The University of Wales Trinity Saint David’s Construction Wales Innovation Centre (CWIC) is hosting the WoodBuild Conference and Expo 2023 at our Lampeter Campus on July 12 and 13 to focus on the key role of forestry and timber construction in addressing the climate crisis.
The aim of the two-day event organised by Woodknowledge Wales, is to inspire, create new business opportunities, offer a collaborative platform for all participants and to share information on current and future Welsh Government policies.
Day 1 is designed to be very practical and hands on, with delegates given the opportunity to exchange knowledge and collaborate across sector boundaries. As well as a timber industry exhibition there will be workshops, demonstrations, and curated forest walks to help delegates better understand the current and future role of the Welsh forest. Workshop sessions will be hosted by industry experts and practitioners including Katherine Adams (Alliance of Sustainable Building Products), Simon Corbey (Alliance of Sustainable Building Products), Alun Watkins (Passivhaus Trust), Christiane Lellig (Woodknowledge Wales), Andrew Carpenter (Structural Timber Association), Julie Godefroy (Julie Godefroy Sustainability) and Steve Cranston (Welsh Government).
Day 2 focuses on policy and current implementation programmes. . Presentations from programmes, such as the Welsh Zero Carbon Hub, Home-Grown Homes Project, Delivering Net Zero Project, and the first Welsh Timber Industrial Strategy are alternated with interactive plenary sessions making use of the collective intelligence in the room to develop our thinking on these topics further.
Decarbonisation and green recovery are at the core of the Welsh Government’s Well-being of Future Generations Act (2015). As our only widely available renewable construction material, timber plays an important role in developing new low-carbon approaches to construction. As key partners for the Welsh Government-funded Optimised Retrofit project, and other Net-Zero educational campaigns, the University’s ambition is to ensure sustainable materials are at the forefront of Welsh construction and we will support A Low Carbon Wales, by ensuring both residential and commercial buildings are far more energy and carbon-efficient. Whilst underpinning the skills and knowledge eco-system required to deliver these outputs.
In partnership with Woodknowledge Wales, the University was rewarded funding from the UK Community Renewal Fund, to deliver a feasibility study and business plan with the ambition to establish a Welsh Timber Development Centre, which includes plans for the first timber focussed facility in Wales.
Gareth Wyn Evans, Head of CWIC said: “The University of Wales Trinity Saint David’s (UWTSD) mission statement is “Transforming Education, Transforming Lives”. The concept of investing in the wider use Welsh timber and furthering the adoption of low-carbon construction methods is one of CWIC’s commitments to delivering this mission.
“Aligned with UWTSD’s Tir Glas initiative and through our strong collaboration with Woodknowledge Wales, WoodBUILD23 is an example of an innovative educational programme, with sector leading speakers and showcases that assists industry become higher-skilled, more resilient and prosperous.”
Gary Newman, Woodknowledge Wales CEO said: “We need to increase the speed at which we adapt the environment to meet the growing climate crisis and across the world, our forests, and the timber they produce are being seen as a crucial part of the solution. This year WoodBUILD will be bigger and better than ever. It offers a chance to meet experts from across the forest industries and timber construction sectors to learn, collaborate and be inspired.”
There are opportunities to exhibit at WoodBuild. If you would like to exhibit, please contact Ceri Loxton at [email protected]
