In keeping with its long-standing dedication to corporate and social responsibility, Cikel America recently donated an impressive 6,000 board-feet (22,000 lineal feet) of its beautiful exotic Brazilian Cumaru hardwood for graduate-level architecture students building the first LEED for Homes Platinum level residence in the state of Kansas.
Studio 804, the full-time, one semester, design-build program at the University of Kansas School of Architecture and Urban Planning used Cikel’s exotic Cumaru/Brazilian Teak for the two-level home’s exterior rain-screen cladding and roof. In addition, Cikel, one of the world’s largest vertically integrated exotic hardwood flooring manufacturers, donated 1,350 square feet of its exotic Brazilian cherry for the flooring and stair treads on the second level.
Cikel collaborated with its distribution partner in the area, The Master’s Craft, for this off-the-grid residence referred to as the “3716 Springfield House” in Kansas City, Kan.
The home was built in the Rosedale section of Kansas City with a holistic approach to sustainability. Throughout construction the student team carefully ensured all materials would meet LEED Platinum standards upon completion.
Cikel’s exotic Brazilian Cumaru cladding is the most noticeable feature of the project. Cikel’s Cumaru is naturally weather- resistant and with a Janka rating of 3,540, it represents one of the five most durable hardwood products available. The exotic exterior rain-screen cladding also allows the building to breathe so as to maintain a healthy indoor environment.
In addition, rain water will pass behind Cikel’s Cumaru and into integrated gutters and downspouts that will carry water to an underground reclamation system, also known as grey water. Cikel’s Cumaru was used in a similar fashion over the metal roof of the home to provide a uniform appearance.
Professor Dan Rockhill’s Studio 804 has garnered a national reputation in sustainable building by completing nine green houses in nine years. His graduate-level architecture students have learned to become agents of social change and advocates for ecological thinking. On each project, including the 3716 Springfield House, students do all design work, provide the labor, develop the budget, raise the money, keep the books and solicit building product donations.
In addition to the Cikel’s Cumaru rain-screen cladding and exotic Brazilian cherry floors, the single-family residence features passive solar heating through south facing glass, a vertical axis wind turbine, roof-mounted photovoltaic solar panels, geothermal heat pumps, and used reclaimed wood for the frame. The 3716 Springfield House is the first residence in Wyandotte County, Kan., to utilize renewable energy sources.
