Sustainable, Strong, and Stunning  

Photo courtesy of Lisa Stinner-Kun

Promoting warmth, beauty, and occupant well-being, Western Red Cedar creates an upscale and comfortable feeling at the Travis Price Centre at Camp Manitou in Winnipeg, Canada.

Timber and wood exteriors and interiors are on the rise, and Western Red Cedar (WRC) is playing a leading role. A highly durable, dimensionally stable, premium species, WRC is actively enhancing more and more commercial projects. “Western Red Cedar has an unmatched combination of durability, stability, and natural resistance to decay. Its texture and wide tonal range bring depth to a design and weathers gracefully, making it an ideal material for reliable long-term performance,” declares Jeff Akerman, RA, NCARB, AIA, principal, RISE Architecture, Brooklyn. Wood and cedar designs are part of a larger architectural trend utilizing natural building materials to create healthier, more productive workplaces and learning environments, healing medical facilities, culturally connected institutions, and inspiring public spaces.

With greater awareness and research proving the health and wellness benefits of natural materials like wood and WRC, coupled with the drive to decrease embodied carbon in the built environment, building owners and tenants are also seeking healthier, more sustainable workplaces. As stated in the Urban Land Institute’s 2024 report, The Materials Movement: Creating Value with Better Building Materials,¹ “Integrating healthy, low-carbon materials in buildings can make assets more attractive to sustainability-minded tenants, who increasingly desire spaces that promote wellness, productivity, and cognitive performance.” Case in point, a recent JLL report, The commercial case for making buildings more sustainable: Creating a more sustainable and resilient real estate future,² reports that the average rental premium for green-certified, class A office stock across eight major markets in the U.S. and Canada is 7.1 percent.

Spelling out some of the specific benefits that wood-designed commercial spaces are bringing to occupants, in Terrapin Bright Green’s 2024 publication, Biophilic design with wood in British Columbia³, Bill Browning, Hon. AIA, MSRED, LEED AP, lists the following:

• Offices: Improved measures of workplace performance, including increased productivity and reduced absenteeism.
• Schools: Improved academic achievement and, among younger students, cognitive development.
• Hospitals: Helped patients heal faster while mitigating occupational stress among hospital staff.
• Retail: Increased shoppers’ perceived willingness to pay, improving gaze attention, and increasing dwell time, all contributing to improved sales.

In an interview with Architectural Record or this article, Browning’s Terrapin Bright Green colleague Catie Ryan Balagtas, echoes these statements, “Occupants report increased preference, productivity, and satisfaction in spaces with wood finishes, which can translate to better retention, creativity, and resilience in commercial settings.”

Western Red Cedar

As a high-quality wood, available in abundance in the Pacific Northwest and Canada, WRC has been used for centuries, and is named by native Americans as the “Tree of Life.” Pitch and resin fee, the material accepts a wide range of finishes, making it more sustainable, versatile, and long-lasting. “Western Red Cedar offers a variety of distinctive warm colors, ranging from pale golds to rich reddish-brown,” says Kathryn Linea Rund, strategic design and development advisor, Real Estate Bee, Sweet Home, Ore. “It ages and wears gracefully, but can also maintain a clean, fresh look. Its flexibility in design applications and its thermal and acoustic properties make it a great choice for commercial spaces.”

Sharing her appreciation for the material, Canadian interior designer Blima Ehrentreu, founder and CCO of The Designers Group, headquartered in New York, states, “Western Red Cedar has a natural elegance that stands out. Its grain and tone are rich, yet understated, so it adds depth without overpowering a space. It is also extremely durable, lightweight, and resistant to decay, which makes it practical as well as beautiful. What I love most is how it ages — it develops a natural patina that feels even more authentic over time, which is rare in materials.”

