Shutterstcok.com | VOJTa Herout
A car manufacturer in Italy looked to reclaimed wood from an unusual source in a carless city to inspire its Cambiano concept car. The manufacturer, Pininfarina, used the 30-foot-tall oak navigation pillars that are sunk into Venice's lagoon as beautiful flooring material. Named briccole, the wood's character comes from a lifetime spent submerged in the brackish waters of Venice. The pillars are dinged by gondoliers and bored into by shipworms. Pininfarina's partner, Riva1920, milled the wood into strips for the floor and trim shapes for the interior doors. The result was spectacular thanks to "…this eco-friendly re-use of a natural, discarded material with the enormous evocative force of the cultural, emotional and artistic dimension attributed to Venice all over the world," Pininfarina wrote.
