ACU project 2017-2021
background
In 2017 Hiroshi Yamaguchi and Gordon Smith learned that an upcoming expansion of the Australian Catholic University meant that a number of high quality campus trees would be felled. Gordon and Hiroshi submitted a proposal to the ACU to salvage the timber and give it a second life as art pieces and furniture purpose built for the university.
Species including stringybark, claret ash, London plane, brittle gum and Himalayan cedar were milled into slabs and then stacked for seasoning where they rested for 3 years.
While the timber was seasoning Hiroshi developed designs for several items specified by the clients. The trees have become a 20-seat boardroom table, a 2.4 metre-tall cross, 4 hand-carved crests representing the campus colleges, 30 petite crosses and a coopered podium.