Cedar’s most popular application is exterior siding and soffits, and it is commonly used for decks and interiors. “We like using Western Red Cedar for exterior cladding and soffits where durability and appearance need to work hand-in-hand,” adds Akerman. “For interiors, it works beautifully for feature walls, ceilings, and other focal points where its grain and warmth may help elevate user experience.” Designing with Western Red Cedar for all these applications, Jason Kun, MAA, AAA, OAA, MRAIC, with 1x1 architecture in Winnipeg, Manitoba, relates that the material is easy to install and maintain. And compared to other material wood products and composite materials, it is a cost-effective option. “We love to specify this material as an interior or exterior finish where geometry, color, and natural materials would add value to the space.

Often, this ends up being used at an entrance or as part of spaces with heavy circulation,” states Samuel Brissette, M.Arch., senior project leader, Snøhetta, New York City.

Photo courtesy of Julian Parkinson/Lucus Epp

Selected for its fine grain, warm color, lightweight, and dimensional stability, Western Red Cedar’s workability for bending, shaping, and tight tolerances was key to Snøhetta, DIALOG, and StructureCraft’s ability to design and fabricate one of the world’s largest freeform double-curved surfaces at the Calgary Public Library.

With exteriors, Ehrentreu likes the warmth of WRC, as compared to concrete or steel, and its ability to make a building stand out without feeling harsh. For interior designs, she likes using cedar for lobbies, feature walls, and ceilings where texture and creating signature spaces are desired. For New York architect Alexander Zilberman, AIA, the indoor-outdoor transition is his Western Red Cedar design sweet spot. “Because it can be utilized as easily for exterior applications as for interiors, we can create elements that wrap a structure with visual continuity from inside to out,” he says. As a clear grade wood, the cedar contains a very tight, straight grain structure, making it suitable for applications seeking a high-end, luxury wood veneer.

As a side note, Zilberman added that he recently stripped paint for a new coat for his home’s exterior and was surprised to discover that horizontal lap Western Red Cedar siding was cladding the entire structure. “The wood is 35 years old but looks like it was installed yesterday,” he remarks.

High Marks for Sustainability

A highly sustainable material, Western Red Cedar not only requires low embodied carbon to produce, but actually sequesters carbon, countering greenhouse gas emissions. Furthermore, specifying the material aligns well with the American Institute of Architects Materials Pledge, which encourages architects and designers to carefully consider the impact of building materials on human and environmental health. “Western Red Cedar is one of the most sustainable building materials we can use. It is renewable, biodegradable, and has a lower environmental footprint compared to many alternatives,” states Ehrentreu. “It requires less energy to produce, stores carbon throughout its life, and can be recycled at the end of use.”

Checking off all five boxes in the Pledge, cedar offers the following:

• Human Health — Low VOC, natural resistance to decay, and promotes biophilic design
• Social Health and Equity — Sustainable harvesting practices and forestry certification promote fair labor and community engagement. Western Red Cedar holds cultural significance for Indigenous communities
• Ecosystem Health — Biodegradable and non-toxic, naturally decomposing
• Climate Health — Carbon sequestration requires less energy to process, lower embodied carbon footprint
• Circular Economy — Can be reclaimed, reused, repurposed, and recycled.

“An amazing thing about Western Red Cedar is that it is inherently sustainable,” asserts Thewes. “Wood will obviously decay and break down when not maintained, so it will not sit in a landfill forever like other products. Also, when harvested from a sustainable source, it can be a renewable resource.”

Warmth and Beauty

One of cedar’s most commonly lauded attributes is its warmth. WRC’s ability to create this environment of warmth effectively humanizes spaces, making them appealing, comfortable, and engaging. WRC’s authenticity and natural texture draw designers to include it in their material palette for projects. While other materials like steel, concrete, and glass have their place, wood designs and features provide balance and soften the environment. “The main reason I like to design with wood for exteriors and interiors is because it creates a warm contrast against traditionally cold and hard surfaces of a building,” explains Thewes. “Concrete, glass, drywall, etc., are all smooth, hard, and cold surfaces. Bringing wood into a space softens the appearance and brings in a more human element to the space.”

