Wood is a material that displays a natural curvature response to its interaction with moisture. In design and building practices this behaviour is usually minimized. However in the form of wood veneer it can be used to create a responsive material system. Existing research on wood veneer is often application-specific, where only the findings relevant to the research outcome are documented. As a result, there is a lack of accessible knowledge about the influence of variables on resulting material behaviour. Information that is necessary for designers who wish to design with the material.

This project addresses this knowledge transfer gap between material research and design practice. Using a Material Driven Design approach, the research of this project investigates the moisture-responsive bending behaviour of wood veneer and translates the findings into actionable design guidelines. The project is structured in three domains: material exploration, performance development, and knowledge translation.

In the first domain, variables such as wood species, cutting orientation, fiber direction, programming conditions, and coating strategies are tested. Determining their influence on the curvature response of programmed wood veneer. Providing results that show the curvature behaviour is strongly dependent on the internal material structure and the bilayer system.

The second domain explores the dynamic performance of the material through cyclic humidity tests. Resulting in a material with a controllable bidirectional curvature response to humidity changes.

The primary contribution of the project, the third domain translated the insights on the material performance into structured design guidelines. The relationship between material variables and their resulting performance is communicated into actionable designer-oriented knowledge. Through a workshop evaluation and expert interview, the guidelines show potential as a design tool enabling designers to work with moisture-responsive wood veneer in various design contexts. By documenting experimental findings and presenting them as actionable, design-oriented format, the guidelines act as a bridge between material research and design practice.