Woodknowledge Wales

Woodknowledge Wales

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Search Results for: how to create buildings that work

June 17, 2022 – How to create buildings that work: techniques for measuring building performance

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Practical steps for measuring how buildings are performing in reality that can be adopted by housing providers and their design teams.

The period of low-cost energy is over. To address ‘affordable warmth’ as well as our climate change obligations we need to use a lot less energy and at the same time switch to renewable forms of energy.

How do we successfully deliver higher performance building fabric, shift rapidly to renewables and get it right? An essential step on this journey is to measure and understand how our buildings are performing in reality. Building Performance Evaluation is rapidly becoming a central feature of creating better buildings that work. This ‘How To’ event will demonstrate practical methods for measuring how our homes and buildings are performing in reality that can be understood and adopted by housing providers and their design teams.

The BPE monitoring techniques used during this workshop include:

  • Pulse Test (Air Tightness)
  • SmartHTC (whole building heat loss)
  • Heat Flow Plates (u-values)

Audience: Housing development professionals, architects, surveyors, students

Format: In person event – max. 20 places

Speakers: Richard Jack (BTS) and Diana Waldron (Woodknowledge Wales)

PROGRAMME

Part 1 Theory: 

Theory, Case Studies and Q&A of the various BPE techniques 

Part 2 Practice: 

Demonstration and hands-on use of the equipment within real buildings undergoing testing.

This event is part of Trawsnewid Menter Pren | Transforming Timber Enterprise – an event series providing inspiration, knowledge and skills for a zero-carbon built environment.

The transformation to zero carbon creates new and exciting opportunities for both business and skills development. Our aim in this series of expert led events is to inspire organisations in general and young people in particular to better understand and embrace the opportunities presented by the rapid transformation to a zero-carbon built environment. These ‘how-to’ events cover essential aspects of both new build and retrofit, and major on the better understanding of the use of timber products and the forests from which they are produced.

REGISTRATION

This event is free to attend but you must register via Eventbrite HERE.

Event details

Date: 17/06/2022

Time: 10:00 am – 4:00 pm

Location: Creuddyn, Pontfaen Road, Lampeter, SA48 7BN

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June 8, 2022 – How to manufacture advanced timber frame panels for high performance buildings

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How-to training event on the techniques of high-performance closed panel timber frame and injection of natural insulation< Timber frame construction is evolving fast. Ever increasing energy performance standards are driving rapid innovation in how we conceive and deliver timber frame construction. This is exemplified by a shift from open panel to the more exacting requirements of the thermally broken closed panel construction method. Furthermore, ecological, health and resource considerations are accelerating the shift away from petrochemical products to more natural and resource efficient solutions. This ‘how-to’ training event will introduce participants to the techniques of high-performance closed panel timber frame, manufactured to meet the demanding Passivhaus standard and will include the injection of natural insulation. Audience: Housing development professionals, architects, contractors, timber frame manufacturers, students

Speakers: James Moxey (Woodknowledge Wales), Jasper Meade (PYC)

Format: Blended event offering in person and online participation (via Zoom).

  • Online tickets: 100 places (11am-12.30pm)
  • In person tickets: 20 places (11am-15.30pm)

PROGRAMME

Part 1 Theory (in person and online)

11.00 Advanced panel design

11.30 Injecting Cellulose Insulation

12.00 Q&A

12.30 Close

Part 2 Practice (in person only)

13.30 Practical Workshop: Advanced timber frame manufacturing including design, assembly, taping, and injecting natural insulation.

15.30 Close

This event is part of Trawsnewid Menter Pren | Transforming Timber Enterprise – an event series providing inspiration, knowledge and skills for a zero-carbon built environment.

The transformation to zero carbon creates new and exciting opportunities for both business and skills development. Our aim in this series of expert led events is to inspire organisations in general and young people in particular to better understand and embrace the opportunities presented by the rapid transformation to a zero-carbon built environment. These ‘how-to’ events cover essential aspects of both new build and retrofit, and major on the better understanding of the use of timber products and the forests from which they are produced.

REGISTRATION

This event is free to attend but you must register via Eventbrite HERE.

Event details

Date: 08/06/2022

Time: 11:00 am – 3:30 pm

Pioneering Circular Economy in Architecture

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Renowned author in sustainable architecture, Duncan Baker Brown, to speak at WoodBUILD 2024 workshop on 3 July at 11:30: ‘Circular economy and Sustainable schools challenge’

Image: Dan Baker Brown, founder of BakerBrown, author and leading voice in sustainable architecture

Duncan Baker Brown, founder of BakerBrown Studio, a practice focussing on architecture and the circular economy, is a leading voice in sustainable architecture. He has spent over 25 years pushing the boundaries of sustainable development and circular design. His journey from a passionate environmental activist to an influential architect and academic has been driven by a commitment to addressing the climate and ecological emergencies through innovative design practices.

Duncan will be part of an enticing panel of speakers, including Katherine Adams from Reusefully, Richard Farmer and Sioned Hughes from Gwynedd Council. This session will be hosted by Dr Diana Waldron, Head of Built Environment, Woodknowledge Wales and chaired by Seb Laan-Lomas, Associate and Passivhaus Designer, Architype. This will be one of the parallel sessions taking place on the second day of WoodBUILD 2024 in Swansea, at 11:30 on Wednesday 3 July.

“We are really excited to offer this opportunity for our conference delegates to engage with this amazing panel of speakers. We will be discussing important issues around circular economy, with a particular focus on what can we do to encourage and implement the reuse of materials in construction. This is still quite a niche area in the UK, a situation that is unacceptable in a country that has already declared a Climate Emergency. Why are we still struggling to assist our construction industry in their efforts to reuse perfectly good quality building materials? The fact is that we are still sending large quantities of construction waste to landfill unnecessarily, just because that’s the way the system works here in the UK. We need to join forces to change this and find suitable solutions. We hope this session will bring us a step closer to nudge our industry in the right direction.” Dr Diana Waldron, Head of Built Environment, Woodknowledge Wales.

Duncan recently announced his candidacy for RIBA President, aiming to bring circular economy principles to the forefront of the architectural industry. His practice, BakerBrown, focuses on research-led architectural and consultancy services designed to meet the challenges of a post-COVID world while addressing climate demands.

Circular Economy in Practice

Duncan’s work, both in practice and academia, has garnered numerous accolades, including RIBA National Awards and the Stephen Lawrence Prize for the Brighton Waste House. The prize money from the latter has funded a student prize for circular design at the University of Brighton, where Duncan teaches.

Image: Brighton Waste House.   Source: dezeen

The Brighton Waste House, a project made from waste materials, has evolved from a pedagogic tool to a serious research project. “We’ve installed old duvets as insulation and tiles made from discarded oyster shells,” Duncan explains. “Monitoring their performance has been insightful. The house has gained attention from media and has become a platform for funded research projects.”

Driving Change in the Industry

Duncan believes collaboration is key to integrating circular thinking in architecture. “It’s important to bring together financial modellers, urban miners, architects, and academics,” he says. “The people on the ground are really making a difference.”

His approach is not just theoretical. BakerBrown has been at the forefront of sustainable design since winning the RIBA ‘House of the Future’ competition. Their notable projects include the circular economy-influenced Greenwich Millennium Village and The House That Kevin Built, the UK’s first A* Energy Rated Building.