For exterior applications, WRC is most commonly found in:

Siding

Perhaps WRC’s most popular application, the look is so sought after that fiber cement and plastic composites attempt to simulate it. In addition to the authenticity, the wood siding performs better and requires less maintenance. The siding can be installed vertically or horizontally and is available in a variety of grades and profiles, including bevel, tongue and groove, lap/shiplap, and board and batten.

Photo courtesy of Ema Peter

Cladding the Leon Lebeniste Fine Furnishings & Architectural Woodworking facility in Squamish, B.C., Western Red Cedar presents a beautiful aesthetic.

Bevel is the most common. This wood type is produced by resawing lumber at an angle to produce two pieces that are thicker on one edge. The manufacturing process produces pieces with one face saw textured and the other face smooth or saw textured, depending on the grade and preference. Tongue and groove and lap siding are called pattern sidings. They are made by machining the board on the edge/edges and face/faces to produce siding with interlocking or overlapping joints and with smooth surfaced or rough sawn faces. And board and batten is a vertical design created using wide, clear, or knotty cedar boards spaced apart with narrower boards (battens) covering the gaps between the boards.

Trim

Used as corner boards, fascia, skirting, and detail around windows and doors, trim is available in the same grades and textures as siding. Clear boards are specified when a clean, high-end appearance is desired, and knotty boards are selected when a more rustic appearance is sought. Textures include rough, surfaced one side with two edges, or surfaced on four sides. The middle option is the most popular, producing a rough-sawn face and a smooth back that delivers uniform width and thickness tolerances. Typically graded from the rough face, it may be reversible to the smooth back.

Soffits

For soffit applications where ventilation is not required, wood soffits lend a high-end look. They can also be used to coordinate with exterior cedar siding.

Photo courtesy of Latreille Photography

At the Southlands mixed-use development in Tsawwassen, B.C., the commercial soffits were designed with Western Red Cedar.

Landscape Features

Resistant to rot and decay, and durable with a beautiful aesthetic, WRC is an ideal choice for decking and other outdoor applications such as pergolas, gazebos, covered walkways, fences, and benches. Regarding interior applications, designers choose WRC for paneling, ceilings, soffits, feature walls, and exposed posts and beams.

Photo courtesy of Brit Kwasney

Western Red Cedar was used extensively at the Wii Gyemsiga Siwilaawksat student housing center at the Coast Mountain College’s Terrace campus in northwest British Columbia. Pictured here is the skylight of the main celebration spaces clad in WRC.

With a selection of different styles, designers can specify panels, for example, with a V-joint, flush joint, fine line reveal, or radius joint. By combining one of these joinery techniques with select surface textures, a shadowing effect can be created.

Surface textures include a smooth surface, rough-sawn appearance, and rougher-headed (rustic). As for grades, Western Red Cedar is initially graded for appearance. These grades include levels of clear appearance and grain pattern, such as Clear Vertical Grain Heart, A, and B grades. The grades also include Knotty appearance grades, such as Select Knotty and Architect Knotty. If a structural grade is required, Western Red Cedar can be applied to light structural applications. Western Red Cedar is installed with high-quality fasteners--made from stainless steel, aluminum, or double hot-dipped galvanized--to prevent staining and discoloration and help to ensure that both the appearance and the performance are maintained over time.

Wood and Biophilic Design

Defined as humans’ inborn affinity to nature, the term biophilia was originally coined by psychologist Erich Fromm in 1964. This notion of people’s attraction to things that are alive and vital was then popularized by biologist Edward O. Wilson in the 1980’s countering urbanization’s growing disconnection with nature. Essentially, the industrialization of society had led to a significant increase in unnatural man-made materials and design styles. As the concept of biophilic design began to take hold, the pendulum started swinging back towards incorporating nature and natural elements in buildings.

