Henri Colombani
Architect
When I practised for 20 years in Canada I had no idea that you could build with anything other than wood! After graduating in 1972 from the University of Montréal School of Architecture I immersed myself in 2x4s, wooden beams and joists. Over in Canada, everything was made from wood: from small wood frame houses to big "square log" buildings, small apartment buildings to motels. A wooden structure was the natural choice in an awful climate. The advantages of speedy construction, perfect insulation, and lack of a thermal bridge were so obvious that no one really thought twice about it. We built with wood, and that was that! Returning to France in the 1990s, I was immediately struck by the heavy constructions that my colleagues were creating: concrete, concrete and more concrete! I thought to myself what a terrible combination. For a long time, I got up early, wondering where in France I could find the wonderful long-lasting exterior siding cladding I was used to. I became so disheartened I began to import it. For a long time, I thought that Landes pine was poor quality wood with knots, checks and resin pockets. Finally I discovered FP Bois and their local, inexhaustible resource of great quality wood that offered high puncture resistance, dimensional stability and great surface treatments to help withstand ageing. It was worth the wait. I waited, I saw, I was convinced!