Image: The House That Kevin Built was designed and constructed – live on television
Source: BakerBrown

Innovative Materials and Techniques

One of the innovative techniques Duncan’s practice employs is harvest mapping. “We take a 5-10km radius around the site to find materials to use,” he explains. This method reduces the carbon footprint associated with transporting materials and supports local economies.

BakerBrown is also involved in an EU-funded research project aimed at finding alternatives to cement, one of the most carbon-intensive materials in construction. “We’ve created beautiful tiles from oyster shells,” Duncan says. “They’re made from 90% calcium carbonate, the same as limestone.”

Future Projects and Visions

Looking ahead, Duncan is excited about a new project inspired by the Brighton Waste House. “The next project is a deconstruct/reconstruct initiative. We’ll dismantle a building slated for demolition and use its materials to construct a new building. It’s about showing that there’s no such thing as waste.”

This vision extends to advocating for reconfiguring existing buildings rather than demolishing them. “In London, buildings are constantly going up and down. We can present alternatives that don’t involve starting from scratch.”

Building a Sustainable Future

At BakerBrown, there’s a strong belief that good design and sustainability go hand in hand. “Our buildings are about material, light, and time,” Duncan says. “They function beautifully, age well, and work with the planet, not against it.”

By partnering with private clients, developers, and local authorities, BakerBrown has demonstrated that it’s possible to build sustainably without compromising on aesthetics. Their work champions the circular economy, using local materials and resources, and focusing on retrofitting and adapting rather than demolishing.

Communication and Education

Duncan is also a passionate communicator. From international symposiums to TEDx talks, Duncan’s influence extends across the globe, inspiring a new generation of architects to embrace circular economy principles. His mission is to spread the message that the built environment can play a crucial role in addressing the climate crisis. “If the built environment is responsible for nearly half the world’s carbon emissions, then it also holds the key to creating a better future,” he asserts.

By championing the circular economy, Duncan is paving the way for a more sustainable future in the construction industry. His journey, marked by groundbreaking projects and a commitment to education and collaboration, serves as an inspiration for architects and builders everywhere to rethink their approach and embrace sustainable design.

For those in the timber industry and beyond, Duncan’s message is clear: sustainable design is not just possible; it’s essential for our future.

Don’t miss the opportunity to hear Duncan speak and collaborate with him, Katherine Adams from Reusefully and ASBP, Richard Farmer and Sionned Hughes from Gwynedd Council, and both Dr Diana Waldron from Woodknowledge Wales and Seb Laan-Lomas from Architype.

Register for WoodBUILD 2024 now and choose ‘Circular economy and the Sustainable Schools’ Challenge’ during the 11:30 breakout session on Day 2, Wednesday 3 July.

Drive change in the social housing sector in Wales

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Understand how to overcome challenges when delivering Net Zero homes at WoodBUILD 2024 workshop, 2 July, 14:00
‘Delivering affordable homes – wood works‘

Mark Davies,
Constructing Excellence in Wales
Rob Wheaton,
Stride Treglown
Steve Cranston,
Delivering Net Zero

This workshop will be a combination of ‘live’ attendees and a virtual audience. You will hear from the creators of the DNZ Pattern Book and other industry experts about the need for energy-efficient low carbon, affordable homes. This will require new design and delivery models and a change in the way homes are designed, built and procured. You will hear about the aggregated demand from 22 Welsh Housing Associations who, working alongside Welsh Government, have committed to a collaborative approach to designing and delivering energy-efficient new homes for their tenants.

David Emery,
Supply Chain Sustainability School

As well as hearing from industry experts, the workshop will encourage contributions from the audience to help agree the best way to deploy the DNZ pattern book at scale to an aggregated pipeline.

Who should attend / Takeaways

Clients, main contractors, timber frame manufacturers, architects and designers, forestry estate managers

What will I learn?

Understand how the DNZ project will create business opportunities; an opportunity to help overcome obstacles in delivering Net Zero homes; to build relationships with clients and suppliers; opportunities to contribute to the DNZ Pattern Book and help shape the conte

Workshop Cost

Join us online: We are keen for as many contractors to take part as possible. If you are a contractor and would like to join this workshop session online it is free to join. All those registered here will receive a follow up email with a Teams link.

Join us face-to-face: If you are a contractor and are interested in joining this workshop face-to-face and other WoodBUILD conference events on 2nd July, tickets have been subsidised courtesy of Woodknowledge Wales.

About our speakers

Mark Davies is Director of CE Wales and a Board Member at Cadwyn Housing Association. Constructing Excellence in Wales is the united voice of the Welsh built environment sector, representing each part of its supply chain. They work with all different elements of construction with both large and small organisations in the public and private sectors to help the industry to improve its performance to deliver better quality and value for money to its clients and end users.

Rob Wheaton is Associate Director Architect at Stride Treglown. Rob is fascinated by designing buildings that are responsive to their context and strive for the highest level in sustainable design. He is an architect leading residential and mixed-use projects run from our Cardiff studio. With vast experience of designing and delivering innovative housing, he is adept at steering projects through complex planning processes and advising clients on design with a view to creating something truly transformative. Rob is also a qualified Passivhaus designer.

Steve Cranston co leads Delivering Net Zero project – a  collaboration of 22 Welsh social landlords who are working to use their aggregated pipeline demand to bring forward the next generation of off site manufactured homes that will achieve a step change in carbon performance. He is a proud grandad and enjoys being outdoors – walking, gardening and sailing.

New pods to bring built environment learners good fabric performance skills

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University of Wales Trinity St David’s Construction Wales Innovation Centre welcomed delivery of two new building performance test pods designed specifically to provide hands-on learning around fabric-first building performance

On 14 December 2023, Julie Evans, Project Manager, Passivhaus Training forCarmarthenshire, announced the arrival of the new building performance test pods for the University of Wales Trinity St David’s Construction Wales Innovation Centre (CWIC) Welsh Timber and Building Performance Development Centre in Lampeter. The pods will be used in the delivery of the Not Business as Usual, Construct Net-Zero Cymru (CNZC) project to train industry, construction students in Further and Higher Education, and other community learners.

“The building performance test pods were built specifically to provide a hands-on experience. They will help built environment students and other learners to better understand what constitutes good fabric performance which is a critically important new skill needed to create low carbon buildings.” said Gary Newman, CEO, Woodknowledge Wales

Designed and constructed in collaboration with Woodknowledge Wales, Rob Thomas, Hiraeth Architecture and Kenton Jones (Designers and Makers), the building performance pods blend teaching, research, and innovation with carefull design and construction to deliver state-of-the-art, practical learning tools.

The pods were built by technical experts to reflect Passivhaus principles and the Welsh Building Regulations. Both pods will enable students to try their hand at Building Performance Evaluation (BPE) techniques such as air tightness, U-Value measurement, thermal performance and heat loss.

A key element in the Not Business as Usual, Construct Net-Zero Cymru (CNZC) project, each pod illustrates closed panel timber frame construction and will also be a useful tool to educate a wide range of audiences in terms of low-carbon, high performance construction using timber as a sustainable building material.

The Not Business As Usual CNZC project will focus on educating learners on the importance of building fabric. It will work to improve principles and techniques applied in the design, construction, and maintenance of a variety of low-carbon construction methods.

