Zwarthout l Shou Sugi Ban is decorating the fire station at Maarn and Maarsbergen (Utrechtse Heuvelrug). In the past, both cores each had their own fire brigade, but they were actually too small for that. That is why they were merged and now there is a beautiful new station building on a site between the two. Fire station ‘MaMa’ cannot easily be ignored when you pass it. The base is a regular industrial building, but you don’t see much of that any more. This is thanks to a number of special applications and materials that Mies Architectuur incorporated into the design, such as the sunshade of the station that consists of a sun-protection awning in the form of an overgrown steel thermally galvanized pergola, provided with PV panels for energy generation.
In addition, the charred wood Shodoshima of Zwarthout l Shou Sugi Ban jumps out on the façade.
There is also extra attention for the lighting and there is a lot of home automation in the building.
All this to become the “most sustainable fire station in the province”, according to the mayor of the municipality.
The “Paradox.” Burning wood to protect it.
It sounds contradictory — but it’s brilliant.
At ORGA, we’re big fans of biobased materials that truly prove their worth. Take our collaboration with Zwarthout | Shou Sugi Ban, for example. By charring wood using the centuries-old Shou Sugi Ban technique, a natural protective layer is created — without the need for paint or chemicals.
The result is a façade with character, built to last for generations. In the three recent projects, we’ve seen how it creates a robust, timeless appearance, while simultaneously contributing to refined, high-quality architecture.
Less maintenance, and a building that only becomes more beautiful with age.
That, to us, is what truly future-proof design looks like.
“We recently replaced the potted decked timber on our farmhouse in the Beemster region with Shodoshima semi-gloss from Zwarthout l Shou Sugi Ban. With special planks 25 cm wide, it looks great on a farmhouse. A very beautiful product and great service from Zwarthout l Shou Sugi Ban!”
”We chose Yoroi for several reasons. First of all, we like the Japanese classical technique used for burning the bamboo. Due to the burning technique Shou Sugi Ban, Yoroi has a fire class B and is maintenance-free. Finally, the black charred bamboo is a regrowable material and aesthetically matches our design perfectly.”
”As a gardener, it is an honour to work with such beautiful traditional products.
The delivery times are also great and you get friendly service.”
We have put together two Zwarthout | Shou Sugi Ban sample boxes: one for interior design applications and one for façade cladding.
That way, you can experience the attention, care and love we pour into each piece of wood yourself. And, of course, the beauty and exclusive looks the various textures have to offer.
