Plywood pavilion playfully dubbed 'Freres Stonehenge'

A conversation piece turned up in Lyons of late, and the ladies in office at the local mill have dubbed it “Freres Stonehenge.”

While there is an amusing design resemblance to the venerable, prehistoric Wiltshire, England, monument, the Freres “henge” is actually a prime piece of work that exhibits a modern construction effort.

The piece was part of a Portland Art Museum exhibit: Quest for Beauty: the Architecture, Landscapes, and Collections of John Yeon.

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It's a product of mass-plywood panel, a super-sturdy, cutting edge product that Freres worked in conjunction with Oregon State University researchers to develop and patent. The company is currently constructing a specialized mill east of Lyons that will produce mass-plywood panel.

Vice President of Operations Kyle Freres said the new facility construction is on target. They expect to begin installing machinery in October and anticipate having the mill up and running by Christmas.

Meanwhile, the henge piece will stand in the field across from the company’s office to afford some local visibility. The curious are invited to drop by and take a gander.

Vice President of Sales Tyler Freres shared the following specs on the pavilion piece:

• Made up of 13, 4’ wide by 16’ long by 6” thick mass-plywood panels;
• Fabricated by Kaufman Homes;
• 15,600 pounds total weight;
• Located at Portland Art Museum for last 3 months during exhibit for John Yeon, a pioneer in plywood home construction. 

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