“CWIC and its partners are working alongside partners in industry, higher and further education, schools and the third sector to create and deliver micro courses in ‘Fabric First‘ design. Sessions will be held in the UWTSD’s construction workshop using a range of tailor-made equipment and training aids to enhance these skills,” said Julie Evans, Project Manager, Passivhaus Training for Carmarthenshire, Construction Wales Innovation Centre (CWIC)

Read CWIC’s press release: Arrival of new building performance test pods enhances practical learning

Read more about the Not Business as Usual, Construct Net-Zero Cymru (CNZC) project

Wales Net Zero 2035 Challenge Group: evidence submission

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Woodknowledge Wales has submitted evidence on how could Wales heat and build homes and workplaces by 2035

“Woodknowledge Wales was honoured to be invited to participate and submit a response to the Wales Net Zero 2035 Challenge,” said Diana Waldron, Head of Built Environment.

“As a charitable Community Benefits Society organisation, our vision is the transformation of Wales into a high-value forest nation. We place a zero carbon and socially just Wales at the centre of our proposal. We strongly believe well-managed natural resources are key to achieving sustainable development and offer a number of attractive opportunities for financial growth at a national level,” Waldron continued.

We champion retrofit first, biogenic first and fabric first approaches

Inspired by regenerative thinking, we collaborate with our growing membership network to build trust and accelerate learning to proactively drive systemic change across construction, timber manufacturing, forest industries and land-use. 

In our Wales Net Zero 2035 Challenge Group submission, we propose to focus national growth strategies on the following key areas: 

  • Building performance targets and evaluation;
  • Embodied carbon assessment;
  • Creation of a well-governed, standardised, free access UK embodied carbon product database (i.e. EPDs);
  • Land use change;
  • Further bold interventions to support higher national economic development focused on decarbonisation strategies;
  • More skills development and recruitment.

By championing retrofit first, biogenic first and fabric first approaches and focusing on the key areas above, we aim to provide healthier homes for everyone as a socially just nation and ensure all buildings in Wales are on a pathway to achieving higher quality standards. This improvement must, however, take into consideration the negative environmental impact of the construction sector. By holding ourselves accountable for these impacts and their contribution to the climate emergency, we can truly begin to make better decisions to reduce and ultimately eliminate them .

We propose the development of a system which encourages the creation and use of more Environmental Product Declarations (EPDs) across the board.

“The carbon we emit now has much greater impact than carbon emitted in the future”, explains Waldron. ” We cannot just focus on improving operational carbon. Embodied carbon is equally (or even more) relevant.”

The proposed pathway outlined in the Woodknowledge Wales evidence submission also supports biogenic carbon storage in the built environment as a Greenhouse Gas Removal (GGR) solution. We also recommend incentives to encourage changes land use to create more productive forests in Wales, for the benefit of the national economy and ultimately the Welsh people. 

“The overarching goal of the proposal is to achieve a more independent Wales. By reducing dependency on imports of biogenic materials and skills, our country has the potential to fulfil its own economic needs. We just need to create the right system to further encourage these processes,” summarises Waldron.

Read or download the full Woodknowledge Wales, Wales Net Zero 2035 Challenge Group: evidence submission

WoodBUILD 2024

Co-creating a resilient timber value chain

The climate crisis continues to intensify. Our natural and built environments need to adapt to change rapidly. More and more societies see forests and timber construction as a bigger part of the solution to decarbonising our built environment. At the same time forests are becoming more under pressure from global warming. What does this mean for future building projects? WoodBUILD offers an opportunity to meet with experts from across the forest industries and timber construction sectors to learn, collaborate and be inspired.

Since the first WoodBUILD event in 2016, this conference and expo has become the premium timber industry and low carbon housing event in Wales. This year’s WoodBUILD was bigger and better than ever. For 2024 we organised two-days packed with enticing speakers, exhibitors and a series of presentations, panel discussions, immersive woodland walks, interactive plenary sessions, co-creation workshops and hands-on demonstrations. Join more than 250 industry experts on 2-3 July in Swansea.

Find all presentations below with thanks to our sponsors, exhibitors and participants for making this a wonderful event!

WoodBUILD 2024 engaged timber and construction industry stakeholders in a collaborative effort to build new, multi-disciplinary business opportunities and regenerative solutions.

Presentations

DAY 1: Breaking down boundaries

09:15Welcome to WoodBUILD by Rachel Cook, Woodknowledge Wales
09:30Ministerial address by Huw Irranca-Davies,
Cabinet Secretary for Climate Change and Rural Affairs
10:00
Setting the scene with Gary Newman,
CEO, Woodknowledge Wales
10:20Elevator pitches from our sponsors and exhibitors

A presentation and discussion workshop hosted by Anna Dauksta, Forestry and Timber Project Manager, Woodknowledge Wales.
Chair: Elaine Harrison, National Manager Wales, Confor.
Speakers included:
– Kath McNulty, Natural Resources Wales (NRW)
– Andrew Sowerby, Pryor & Rickett Silviculture
– Chris Jones, Woodknowledge Wales
What is sustainable forest management? How is it regulated and certified in Wales? An introductory session for timber users and built environment professionals.

An interactive workshop from our event sponsors, Morgan Sindall Construction. Facilitated by Christiane Lellig, Specialist Advisor Regenerative Systems Change, Woodknowledge Wales.
Morgan Sindall’s Regenerative Twin project set out to drive change across the construction supply chain from a major contractor’s position. By bringing together a team from a broad range of disciplines within the supply chain the project explored the use and complexities of regenerative materials and their impact on carbon, biodiversity, social justice and capex. This workshop elevated learnings from the project and looks at how we can work towards regenerative construction through our own projects and collaborations.

An interactive workshop hosted by James Moxey, Business Development & Delivery, Woodknowledge Wales and Ceri Loxton, Research Scientist, BioComposites Centre, Bangor University.
The UK is facing a significant challenge in attracting young people into both the forestry, timber manufacturing and construction sectors. This workshop brought together a trans-disciplinary group to work together to develop a better understanding as to how we can inspire young people in the value of the forest industries as providing a meaningful career that represents clear and unambiguous climate action.

Participants joined the Alliance for Sustainable Building Products and members of the ASBP Natural Fibre Insulation Group for a workshop exploring how natural fibre insulation (NFI) can help deliver high performance new build and retrofit buildings.
Chaired by Richard Broad, ASBP.
Speakers included:
– Jasper Meade, PYC Construction
– Martin Twamley, Steico
Natural fibre insulation is now the fastest growing insulation segment in the UK. The workshop highlighted the multiple roles of natural insulation materials, which include thermal performance, moisture control and indoor air quality benefits. The barriers to their widespread adoption was discussed, with a debate on how challenges can be overcome to roll out natural fibre insulation at scale.

A presentation and discussion workshop hosted by Anna Dauksta, Forestry and Timber Project Manager, Woodknowledge Wales and chaired by Rob Thomas, Hiraeth Architecture.
Speakers include:
– Dr Dan Ridley-Ellis, Edinburgh Napier University
– Dr Morwenna Spear, BioComposites Centre
– Phil O’Leary, Filros Timber Consultancy
A unique discussIon around home-grown timber, it’s properties, opportunities, and limitations. Best practice tips and tricks for maximising its potential to decarbonise the built environment.

