FORESDA - Building with Wood Conference

21-12-2017

Multiple issues related to wood Construction were debated at the European Economic and Social Committee during the conference Building with Wood that took place on the 21 of November 2017. The conference was co-organized by CEI-Bois (European Confederation of Woodworking Industries), FIEC (European Construction Industry Federation) and EFBWW (European Federation of Building and Woodworkers), and was opened by a keynote speech from Japanese architect and Sapporo Fuji Women’s Vice-President, Professor Riichi Miyake, who addressed the attendants with an outstanding presentation related to the New Strategy for Sustainable Community in Japan, highlighting the peculiar connection between Japanese culture and wood-based architecture. Representatives from the European Woodworking Industries and European Construction Industry followed with concrete examples to illustrate through the latest achievements in construction, how much wood is at the leading edge of technology, how much it contributes to a healthy way of living, how much it complies with the highest energy saving and energy efficiency standards and how much the new wood building techniques are shaping new professional profiles. The event ended with a very lively panel session from which conference participants could gather numerous indications and recommendations. Among others, they emphasized the Building Information Modeling (BIM) importance - giving timber products the same opportunities for specifications as any other materials, and a crucial role of education - from primary school to designers, people need to be educated about the benefits of legal and sustainable timber, topics both addressed also within the framework of FORESDA project. The conference was attended by a large number of representatives of the Industry, Trade Unions and diverse stakeholders that unanimously agreed on the importance of the event and the relevance of its conclusions.

Programme co-funded by European Union funds (ERDF, IPA, ENI)