Masonite, synthetic hardboard (fibreboard), is an interesting material which came to be widely and variously used in the 20th century, with everything from hoardings to weekend cottages being made of Masonite. The Museum has chosen to inaugurate the Design Year 2005 by showing farsighted, creative suggestions for the greater use of an environmentally friendly and inexpensive material.
Masonite
Masonite was invented by William Mason in the 1920s and produced by subjecting waste chips to pressure, vapour and heat simultaneously. The Swedish output was inaugurated by Masonite AB in 1929 at Rundvik, Västerbotten. The breakthrough of the product in Sweden came with its widespread use and marketing at the Stockholm Exhibition in 1930
The Architecture Museum presents a selection of entries from the competition for best design and building application for Masonite. The competition, open to students in Sweden, was arranged to mark the 75th anniversary of Masonite AB in 2004.