In the latest installment from Architect that exploring the historical applications of building materials and systems through resources from the Building Technology Heritage Library (BTHL), Mike Jackson chronicles the use of plywood as a framing material, decorative feature, and more through the 20th century.
The concept of laminating sheets of wood together with an adhesive dates back to the Egyptian pharaohs. But its widespread application in residential construction and interiors did not gain popularity until the 1930s when a chemist at the Harbor Plywood Corporation developed a waterproof adhesive.