Interest in biophilic design has been compounded by the popularization of health and wellness in buildings and the growing body of research providing the increase in health, productivity, and occupant satisfaction associated with daylighting, views, the presence of water, and natural elements like wood and stone. Wood in particular has been documented to lower one’s heart rate, promote stress recovery, and create a positive mood via the visual, tactile, and olfactory senses. “When touching the wood, the soft texture is welcoming. Pair these sensory indulgences with the visual of natural grain patterns layered in warm hues, and you create a sense of connection with nature,” explains Rund.

A respected authority on all things biophilia, Terrapin Bright Green has put out lots of literature documenting studies on biophilic design benefits, reporting the economic advantages for building owners, and providing targeted design advice to best understand and maximize the benefits of biophilic design for occupants.

On the topic of the benefits of wood in buildings, Terrapin Bright Green Associated Partner Catie Ryan Balagtas shares the following characteristics:

• Visual Complexity & Grain. Wood grain offers fractal, collinear, and contour patterns that are easy and pleasing for the brain to process, often described as calming and stress-reducing.
• Tactile Experience. Touching wood vs. synthetic or cold materials like metal activates the parasympathetic nervous system, supporting relaxation and lowering blood pressure.
• Olfactory Experience. The scent of wood, though often subtle, can elicit positive emotional responses and calming physiological effects.
• Color & Warm Appearance. Most wood species reflect light in the warm, yellow-red spectrum, visually conveying warmth and calm—attributes preferred by survey participants globally.
• Associative Processing. The brain rapidly associates wood with nature, trees, and life, triggering positive emotional and psychological responses.
• Material Authenticity. Wood’s unique ability to display variable reflectance through subtle changes in appearance, grain, and luster with lighting/viewing angle is not reproducible with synthetic alternatives and deepens its restorative effects.

“Western Red Cedar embodies the principles of biophilic design. Its natural look, texture, and scent create a sensory connection to nature that is proven to support well-being. People instinctively feel more grounded and at ease in environments that include natural elements and cedar,” says interior designer Blima Ehrentreu, founder and CEO of the New York-based Designers Group.

This aromatic quality makes cedar a popular choice for retail and school environments to create a calming and engaging experience. “My favorite thing about Cedar is the scent,” echoes Rund. “Its signature aroma comes from compounds that help us relax. It can activate our parasympathetic nervous system, i.e., rest mode, and decrease sympathetic nervous system activity—fight or flight. This can lower cortisol, improve mood, and assist in emotional regulation by altering limbic activity. The pleasing odor of Western Red Cedar can also increase alpha brain waves, improve sleep, and even reduce blood pressure and heart rate. This kind of olfactory experience evokes the feeling of being in nature and forests.”

Delving into more details on the biophilic multi-sensory benefits of WRC, Ryan Balagtas lists:

• Rich Color and Texture. Western Red Cedar’s warm hues and pronounced grain amplify wood’s visual biophilic effects, producing a sense of warmth, authenticity, and natural beauty.
• Touch. Its surface is pleasing to the touch, supporting a sensory experience.
• Resilience & Sustainability. It is naturally rot-resistant and durable, enabling large installations of exposed wood both outdoors and indoors, thereby maximizing the beneficial biophilic surface area.
• Association with Life & Shelter. Often used in traditional North American structures and indigenous cultures, Western Red Cedar subtly reinforces psychological associations with shelter, protection, and nature.

Photo courtesy of Lisa Stinner-Kun

Blurring the lines between the interior and exterior, campers and visitors at Camp Manitou feel they are immersed in the surrounding natural environment.

Research and Studies

Dating back to 1984 is a well-known study by Roger Ulrich, Ph.D. Professor of Architecture and Landscape Architecture at Texas A&M University. Ulrich found that post-gall bladder surgery patients recovered more quickly and required less pain medication if their hospital room window had a view of trees as opposed to a brick wall. Some 20 years later, Ulrich contributed to a famous Center for Health Design report summarizing the findings of more than 600 studies that link design decisions to clinical outcomes.

