgeous patio, resplendent with rich teak tables and cushioned wooden benches. The effect not only brings the outdoors in, but it also nearly doubles the seating capacity during warm weather months. The owners, brothers Dino and Bob DiFruscia – who are established restauranteurs and have been in the business for 37 years – know you don’t succeed in this industry by doing anything half-baked.

Dino calls Sansin Resolution – a marine-grade wood stain they chose for Dolcetto’s stylish wooden tables and banquettes – the most durable product he’s seen in over three decades of restaurant experience.

“The biggest difference is the tables are significantly more resilient and actually look better than they did new from the manufacturer,” says DiFruscia. “After the first year [before coating with Resolution], I noticed significant wear, so we redid them with Sansin Resolution. The stain was spectacular! They looked amazing and they looked exactly the same after a busy season.”

In the restaurant business, quality, resilience and predictability are at the top of the list of priorities. DiFruscia says Sansin’s Resolution, one of This Old House’s Top 100 Products, did not disappoint. “The tables did not need to be redone when they came out of winter storage – not even a scratch on them from the previous season’s use!” he marvels. “The durability of this product is something I have never seen in my 36 years in business.”

About the Resolution System

Initially formulated for harsh and varied marine environments, Resolution is a two-part, environmentally friendly, NGR (non-grain raising) high-performance wood finish system. Resolution is tougher, more beautiful and longer-lasting than varnish, delivering brilliant clarity and low-maintenance performance. Its high-solids content and fast cure times make it easy to apply and allow projects to get completed quickly – important in the restaurant industry – and others – where time is money. Resolution I is the primer step. It is a high-solids finish that penetrates and fills the wood grain with deep UV and moisture protection. Resolution II is the second step. It is a crystal-clear, low VOC finish available in gloss or satin finishes.

PRODUCTS USED IN THIS CASE STUDY

Resolution

Resolution: High Performing, Wood Finishing System

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For biggest public investment in Quebec City’s history, wood is selected for its aesthetic, environmental and economic benefits.

The New Quebec City Amphitheatre, also known as the Videotron Centre, is a new multi use indoor arena in Quebec City, Quebec. It occupies approximately 64,000 square meters (689,000 sq. ft.) of space and has a capacity for 20,396 people for non-sporting events and 18,259 spectators for hockey games.

Unveiled in 2015, the US$400 million, seven-story arena fits into the city’s strategy of supporting sustainability projects. The facility is currently in the process to achieve LEED Silver certification. It has a dual-structural system consisting of ductile concrete walls and a steel frame, but wood plays an important role not only in the Amphitheatre’s sustainability, but also in its structural integrity, performance and beauty.

Francois Moreau, CEO of ABCP Architecture, a firm internationally known for its sustainable design and certified by the Canadian Green Building Council (CaGBC), explained his design for the Amphitheatre, saying, “The number one motivation for using wood in the Amphitheatre was to give the building a distinctive local signature and foster the quality of the interior spaces.” He added, “However, given the structural capacity and fast construction time required for this type of building, wood also proved to be an economical choice. The environmental benefits of wood were another reason for choosing this material.”

Moreau explained that although many materials such as concrete and steel are recyclable, wood is the only renewable building material and takes very little energy to harvest and process compared to other materials. In addition, wood timber is a carbon sink, a natural reservoir that accumulates and stores carbon dioxide. “So, every cubic meter of wood used offsets one ton of greenhouse gas emissions,” Moreau noted.

Coating for Protection and Beauty

Proper protection to maintain the durability and aesthetic performance of wood in building construction is critical, but the importance of the first coat cannot be overstated. At the Quebec City site, for example, environmental conditions can be daunting, with long periods of cold from the arctic air. Sansin’s high performance, water-borne, environmentally friendly wood finishes were used, with KP-12 used as a protective undercoat prior to construction, ensuring stability, UV and moisture protection. For the interior, Sansin’s Purity Clear created a brilliant finish. Sansin finishes were selected to complement the coloration of the wood and were recommended by Cecobois, a regional program of the Québec Forest Industry Council whose goal is to support innovation and provide leadership on the use of wood and wood products.

The Amphitheatre’s design is part of a growing trend in building design, as Glue Laminated Timber (Glulam) is becoming a desired option for large structures. Beyond aesthetic and environmental considerations, wood structures are now competitive options. For one, wood has virtually infinite building possibilities given its ability to be shaped into curves.

“Architects and engineers are starting to see the full potential of wood as evidenced by media coverage in many local and international publications,” stated Moreau. Moreau believes it’s the responsibility of design and construction professionals to educate their clients of the myriad possibilities wood has to offer.

The Quebec City Amphitheatre is the biggest public investment in Quebec City’s history. The developer’s trust in wood design demonstrates their foresight and stands as a world-class example for building structures of all sizes, shapes and functions.

About KP-12 and Purity Clear

KP-12 is an outstanding penetrating protective undercoat for timbers, dimensional laminated lumber and engineered wood components like CLT and Glulam that enhances dimensional stability and protects wood from UV degradation and moisture absorption. Of note, KP-12 allows subsequent coats to penetrate into the wood nicely, versus other undercoats that act as sealers.