An interactive session hosted by Dr Diana Waldron, Head of Built Environment, Woodknowledge Wales and facilitated by Christiane Lellig, Specialist Advisor Regenerative Systems Change, Woodknowledge Wales.
Speakers:
– Tim Martel, AECB 
– Sally Godber, Warm
– Dr Simon Lannon, Welsh School of Architecture
– Nigel Banks, Octopus Energy
Participants discussed the roles of four different building standards and approaches
– AECB CarbonLite, Passivhaus, EPC SAP assessment and ‘ASHP-first’ or ‘systems-first’ approach – with a special focus on delivering new buildings, but also touching on elements of retrofit. This session helped clients and designers navigate the challenging space between ‘fabric-first’ and ‘technology-first’ to deliver more efficient, comfortable, affordable, and sustainable buildings.

Driving change in the social housing sector in Wales
A hybrid event hosted by Steve Cranston, Climate Change and Rural Affairs Group, Welsh Government. Chaired by David Emery, Sector Manager – Digital & Wales, Supply Chain Sustainability School.
Speakers include:
– Mark Davies, CEWales
– Rob Wheaton, Stride Treglown
– Steve Cranston, Delivering Net Zero
This session was aimed at clients, main contractors, timber frame manufacturers, architects and designers, forestry estate managers. It offered an understanding around how the DNZ project will create business opportunities; an opportunity to help overcome obstacles in delivering Net Zero homes; to build relationships with clients and suppliers; and contribute to the DNZ Pattern Book and help shape the content.

A curated, open space, interactive plenary session facilitated by Christiane Lellig, Specialist Advisor Regenerative Systems Change, Woodknowledge Wales.
Special rapporteurs presented to the room key impressions gathered from across the breakout sessions throughout the day. Delegates and speakers were asked to dive deeper into emerging themes that cut across disciplines and levels of the wood value and construction supply chains. Our aim was to turn thoughts into action. Prepare for impact!

Delegates were introduced to the CWIC workshop and its Building Performance PODs, built specifically to provide a hands-on experience. They will help built environment students and other learners to better understand what constitutes good fabric performance which is a critically important new skill needed to create low carbon buildings.

Delegates were shown around the fantastic facilities offered by the University of Wales Trinity Saint David’s IQ campus buildings, available for hire for multiple event types.

Created by Jamie Brookes at Landspan this incredible bi-lingual immersive woodland experience introduced visitors to the world of immersive film and its application for engagement and visual display of LiDAR maps.

A celebration of the launch of:

  • ‘Timber! How wood can help save the word from climate breakdown’ , the new book by Paul Brennan, Director of Public Affairs for the European Organisation of the Sawmill Industry and the European Confederation of Woodworking Industries. He also works for Timber Development UK.
  • ‘Sitka the Amazing Timber Tree’, an audiobook and illustrated storybook written in Welsh and English by Jenny Bailey, sponsored by Morgan Sindall Construction.

Our guests enjoyed a slap up menu from the Wild & Rare and The Bearded Taco foodtrucks to accompany wine and soft drinks. All served on site at the IQ Building.

DAY 2: Building co-creative relationships

09:30Welcome to day two of WoodBUILD
09:45Keynote speech from Paul King, CEO, Built by Nature
10:00Panel debate: How to create more resilient wood value chains
Chaired by Christiane Lellig, Woodknowledge Wales
Panelist: Paul King, CEO, Built by Nature
Panelist: Darren Jarman, Lowfield Timber Frames
Panelist: Jonathan Poynton, MD, Pontrilas Sawmills
Panelist: Tim Clement, Morgan Sindall Construction

A presentation and discussion workshop hosted by Anna Dauksta, Forestry and Timber Project Manager, Woodknowledge Wales.
Chair: Andrew Sowerby, Pryor & Rickett
Speakers:
– Elaine Harrison from Confor
– Phil Morgan from Sustainable Forest Management and SelectFor
– Chris Jones from Woodknowledge Wales.
How will our forests survive and deliver what society and the built environment need in the context of a rapidly changing climate? A structured debate to discuss the future of UK forest management.

A case study workshop hosted by Dr Diana Waldron, Head of Built Environment, Woodknowledge Wales. Chaired by Seb Laan-Lomas, Associate and Passivhaus Designer, Architype.
Speakers:
– Katherine Adams, Reusefully and ASBP
– Richard Farmer, Gwynedd Council
– Sionned Hughes, Gwynedd Council
– Duncan Baker-Brown, Baker-Brown Studio.
Presentations provided practical examples and discussion around the circular economy in action within schools. The Sustainable Schools’ Challenge case study discussed in this session was Ysgol Bontnewydd.

A member-led workshop chaired by David Hedges, Head of Housing, Woodknowledge Wales. Speakers included:
– Elfed Roberts, Pobl,
– Rob Wheaton, Stride Treglown
– Warren Rowlands, SO Modular.
Gwynfaen, in Penyrheol, is an exemplar social housing development case study for use of timber and timber products to drive down whole life carbon. This session provided an update on progress as the project reaches its halfway point on site.

A second opportunity to enjoy Timber 101.

A presentation and discussion workshop hosted by Anna Dauksta, Forestry and Timber Project Manager, Woodknowledge Wales.
Chair: Gary Newman, CEO, Woodknowledge Wales
Speaker: Gail Merriman, Welsh Government
You heard it here first! Participants found out about the future of Wales’ Timber Industrial Strategy and had their say pre-consultation.

An interactive workshop hosted by James Moxey, Business Development & Delivery, Woodknowledge Wales and Ceri Loxton, Research Scientist, BioComposites Centre, Bangor University.
One route to inspiring young people to pursue a career within the forest industries is to ensure they can access inspiring content, courses and qualifications. This interactive workshop aims to explore and define challenges in these areas and then to develop creative actions for collaboration between people in both the forest industry and the education sectors.

A demonstration and discussion workshop hosted by the Alliance for Sustainable Building Products (ASBP) in collaboration with Clara Koehler, Architect and Embodied Carbon Lead, Woodknowledge Wales. This session will be chaired by Simon Corbey, CEO, ASBP.
Speakers include:
– Katherine Adams, ASBP (Chair)
– Toby Maclean, Allt Environmental
– Richard Broad and Flavie Lowres, ASBP
A demonstration of the ‘Early-Stage Embodied Carbon Tool’ for architects, designers, and housing developers, followed by demonstration of the ‘Carbon Footprint Assessment Tool for Timber Framers and Sawmills’. These timber industry tools are outcomes from the Home-Grown Homes 2 Project. Delegates will be asked to provide user feedback on these prototype tools.

After two days of inspiring presentations, panel discussions, hands-on practice and co-creative workshops, it’s time to reflect on where we go from here. This plenary session critically reviewed conference key points and inspired ongoing action among delegates.

Programme

DAY 1: Breaking down boundaries

Designed to bring together stakeholders from across the timber value chain, provide a safe space to air perspectives, share knowledge, get hands on with new industry tools, and deliver updates on Home-Grown Homes 2.

08:30. Arrivals, refreshments, exhibition and networking

09:15. Plenary 1 – Welcome to WoodBUILD with Ministerial address

Ministerial address by Huw Irranca-Davies,
Cabinet Secretary for Climate Change and Rural Affairs.
Welcome to Swansea, setting the scene, and elevator pitches from sponsors.

