Kebony wood clads the footbridges of Pier 26, in Hudson River Park in New York

Hudson River Park is a community park focused on river ecology, home to a man-made marsh called The Tide Deck. This rocky marsh was built on a concrete platform, creating tidal pools by juxtaposing rocks. Several footbridges overlook the bodies of water, in a space called Pier 26, allowing visitors to stroll peacefully in this natural environment. These gangways are made of Kebony wood because of its durability – a key criterion in the eyes of the project architect – and its notable resistance to harsh maritime weather conditions.

Kebony wood is environmentally friendly, durable and strong. It does not require any special maintenance and acquires an elegant silver patina over time, which here blends perfectly with the body of water overlooked by the footbridges. The patented Kebony process consists of polymerizing the cell wall of softwoods from sustainable sources, by heating them with furfuryl alcohol – a product of organic origin. This is how it acquires all the qualities of tropical hardwood, while remaining environmentally friendly.

The park reveals its ecological theme through five spaces designed as so many ecological zones: wooded forest, coastal meadow, maritime scrub, rocky tidal zone and, of course, the Hudson River. A lawn for sunbathing and a sports playground complete the offer and make the Hudson River Park a place appreciated by all.

Kebony is a real, high-end, ecological and durable wood, used in many outdoor applications: decking, cladding, roofing and furniture.

Kebony technology is a patented production process that improves the properties of softwoods to give them characteristics comparable to those of exotic woods. Thanks to an environmentally friendly process, the woods are impregnated with an organic liquid from agricultural crop waste. By heating the wood, the furfuryl polymers are impregnated into the cell walls of the wood, increasing its density and dimensional stability, and giving it a dark brown color similar to a tropical wood. The company's global headquarters are based in Oslo, Norway, and its production sites are located in Skien, south of Oslo and Antwerp in Belgium.