Joinery

A good designer understands that joinery can completely transform the appearance of a building. Mostly used on interiors, it can also be an external feature (see the exterior awning, pictured). It’s a versatile medium using the creative flexibility of working with wood, and can express great architectural ideas, shapes, tones and originality in the hands of skilled designers and joiners. This all makes joinery an exciting part of the design process – and it’s key that the architect understands how to use joinery to its best effect. For example, in classical architecture there is language made up of elements that need to be proportioned, combined and arranged in a certain order to achieve a satisfying composition. Much of the effect can be expressed in joinery. When it is used well, with originality and flair, the effect of an elegant traditional interior is understood by everyone. In modern architectural interiors the architecture may also be expressed by the joinery. This is likely to be done with planes of timber and sharp-edged lines and elements such as staircases, screens and built-in furniture. A skilled architect and joiner understand that certain shapes and proportions evoke a particular quality or feeling in a building.