11:00. Refreshments, exhibition and networking

11:30. Breakout sessions
1. Sustainable forest management for built environment professionals
2. From circular towards regenerative construction
3. Future generations in the forest industries (Trees, Timber and Housing)
4. Performance of Natural Fibre Insulation in New Build and Retrofit

13:00. Lunch, exhibition, networking

14:00. Breakout sessions
1. Timber 101 – Making wood work in the built environment
2. Navigating the jungle of competing building standards
3. Delivering Net Zero and the Supply Chain Sustainability School

15:30. Refreshments, exhibition and networking

16:00. Plenary 2 – Pushing boundaries – communities of action
Dive deeper into emerging themes that cut across disciplines

17:45. Wrap up

18:00. Woodknowledge Wales AGM for members (closed session)

19:00. Networking and dinner

DAY 2: Building co-creative relationships

Focusing on bringing communities together and developing collaboration for action. First within traditional streams, then deliberately seeking to cross boundaries and develop the ‘next best step’ towards cross-boundary community projects.

09:00. Arrivals, refreshments, exhibition and networking

10:00. Plenary 3 – Rising to tomorrow’s challenges
Keynote from Paul King, CEO, Built by Nature and industry panel debate

11:00. Refreshments, exhibition and networking

11:30. Breakout sessions
1. Managing forests in a changing climate
2. Circular economy and the Sustainable Schools’ Challenge
3. Gwynfaen: a case study for timber frame social housing
4. Timber 101 (take 2) – Making wood work in the built environment

13:00. Lunch,exhibition and networking

14:00. Breakout session
1. Timber Industrial Strategy: Making wood work for Wales
2. Inspiring future generations
3. Development of embodied carbon and footprint assessment tools

15:30. Plenary 4 – Mission possible. Where do we go from here?
Reflection, critical review, and future actions

16:00. Conference close

Speaker list

Minsterial address and keynote speaker

Huw Irranca-Davies
Cabinet Secretary for Climate Change and Rural Affairs
Ysgrifennydd y Cabinet dros Newid Hinsawdd

Huw Irranca-Davies worked in public and private sector management and as a Senior Lecturer in Higher Education before entering politics. In February 2002 he was elected as the Labour MP for Ogmore in a parliamentary by-election, a seat which he held until 2016 when he was duly elected as the Assembly Member for Ogmore at the National Assembly for Wales.

During the Sixth Senedd he has held a number of positions, including Chair of the Legislation, Justice and Constitution Committee, a member of the Climate Change, Environment and Infrastructure Committee, Chair of the Strategic Forum for Regional Investment in Wales and also Chaired the Special Purpose Committee on Senedd Reform.  He was also a member of a number of Cross Party Groups, holding Chair and Vice Chair roles for several.

In March 2024 Huw was appointed to the Welsh Government as Cabinet Secretary for Climate Change and Rural Affairs.

Paul King
CEO, Built by Nature

Paul King joined Built by Nature as CEO after serving as Managing Director, Sustainability and Social Impact, Lendlease Europe, since February 2015.

Previously he was the founding CEO of the UK Green Building Council, May 2007 – January 2015. Before that he worked for WWF-UK as Director of Campaigns, Campaign Director for WWF’s One Million Sustainable Homes campaign and co-founder of One Planet Living.

Paul is a Director of BeOnsite, a not-for-profit organisation that supports people furthest from work into sustained employment, and a Design Council Expert Specialist in the areas of sustainability and net zero carbon. Between February 2017 and February 2023, he was a trustee and Vice Chair of the Board of Centre for London, the city’s only dedicated think tank.

Paul was Chairman of the public/private sector Zero Carbon Hub 2008 – 2016 and a member of the Zero Carbon Homes 2016 Task Force, established by the UK Government to translate the zero carbon homes policy ambition into reality. He was a member of the UK Government’s Green Construction Board and Chair of its Buildings Working Group. He was also a member of the Low Carbon Construction IGT, Sustainable Buildings Task Group, Code for Sustainable Homes Steering Group and the Egan Review of Skills for Sustainable Communities, all commissioned by the UK Government. On an international level, he was a member of the Board of the World Green Building Council and Chair of the WorldGBC Europe Network 2007 – 2014.

Industry debate panelists

Tim Clement
Morgan Sindall Construction
Tim’s role is to make a positive difference on climate change and the wider ecological crisis by changing the way projects are designed and built, empowering teams to realise customers’ sustainability aspirations. In addition, he leads the social value activities across the business to support our customers to achieve long-term social value in their communities. With a background in design management, he studied Interdisciplinary Design for the Built Environment at the University of Cambridge, with a focus on the empirical and sociological aspects of the whole life carbon footprint of buildings. Tim also sits on the carbon and energy action panel for Morgan Sindall Group, and has been instrumental in creating CarboniCa, Morgan Sindall’s whole life carbon assessment tool for construction projects.

Charlotte Hale
Company Director, SO Modular

Charlotte is the multi award winning entrepreneur and Director of SO Modular, a company that specialises in off-site timber construction and Lean manufacturing processes.

Paul King
CEO, Built by Nature

Paul is our keynote speaker.
Please see his full biography above.

Jonathan Poynton
MD, Pontrilas Group
Pontrilas Sawmills are one of the largest processors of Welsh Timber. The company has two Sawmills:
Softwood Mill processing up to 9000m3 per week it is a High Volume/High Yield mill, producing timber for Construction, fencing, packaging and industry.
Hardwood mill cuts primarily Oak, Beech, Ash alongside other native species. Additionally Pontrilas Packaging is part of the group is the largest Wooden Packaging producer in Wales

Chair: Christiane Lellig
Specialist Advisor Regenerative Systems Change
Woodknowledge Wales
Christiane Lellig specialises in systems change and sustainability communications, Christiane has been working as a strategic marketing consultant in Switzerland, Germany and the UK since 1999. She has led national research and behaviour change programmes in various domains ranging from environmental concerns to labour and social justice issues, and has been responsible for the UK timber industry’s marketing campaign Wood for Good since 2016. Her particular interests lie in questions around society in transition, planning and land-use, biodiversity, low carbon housing and sustainable transport.

Speakers

Katherine Adams
Technical Director, Alliance for Sustainable Building Products (ASBP) and Director, Reusefully
Katherine has over 20 years’ experience in sustainability and materials, mostly in the construction sector. She has recently completed a PhD at Loughborough University, looking at how a circular economy can be embedded in the building sector. Working with the ASBP, she provides her expertise to the development and implementation of projects, working groups and to members. She is the owner of Reusefully Ltd, which works across the value chain to implement circular economy solutions with a focus on enabling high value reuse and recycling. She regular works with Government providing policy and strategy advice.  

Duncan Baker-Brown
Founder, BakerBrown
Duncan is a practicing architect, academic and environmental activist. Author of ‘The Re-Use Atlas: a designer’s guide towards a circular economy’ published by RIBA, (second edition due July 2024) he has practised, researched, and taught around issues of sustainable development and closed-looped systems for more than 25 years. He recently founded BakerBrown, a research-led architectural practice and consultancy created to address the huge demands presented by the climate and ecological emergency as well as the challenges of designing in a post-COVID world. 