Purity Clear is an excellent high-solids finish that enhances the natural tone and character, especially for light colored woods – like pine and cedar – where a warm, mellow tone is desirable. It is UV resistant, washable, environmentally friendly, and low in VOC’s.

PRODUCTS USED IN THIS CASE STUDY

Purity Clear

A two-coat finish that enhances the natural warmth of wood.

Beautiful topcoat finish that enhances the natural tone and character of wood. Ideal for wood walls, doors, windows and furniture.

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Sustainability was a special point of focus for these office villas composed of broad strips of laminated wood. The wooden sections are made of durable Accoya® wood and attached with coach screws that are left exposed.

Three wood design office villas in Rotterdam’s Brainpark — known as V1, V2 and V3—creatively fit the landscape to provide maximum performance and a unique user experience. Careful attention to the materials and functionality of these buildings, which are used as administrative, commercial and protective facilities, give new meaning to how one thinks of office space. This innovative approach has made them an ideal place for tenants, including the Netherlands headquarters of travel giant Sunweb and project development firm, Proper-Stok.

Design with Durable Accoya

Designed by Mei Architects of Rotterdam, the villas create a powerful first impression. With a striking design concept, they transform the utilitarian nature of a parking garage by locating the entrance through the parking areas (beneath the building) where the lobby and cafeteria are also located. The quality of the interior finish of the parking garage presents a signature calling card for the tenant company.

While designed together, each villa was built with its own distinctive façade. V2 has cladding of very wide laminated wood parts made of durable Accoya wood which are attached with lag screws left exposed. When introduced in 2008, Accoya wood was the recipient of the annual Dutch National Award for Innovation, “The Columbus Egg,” for the most innovative sustainable invention.

Penetrating, low VOC protection – designed for machine application

The villas’ Accoya wood exteriors have kept their unique white appearance by using Sansin Precision Coat SDF (a wood coating formulated for factory finishing). Rated by siding manufacturers as one of the best natural finishes available, Precision Coat SDF penetrates into the Accoya wood, providing outstanding weather and UV protection in a wide range of natural, semi-transparent, as well as solid colors. Its water-borne technology provides complete protection of Accoya.

PRODUCTS USED IN THIS CASE STUDY

SDF Topcoat

Enhanced protection in either clear or solid color.

For additional protection, topcoat with this clear base tinted to your project specifications. Enhances base coats with a more saturated, finish in either clear or solid color formulas.

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An outpatient treatment clinic located in Nijmegen, The Netherlands. The building uses Accoya® wood throughout the facility to create a natural environment to improve patient treatment and outcomes.

The Langeberg Nijmegen Treatment Clinic is an outpatient clinic located in Nijmegen, The Netherlands. The building, designed by architects Buro SBH, in collaboration with Bogerman Dill Architects, uses wood throughout the facility to create a natural environment intended to improve patient treatment and outcomes.

Leegwater selects Sansin’s SDF finish

The characteristics of the façade are a coarse masonry substructure and a differentiated superstructure. The use of two different materials represent the formal nature of the clinic’s work and the informal nature of its setting in the forest.

Leegwater, a distributor of sustainable wood and wood products, has been an avid user of Sansin products for more than 18 years, and recommended Sansin for the clinic. Sansin’s low VOC Enviro Stain, SDF Precision Coat, is highly water-repellent and a natural choice for homes and structures in moisture-rich environments. Not only does SDF Precision Coat protect the outside of the wood, it also protects the inside by allowing the wood to “breathe” helping to prevent moisture from getting trapped in the wood.

SDF Precision Coat enhances Accoya

In addition to protecting the clinic’s stunning wood exterior, Sansin stain enhances the warm, natural beauty of the Radiata Pine treated siding. Radiata Pine, sourced from a variety of locations, typically in New Zealand, is a species mainly used to produce Accoya.

Rated by siding manufacturers as one of the best natural finishes available, SDF Precision Coat penetrates into the Accoya wood, providing outstanding weather and UV protection in a wide range of natural, semi-transparent and even solid colors. Its water-borne technology provides complete protection of Accoya.

PRODUCTS USED IN THIS CASE STUDY

SDF Topcoat

Enhanced protection in either clear or solid color.

For additional protection, topcoat with this clear base tinted to your project specifications. Enhances base coats with a more saturated, finish in either clear or solid color formulas.

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The Oostvaarders Nature Center stands on the edge of the Oostvaardersplassen in the Netherlands, using an Ebony color on its cladding to mimic the dark silhouettes of grazing cattle dotting the horizon of the reserve.

Designed by the Rotterdam architectural firm Drost + Van Veen in 2008, the Nature Center is modest but inviting and rises from the flat land, with a head space that extends into a panorama to see the nature reserve.

