From a British school campus to a secluded retreat in New York's Hudson Valley, eight remarkable buildings demonstrate how rough-sawn timber cladding can transform architectural facades into works of rustic elegance. This diverse collection of structures from around the world showcases the material's ability to blend natural authenticity with contemporary design sensibilities.
Rough-sawn timber represents wood that has been cut to size but deliberately left unfinished and untreated, preserving its natural irregularities and organic qualities. While this approach offers a more economical alternative to planed or dressed timber—which undergoes surface smoothing—the material adds exceptional texture and visual depth to building exteriors. The featured examples include facades constructed with narrow, blackened boards that retain waney edges, meaning one side remains untrimmed to preserve the wood's natural tree-like appearance.
In New York's Hudson Valley, nArchitects designed the CLT House with elongated panels of overlapping, untreated cedar that create a highly textured appearance. The planks are both rough-sawn and waney-edged, employing what the firm describes as "the oldest exterior wood cladding technique used by early settlers." This approach connects the contemporary structure to America's architectural heritage while maintaining a distinctly modern aesthetic.
Across the Atlantic, DSDHA incorporated live-edge wood cladding at Davenies School in Beaconsfield, England, creating a natural appearance that harmonizes with the educational environment. The wooden cladding features a black finish that the studio explains "allows the sense of the architecture to recede," ensuring focus remains on the surrounding tree-lined playground and natural setting.
In southern Chile, the Aka Patagonia hotel demonstrates how local materials can define architectural identity. Designed by Larrou, this hospitality project comprises six prefabricated cabins connected by an elevated walkway, all unified by pale, rough-sawn cladding sourced from the native lenga tree. The boards were intentionally left untreated to encourage natural aging over time, with architects noting that "the aging of the material is a key aspect of the project: achieving a fusion between the built environment and the landscape."
Pad Studio's approach to The Barn in Hampshire, England, showcases material sustainability through the creative use of salvaged wood. Rough-sawn timber, partially reclaimed from an old barn, envelops this residential project. The building's most distinctive feature appears in its gable ends, where tactile boards are positioned as vertical fins with preserved waney edges, celebrating the original curves of the trees from which they were cut.
In Amsterdam, Julius Taminiau Architects created Rhythm House using super-narrow planks of rough-sawn timber that cloak both walls and roof. This residential project pays homage to both musical traditions and local farm architecture. The regularly repeating wooden batons are strategically punctured by windows, allowing natural light to transform the dwelling into what architects describe as an "instrument played by the sun."
American studio Hannah took an environmentally conscious approach with Ashen Cabin in New York, utilizing ash wood destroyed by invasive beetles for this off-grid retreat. The rough-sawn and waney-edged wood boards will naturally grey over time, creating visual harmony with the rocky texture of the 3D-printed concrete stilts that elevate the cabin above the forest floor.
Japanese innovation appears in Kyodo House, designed by Sandwich and Team Low-Energy using three truckloads of timber offcuts to create a sculptural facade. Architects designed the building to feel "warm and rustic, but still contemporary." The rough, textured finishes are magnified through irregular lengths, varying tones and widths, with diagonal mounting techniques that create dynamic visual patterns across the exterior walls.
Completing this international survey, Birdseye Design's aptly named Woodshed occupies a forest clearing in northern Vermont. The tactile siding combines rough-sawn Douglas fir and pine boards reclaimed from snow fences and horse enclosures, paired with expanses of clean-cut glass that create striking material contrasts. This project demonstrates how rough-sawn timber can anchor contemporary residential design within natural landscapes while celebrating both architectural innovation and environmental stewardship.