Nigel Banks
Technical Director (Zero Bills & Low Carbon Homes),
Octopus Energy
Nigel is renowned among peers for his ‘Fabric Fifth’ recommendations that reorder priorities for designers and developers. He is passionate about improving our homes to benefit our health, our wallets and our planet. Having worked in housing design, construction and manufacturing, Nigel now leads Octopus Energy’s work in making Zero Bills the new standard for housing in the UK and around the world. Octopus Energy uses technology to bring lower and more transparent pricing, better service and more sustainable energy to customers globally.

Richard Broad
Director, The Alliance for Sustainable Building Products
Richard has been in the sustainability industry for over a decade, working for a number of progressive sustainability organisations and programmes under the Sustainable Development Foundation umbrella including the Alliance for Sustainable Building Products (ASBP), Building Performance Network, Good Homes Alliance (GHA), Passivhaus Trust and Shine Healthcare Network.

Steve Cranston
Co-lead, Delivering Net Zero
Steve co leads Delivering Net Zero project – a  collaboration of 22 Welsh social landlords who are working to use their aggregated pipeline demand to bring forward the next generation of off site manufactured homes that will achieve a step change in carbon performance.

He is a proud grandad and enjoys being outdoors – walking, gardening and sailing.

Simon Corbey
CEO, The Alliance for Sustainable Building Products
Simon is a Chartered Surveyor, with a Masters in Architecture; Advanced Energy and Environmental Systems from UEL/CAT with a thesis on the BedZED lessons. He worked at Construction Resources (London’s first green building store); BioRegional, based at BedZed, where his duties included a LCA of B&Qs product range and setting up One Planet Products. Simon has worked under the umbrella organisation of the Sustainable Development Foundation, initially working for the Good Homes Alliance and now working for the ASBP to enable real change in the industry and help deliver low carbon healthy buildings. His work with the ASBP concentrates on seminars and learning events but also includes liaising with members and involvement with policy.

Mark Davies
Board Director, Constructing Excellence in Wales
Mark is Director of CE Wales and a Board Member at Cadwyn Housing Association. Constructing Excellence in Wales is the united voice of the Welsh built environment sector, representing each part of its supply chain. They work with all different elements of construction with both large and small organisations in the public and private sectors to help the industry to improve its performance to deliver better quality and value for money to its clients and end users.

Anna Dauksta
Forestry and Timber Project Manager, Woodknowledge Wales
Anna is passionate about creating a future where individuals, communities and businesses across Wales and the UK have a deeper understanding of the vital part forestry and timber can play in improving the sustainability of our built and natural environments.
Anna has had a varied career working in a range of environmental and educational roles including Aberystwyth University, Tir Coed and A Greener Future. She is committed to helping people and the environment during a time of ecological and economical crisis.

Dainis Dauksta
Specialist Advisor Wood Science, Woodknowledge Wales
Dainis is MD of Wood Science Ltd, consultant and researcher for WKW and a visiting wood science lecturer for City and Guilds London School of Art. Dainis has worked in the field of forestry and design of timber structures for more than 25 years. With Woodknowledge Wales, LCRI and BRE Dainis has completed over 10,000 hours of research and published six major reports which demonstrate the potential for and desirability of using homegrown softwoods in construction. Dainis has co-authored the book “New Perspectives on People and Forests” with Eva Ritter.

Richard Farmer
Gwynedd Council
Richard Farmer is a Project and Programme Manager with a career that has spanned the Educational, Environmental and Local Government sectors, focussing increasingly on grant funded capital programmes in the Construction sector. With Gwynedd he has been project manager to the Property Development Unit, which was established to run the county’s 21st Century Schools programme and has won awards with CEW, CLAW and RTPI, including CEW Client of the Year in 2021.

Dr Zachary Gill
Director, SOAP Retrofit Ltd
Zachary is a building performance expert, working and challenging the field of low-energy domestic buildings for over 15 years. In 2019, Zack established his own building performance consultancy, SOAP Retrofit Ltd, to continue championing real-world measurement techniques and developing science-based retrofit approaches. He also leads the Energiesprong UK team on performance measurement and technical design. He co-authored the British Standard on Building Performance Evaluation (BS40101:2022), is a steering committee member for PAS 2035, and is a Mentor for The Retrofit Academy.

Sally Godber
Director, Warm
Sally is a Chartered Mechanical Engineer, Passivhaus Certifier and a member of the UK Technical Panel reporting to the Passivhaus Institut, Germany. She set up WARM with her dad in 2009 to deal with the performance gap she saw in her own projects and continues to be fascinated by understanding faults and how to improve upon them. She will talk to anyone who will listen about this, which led to setting up Coaction CIC training alongside other leading professionals.

Elaine Harrison
National Manager for Wales, Confor
Elaine joined Confor in 2023. She previously spent more than five years with Natural Resources Wales (Cyfoeth Naturiol Cymru), working on forest operations and delivering sustainable management of the Welsh Government Woodland Estate. Elaine represented NRW on the FISA chainsaw working group and chaired the internal restocking and establishment group. She is a council member and trustee of the Institute of Chartered Foresters (ICF), and last year Elaine took part in the ICF emerging leaders programme. She studied for her MSc in Forestry at Bangor University. Her goal is to improve and expand forestry in Wales.

David Hedges

David Hedges
Head of Housing, Woodknowledge Wales
David is Head of Housing. He joined the team in 2018 with 30 years’ experience of the social housing and environmental sectors in Wales. He ran his own freelance consultancy for ten years, working mostly with housing associations. He previously worked with Community Housing Cymru, Wales & West Housing and the Prince of Wales’ Committee. He lives in Carmarthenshire in a timber frame and timber clad home he built with his partner.

Sioned Hughes
Project Manager, Cyngor Gwynedd
Sioned Hughes is an experienced Project Manager facilitating project development and progress from initiation to completion within the Education Department at Cyngor Gwynedd. Sioned has an extensive portfolio managing capital projects within the Sustainable Communities for Learning Programme. Before joining the Local Authority, Sioned worked as a Marketing and Recruitment Officer for Bangor University, engaging with a wide range of stakeholders and organising events promoting Higher Education throughout Wales and the north west of England.

Richard Jack
Technical Director, Build Test Solutions
Richard is an expert in measuring the thermal performance of buildings and Build Test Solutions’ Technical Director. Richard has a background in academic research and delivering retrofit measures for a main contractor, he uses this experience to find and develop new tools which make measurement easier and more cost effective so that measurement can be a normal part of asset management, quality assurance and feedback processes.

Chris Jones
Independent Specialist Advisor Forestry, Woodknowledge Wales
Chris is an independent specialist forestry advisor for WKW. He has over 35 years’ experience of woodland management in Wales previously working for Forestry Commission Wales, Forest Research and Natural Resources Wales. Chris has specialised in understanding and using silviculture to enable the development and management of resilient and sustainable woodlands. Critically he is able to provide the knowledge that links the trees Wales grows, the environment they grow in and the products from the woodlands.

Seb Laan Lomas
Architype
Seb’s passion for timber in construction has driven him to tackling the challenges and opportunities that the industry faces, from fire and water to circular design considerations. He sits on various timber industry groups including the England Government’s Inter-departmental Timber in Construction working group and the Timber Development UK’s sustainability committee and carbon sub-committee.  He has peer-reviewed publications including the LETI Climate Emergency Design Guide and a TDUK paper on assessing the carbon-related impacts and benefits of timber in construction products and buildings.