The façade of the building’s transformation is recognizable by the numerous framed-view windows. Constructed in massive, prefab wooden walls and floors, with varying diagonal planks, the façade features FSC 100% certified spruce provided by sustainable wood supplier Leegwater of Heerhugowaard, Netherlands. The architecture firm has worked with Leegwater on other projects and trusted Leegwater to select not only the best wood for the cladding but also the best protective coating for the thermally-treated wood.

A long-term relationship of trust

Leegwater, an avid user of Sansin products for more than 15 years, recommended using the penetrating one-coat finish of Sansin’s Precision Coat SDF on the Oostvaarders’ spruce cladding for its proven record of protecting thermally-modified wood and to maintain the organic look of the spruce. The façade’s color, 27 Ebony, was inspired by the dark silhouettes of grazing cattle dotting the horizon of the reserve.

Highlighting natural beauty

Sansin offers natural perfection in protecting Oostvaarders’ wood cladding by only using the finest ingredients, allowing the modified natural oils and resins to penetrate deep into the wood, providing exceptional weather and UV protection. SDF not only protects the outside of the wood, it also protects the inside by allowing the wood to “breathe”, helping to prevent moisture from being trapped in the wood and causing rot. The result is deep and intense wood protection that will endure long winters and damp summers.

Treatments for Engineered Wood

Since the completion of the Oostvaarders Nature Center, Sansin has introduced Eos and Ardera, two new wood treatments that build on the proven results of SDF for exceptional performance on substrates and exterior wood surfaces, including Thermally-Modified and Accoya Wood. Eos and Ardera both provide the quality and features of SDF while improving on its formula to better meet the demands of engineered wood products.

PRODUCTS USED IN THIS CASE STUDY

SDF Topcoat

Enhanced protection in either clear or solid color.

For additional protection, topcoat with this clear base tinted to your project specifications. Enhances base coats with a more saturated, finish in either clear or solid color formulas.

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EOS

Beautiful low lustre water-borne wood finish.

Exceptionally versatile protection for siding, logs, decks and fences. Beautiful, durable, highly water-repellent, breathable and UV-resistant.

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Ardera

Beautiful high-lustre finish for any project, new or old.

Enhances the beauty of almost any wood surface with an exceptionally tough, durable finish. Highly resistant to wear and UV – available in medium or high-lustre.

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Perched above the rolling surf in La Jolla, California, The Salk Institute, revered around the world as a modern architectural treasure, was meticulously restored to reflect its original design.

Restoration and construction is complete on the Salk Institute for Biological Studies, a masterwork founded by Dr. Jonas Salk, the developer of the polio vaccine, and designed by renowned architect Louis Kahn.

Built to house ground-breaking medical research, the restoration effort was led by the Getty Conservation Institute (GCI), which researched and funded the long-term conservation management of the complex that was commissioned in 1965.

Distinctive Teak Elements

During three years of research to prepare for the restoration project, GCI selected the Sansin Corporation to provide the durable, aesthetically-enhancing and environmentally-friendly finish for the Institute’s distinctive teak window wall assemblies, which are major features of the design.

Dr. Salk considered the La Jolla, California-based Institute’s design to be integral to its success. He sought to create a beautiful campus that would attract the world’s best minds to research topics that today include cancer, diabetes, birth defects, Alzheimer’s disease and AIDS, among others. Kahn’s design entailed two wings of laboratory, study and office space that mirror each other on either side of a central courtyard, with a view to the Pacific Ocean. The institute’s concrete construction is accented by the non-uniform appearance of 203 custom teak elements, which include sliding window panes, louvres and shutters.

In the course of its restoration research, GCI’s team discovered deterioration in the window walls due to a combination of mold, exposure to the elements and the effects of previous inadequate installation and maintenance efforts. Erosion was found to have impacted some window sills down to one-quarter of an inch into the wood.

GCI’s meticulous process to restore the windows included studying Kahn’s archived design documentation and performing DNA testing on wood to get replacement teak from the same region as the original. GCI tested many different protective finishes in roof top fence tests by placing teak wood samples on the roof to assess how they would perform in the exposed marine environment. As a result, Sansin was selected to supply its SDF finish to protect and preserve this historical landmark.

In 2006, the 27-acre site was deemed eligible by the California Historical Resources Commission and listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

SDF up to the task for marine environments

Sansin SDF utilizes specially formulated oils and resins that penetrate into the wood, providing outstanding weather and UV protection in a wide range of natural, semitransparent and even solid hide colors. Because SDF is designed to be highly water-repellent, it’s a natural choice for homes and structures in moisture rich and marine environments.

Future maintenance coats will be provided by Sansin’s Eos product.

PRODUCTS USED IN THIS CASE STUDY

SDF Topcoat

Enhanced protection in either clear or solid color.

For additional protection, topcoat with this clear base tinted to your project specifications. Enhances base coats with a more saturated, finish in either clear or solid color formulas.

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EOS

Beautiful low lustre water-borne wood finish.

Exceptionally versatile protection for siding, logs, decks and fences. Beautiful, durable, highly water-repellent, breathable and UV-resistant.

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