Leonardo’s note reveals ancient method behind today’s green architecture

A newly examined page from Codex Madrid II suggests that Leonardo da Vinci may have anticipated one of today’s most popular sustainable building techniques — the surface charring of wood, known in Japan as Shou Sugi Ban.

On folio 87r of the manuscript, now preserved at the National Library of Spain, Leonardo wrote: “They will be preserved better if their bark is removed and their surface burned rather than by any other means.”

It is a brief remark, almost hidden among notes on mechanics and materials, yet it describes with precision the process of carbonizing the surface of timber — a technique that protects wood from water, insects and fire.

The discovery was made by three Italian researchers — Annalisa Di Maria, Renaissance art scholar and leading expert on Leonardo; Andrea da Montefeltro, molecular biologist and sculptor; and Lucica Bianchi, art historian and researcher. Their study, combining philology, material science and art history, reveals how Leonardo’s thinking anticipated principles that today inspire sustainable and circular architecture.

The Shou Sugi Ban method, documented in Japan only from the 18th century, consists in slightly burning the outer layer of the wood. The resulting carbonized surface makes it waterproof, more resistant to fire, and inhospitable to insects and fungi — all without chemical treatments. Leonardo’s note shows he had already understood the same natural process more than two centuries earlier.

At the time, wood preservation was achieved mainly by immersion, like the Venetian piles left under water for decades. Leonardo, instead, imagined an active transformation of the material — a perfect example of how he united observation of nature with technological foresight.

His manuscripts show a deep understanding of different wood types and their uses: oak and chestnut for durability, ash and linden for flexibility, alder and willow for use underwater, maple and lime for musical instruments. The surface burning technique fits perfectly into this systemic vision of materials and their life cycles.

Today, the method has returned as a key element of bio-architecture. Architects and designers around the world use carbonized wood for façades and eco-friendly structures, reducing the need for chemical coatings and maintenance. What Leonardo observed in the 16th century aligns with the core values of contemporary green design: circular economy, low impact, and respect for natural resources.

For the researchers, the rediscovery of Leonardo’s note is more than an academic curiosity. It offers a reminder that innovation often grows from historical memory.

In an age seeking solutions to the climate crisis, Leonardo’s intuition speaks across five centuries: sustainability, he seems to tell us, can be learned from the wisdom of the past.

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