Dr Simon Lannon
Welsh School of Architecture
Simon has developed techniques to investigate the retrofit of homes to improve the energy efficiency and internal conditions. This research has considered energy use at the different scales of the built environment, from individual buildings, neighbourhoods and to regions. These techniques have been used to map fuel poverty and model decarbonisation pathways for the Welsh housing stock, and to provide evidence for Welsh Government housing policy.

Toby Maclean
Specialist Advisor Construction, Woodknowledge Wales
Toby is a structural engineer with a diverse career engineering everything from oil platforms and concert halls to handbags.  He established the successful TALL Engineers in 2005 that went on to build a reputation for providing practical yet technically sophisticated and holistic solutions to diverse projects in the built environment and concentrating on design from first principles, with the firm increasingly concentrating on timber as a structural material.  Having sold this firm, in 2020 Toby established Allt Environmental to atone for past carbon sins and to address the urgent need to decarbonise the built environment especially in relation to embodied carbon.

Tim Martel
AECB Standards & Certification Scheme Programme Manager
Tim is the Standards & Certification Scheme Programme Manager and an expert in CO2 calculations for buildings. He qualified as a Passivhaus Designer in 2012 and worked on new build, retrofit, domestic and commercial PHPP models. For several years he contributed data for the AECB Retrofit course. Later he also qualified as a Retrofit Coordinator and coordinated 90 retrofits in London. As well as looking after the CarbonLite Certifiers, he also maintains and updates the AECB’s PHribbon software, combining his experience in PHPP with earlier work in research and as a programmer.

Kath McNulty
Team leader, Forest Operations, Natural Resources Wales
Kath has been a team leader of forest operations with Natural Resource Wales (NRW) since 2022. She has previously worked for the Forestry Commission, with work including community engagement and dealing with PAWS restoration. Kath is however, arguably best known for her five-year stint as national manager for Wales at Confor. Impressively, Kath has spent six years sailing around the world.

Jasper Meade
Founder, Pen Y Coed Construction and Insulation Ltd
Jasper has been in partnership with his brother, Ben Meade, since 1993, founding Pen Y Coed Construction and Insulation Ltd. His 25 years of experience working in the sustainable building industry and specialism in timber frame systems using Warmcel cellulose fibre insulation and other blown fibre insulation products, has developed his company’s extensive knowledge in this field.  Through embedded learning processes, continual improvements on design and quality building detailing, ensure that their buildings standards and performances reach best possible values. His willingness to serve on the Wood knowledge Wales board  demonstrates his passion for the sustainable of the construction Industry.

Gail Merriman
Head of Timber Industrial Strategy, Welsh Government
Gail has over twenty years of experience working in rural development, both on policy and delivery. Gail worked on three successive Rural Development Programmes, including as Head of Drafting and Negotiations for the Rural Development Programme for Wales 2014-2020. Gail holds a Post-graduate Diploma in Forestry from Bangor University and is an Associate Member of the Institute of Chartered Foresters. She is currently leading the drafting of Wales’s first Timber Industrial Strategy. Gail has previously worked for Welsh Government in tree health policy, resource efficiency and circular economy. She holds a Post-graduate Certificate in Rural Community Development from University of Wales and has worked within Welsh Government on supply-chain development, innovation and community-led local development schemes, including LEADER, for two decades.

Phil Morgan
Specialist forestry consultant (CCF), Sustainable Forest Management (SFM)
Phil manages forests in Wales and is a specialist forestry consultant in continuous cover forestry (CCF) working all over Great Britain and Ireland. Sustainable Forest Management (SFM) has a wide client base which includes investment forestry clients, NGOs, community groups, NRW, small private woodland and farm woodland owners. Phil runs marteloscope training courses in individual tree selection in Wales. Phil is a past chairman of CCFG and past president of Pro Silva. He is vice-president of the AFI and chairman of the Irregular Silviculture Network (ISN). He is a French speaker and has translated an important irregular forestry text book into English.

James Moxey
Business Development & Delivery, Woodknowledge Wales
James Moxey has a background in academia working at the University of Manchester and the University of Wales. He was Director of the Creative Industries Research and Innovation Centre based in Swansea. He has been the Director of a number of Welsh Government sponsored knowledge transfer centre projects, managed feasibility studies and overseen R&D collaborative projects with Welsh companies. His main focus is enterprise and innovation which means securing funding and providing leadership for innovation projects with a focus on SME growth.

Gary Newman
Chief Executive, Woodknowledge Wales
Gary is the Chief Executive of Woodknowledge Wales and co-founder and board member of the Alliance for Sustainable Building Products. Gary is a construction engineer by training and early career. After completing a wood technology masters, Gary spent some formative years at the at the BioComposites Centre in Bangor as a researcher where he became inspired by the technical possibilities of bio-materials. In 1995, Gary established a fully integrated hemp and flax processing plant in North Wales and contracted the growing of industrial fibre crops on farms in England and Wales. Over the following 20 years Gary was responsible for developing and manufacturing a range of bio-products including horticultural and automotive nonwovens, hemp particleboard and hemp fibre insulation supplied through B&Q.

Phil O’Leary 
Director, Filros Timber Consultancy
Phil provides specialist independent consultancy across the timber sector. Previously, he was head of Timber Consultancy at BM TRADA, the technical authority behind TRADA. With over 30 years of post-qualifying experience, Phil has published in local and international journals about wood science. Phil is also chairman of BSI’s Wood Preservation Committee and a member of the Wood Protection Association’s Technical Committee. As one of the UK’s leading authorities for Visual Strength Grading, Phil specialises in condition surveys of historic buildings, performance assessments and determining the structural strength, quality, performance characteristics, deterioration and preservation of timber. He also serves as an expert witness and develops and presents bespoke timber training.

Elfed Roberts
Head of Sustainability and Innovation, Pobl
As Pobl’s Head of Sustainability and Innovation Elfed has led on Gwynfaen, one of Wales’ most innovative housing projects. He has designed Pobl’s new home sustainability and decarbonisation strategy and works with colleagues on its delivery and to ensure new low carbon homes are commercially viable, comfortable, affordable, and easy to maintain. Elfed’s 30-year career as a chartered architect encompasses sustainability, architecture, housing development, urban design, historic building conservation, and urban regeneration.

Dr Dan Ridley-Ellis
Head of the Centre for Wood Science and Technology, Edinburgh Napier University
Dan is one of the UK’s technical experts on guessing the strength of wood and can talk for hours on the topic – which he frequently does if nobody stops him. His main area of research is understanding the properties of wood, and how they are influenced by tree growth, forest management, and climate. He represents the UK at European Standards Committees for grading of construction timber, and the majority of structural sawn timber produced in the UK is now graded with settings he developed. He was named “woodland hero” for 2016 by Grown in Britain, and is also active in online learning, public engagement and science communication. He was the lead organiser of Bright Club Edinburgh from 2011 to 2023.

Warren Rowlands
Head of Production & Technical Efficiency, Sevenoaks Modular
Having grown up on the family farm Warren has a background in the recycling of precious metals and has worked in the offsite construction industry for over 20 years. He is a specialist design consultant and is responsible for Modular, Timber Frame, Truss, Eco Joist and closed panel systems for manufacture varying from simple to very complex structures, incorporating MMC & DFMA requirements.