More recently, researchers at the Department of Architecture, School of Design at Shanghai Jiao Tong University in China⁴ studied satisfaction levels and cognitive performance of occupants inside wooden rooms vs. concrete interiors. After 60 to 75 minutes, cognitive testing marked a 10 percent improvement in overall speed and accuracy, and surveyed data reported an increase in user-perceived productivity.

Investigating the wood’s ability to invoke warmth, researchers at the University of Oregon placed subjects in one room with wooden wall panels and another control group in a room with white-painted walls. The theory that wood creates feelings of warmth was validated by participants exposed to wood who reported that they experienced higher levels of thermal comfort.

A similar study conducted by the University of British Columbia and FPInnovations⁵ measured the heart rate and skin conductivity of 119 University students in rooms with and without wood elements. The results showed that sympathetic nervous system (SNS) activation levels, which are the body’s way of preparing for stress, were lower in the rooms with wood surfaces.

Photo courtesy of Julian Parkinson/Lucus Epp

To boost Western Red Cedar’s biophilic properties, experts advise showcasing the grain as shown here on the soffit of the Calgary Public Library.

Maximizing Biophilic Qualities of Wood and Western Red Cedar Design

To get the most bang for your buck, the experts at Terrapin Bright Green share wood design best practices in their book, The Nature of Wood.⁶

• Prioritize Grain Visibility. Use finishes that enhance rather than obscure the grain. Avoid heavy paint or thick lacquer, which dampen wood’s tactile/visual properties.
• Balance Surface Coverage. Aim for wood to cover about half the visible surfaces in a space for optimal stress reduction and comfort, but even partial interventions (accents, furniture, ceilings) can have effects.
• Select Warm Tones. Choose wood species with yellow to red hues for maximum “warmth” and calming impact.
• Use Variety, Avoid Clutter. Integrate wood in areas of high visual prominence (ceilings, feature walls, railings/handles), and avoid excessive knots or busy grain that may distract rather than restore.
• Layer with Other Patterns. Combine wood with other biophilic elements—fractal patterns, plants, natural light, water—for synergistic restorative effects.
• Enable Touch and Scent. Design features where occupants directly touch wood (door pulls, handrails, furniture) and consider using aromatic species where appropriate.
• Highlight Authenticity. Use real wood instead of synthetic alternatives to maintain the full range of biophilic benefits; the brain can distinguish real from imitation.
• Sustainable Specification. Use local, certified, or reclaimed wood to reinforce both environmental messaging and the authentic material connection.

In Summary

As interest in biophilic, sustainable design, coupled with aesthetic trends, continues, architects anticipate seeing a lot more of Western Red Cedar in commercial projects. “Western Red Cedar’s natural weather resistance, dimensional stability, and distinctive beauty make it one of the most reliable materials for exterior cladding, and its use supports local forestry economies and traditional craft,” concludes John Hemsworth, principal, Hemsworth Architecture, Vancouver.

END NOTES

¹The Materials Movement: Creating Value with Better Building Materials. ULI Americas, 2024.

²Commercial case for making buildings more sustainable, Creating a more sustainable and resilient real estate future JLL, 2023.

³Biophilic design with wood in British Columbia. Terrapin Bright Green, 2024.

⁴Shen J. Zhang. Impact of Wooden Versus Non-Wooden Interior Designs in Office Worker’s Cognitive Performance. Perceptual & Motor Skills 2020.

⁵Fell, David. Wood and human health. University of British Columbia/FPInnovations, 2011.

⁶The Nature of Wood. An exploration of the science on biophilic responses to wood. Terrapin Bright Green, 2022.

Barbara Horwitz-Bennett is a veteran architectural journalist who has written hundreds of CEUs and articles for various AEC publications. www.linkedin.com/in/barbarahbennett/