Marty and Chris McCurry, the co-founders of Bark House find that life is most full when they’re in the forests of the Blue Ridge Mountains. It was only natural that their work would encompass a journey into the depths of this biodiverse ecosystem.
Marty designed and pioneered the manufacturing methods for interior and exterior bark wall coverings from a rare waste material of the forest industry. McCurry created a supply chain built on close relationships and established an ethos of responsible procurement. He is educated in pulp and paper and chemical engineering at NC State and architecture at UNC Charlotte. He focused studies on an environmental approach. Bark House® Poplar Bark Wall Finishes earned the world’s first Cradle to Cradle PLATINUM level certification, were a John Ruskin Prize finalist and an Architectural Record Product of the Year.
Chris grounded the business and built a system deeply rooted in place. She connected it from the forest to the finished building, from the first stakeholder to the last. Her education as a nurse focused on whole-systems with a human-nature approach. The company has been recognized as a Buckminster Fuller Catalyst Company, Regenerative Business by the Sanford Institute, and B Corp Best for the World Company.
They believe that regenerative practice is a continual process and aim. It’s a long game. There isn’t a department at the company for this work, it’s the culture. This is an intimate business and as a demonstration case for regenerative manufacturing, it is more powerful than its size. The work begins in the forest with generational management and preferential procurement for worst-first horse logging aimed at forest regeneration, a methodology Bark House helps sponsor. The pair know the land, are neighbors in the community and created the supply chain. The work shines through the crafting of products with acclaimed manufacturing processes. It culminates as the product is selected by clients who invest in best forestry practices and manufacturing methodology, they seek a deeper point of connection and partnership with nature.