Andrew Sowerby
Operations Director – West, Pryor & Rickett Silviculture
Andrew has 25 years’ experience managing public, private and third sector woodlands in Wales. He leads a team of forest managers in Wales and West England and is the elected Vice President of the Institute of Chartered Foresters. He is a member of the Confor committee in Wales and regularly represents them at meetings in the Senedd with other land-use bodies. Andrew’s experience of leading teams, developing operational guidance, and engaging stakeholders has focussed his attention on forest management planning and the development of regional operational programmes; key outcomes for delivering sustainable woodland management at scale and increasing society’s trust in our profession which in turn will give us licence to deliver more on their behalf. 

Dr Morwenna Spear
Research Fellow, BioComposites Centre
Morwenna has worked at the BioComposites Centre at Bangor University for over 15 years, conducting research into timber and a wide range of bio-based materials. She has worked with companies to scale up new technologies and processes, increase efficiency, reduce waste and to assess materials performance. She is a fellow of the IOM3, Chair of the Wood Technology Society. Morwenna is active in research into novel timber treatments; the physical, thermal, and chemical properties of wood. She is also working on energy efficient buildings and researching the environmental effects of materials and objects such as disposable and reusable facemasks.

Dr Robert Thomas
Director, Architect and Certified Passivhaus Designer, Hiraeth Architecture
Rob’s slick and sophisticated work at Hiraeth covers projects large and small across Wales and wider afield; from historic castles, to landmark visitor centres, to beautifully bespoke houses, to low-energy, high performance offsite manufactured whole building systems. Rob’s work with Hiraeth truly celebrates the use of timber in construction from offsite manufactured homeless shelter proposals to ground-breaking multi-unit housing schemes built in Wales using Welsh-timber based volumetric construction techniques. Rob is also a tutor and critic at the Welsh School of Architecture.

Martin Twamley
Technical Director, STEICO UK Ltd
Martin is the Technical Director of STEICO UK Ltd who are a subsidiary of STEICO SE, the world’s largest producer of wood fibre insulation. Martin trained as Architectural Technician, working on numerous projects across Europe, and has been involved in the supply, design and specification of both structural timber products and natural insulation materials for over 30 years. He has also been a guest lecturer on various EU funded skills workshops, which promote the use of natural and sustainable building processes. In his spare time Martin is actively involved with The Conservation Volunteers who aim to connect communities with the green spaces around them.

Dr Diana Waldron
Head of Built Environment, Woodknowledge Wales
Diana is an Architectural Engineer with a BEng (Hons), a Master’s Degree in Environmental Design of Buildings and a Doctorate Degree from the Welsh School of Architecture, Cardiff University. She led the building performance evaluation workpackage of the Home-Grown Homes project (Phase 1) and she continues to lead this area of research for the second phase. 

Rob Wheaton
Associate Director Architect, Stride Treglown
Rob is fascinated by designing buildings that are responsive to their context and strive for the highest level in sustainable design. He is an architect leading residential and mixed-use projects run from our Cardiff studio. With vast experience of designing and delivering innovative housing, he is adept at steering projects through complex planning processes and advising clients on design with a view to creating something truly transformative. Rob is also a qualified Passivhaus designer.


Sponsors and supporters

We currently remain open to sponsor and exhibitor enquiries.

Please find our sponsor and exhibitor pack here.

Exhibitors

The BioComposites Centre at Bangor University offers services at every point in the research, development and commercial application of biomaterials technology.

BlockBuild is a construction system that drives innovation and sustainability through end-to-end digital manufacturing technologies and seamless collaboration.

Buckland Timber is a manufacturer offering a wide range of sustainable timber species, including locally grown. Their glulam is designed and manufactured in Devon.

Celtic Offsite is a manufacturer offering high quality, sustainable timber frame structures complete with factory fitted insulation and windows.

CWIC is an innovation centre with a mission to help the construction sector become a Net Zero industry, champion new technologies and help future-proof skills.

Down to Earth is a social enterprise who use award-winning well-being/education programmes to create remarkable buildings with natural materials.

Hemp Block is a manufacturer of hemp blocks for use in building construction and offering numerous benefits that go beyond traditional construction materials.

Kronospan is a manufacturer of wood-based panels offering products from furniture and interior design to timber-framed houses, building facades and flooring. 

Landscan UK is a licensed, qualified UAV operator, specialising in remote sensing data collection, photogrammetry and GIS augmentation. 

Lowfield Timber Frames is a timber frame manufacturer suppling a wide range of customers from self-builders, local small builders to large regional and national developers.

MDF Recovery provides technology for manufacturers, processors and retailers seeking to implement a sustainable and circular solution to end-of-life MDF. 

Morgan Sindall Construction is a construction & regeneration group with a vision is to be the most sought-after and sustainable business in the industry.

PYC Construction is a timber frame manufacturer that develop, manufacture, and erect high quality systems to produce sustainable, low energy home.

SO Modular is a timber frame manufacturer that design, supply and erect timber frame homes, apartment blocks, retail outlets or education establishments.

Tickets

Full priceEarly Bird*
Two-day ticket£200£100
One-day ticket£150£75
WKW members (two-day pass with AGM)£100£70
Students**£50n/a
Conference barbecue 2 July£30n/a

*Early bird ticket offer ends 30 April 2024.
** Limited availability. Please note: For student tickets only bookings made from an academic email address are accepted.
All tickets give access to both conference and exhibition.

How we get there

Planning to arrive via public transport or car? Find out how to get there here.

Swansea campus is made up of multiple locations across the city.  A dynamic and thriving hub of education and innovation, nestled within the vibrant city known for its breathtaking coastal beauty and rich cultural heritage.

To ensure your smooth arrival and easy navigation around our campuses, please use the University’s “How to Find Us” page to provide you with all the information you need.  Whether you’re travelling from near or far, our goal is to ensure that your arrival is as stress-free as possible.

Parking

On site parking is free at the campus but you must register your vehicle prior to the event. You can pre-register your vehicle using the QR code below. The QR code will only be effective for the 2nd and 3rd July. If you park outside of these dates, then you will receive a parking ticket. Those who wish to set up their exhibitor stands on the evening of the 1st you will need to register your vehicle on campus in reception on arrival. Someone from WKW will be there to assist you.

Please note that parking on campus is ample but we encourage where possible for attendees to use public transport, cycle or arrive on foot.

University of Wales Trinity Saint David (UWTSD),

IQ Campus University of Wales, Swansea Waterfront, Trinity Waterfront, Swansea SA1 8EW

Accommodation options

Hotels Website links 
Premier Inn SA1https://www.premierinn.com/gb/en/hotels/wales/glamorgan/swansea/swansea-waterfront.html
Village Hotel SA1 Swansea Marina Hotel With Parking | Village Hotels (village-hotels.co.uk)
Dragon HotelThe Dragon Hotel | Boutique & Luxury Hotels In Swansea | Hotel Accommodation in Swansea City Centre (dragon-hotel.co.uk)
Morgans Hotel https://www.morganshotel.co.uk/
Towers Hotel 70 Bedroom Hotel, Restaurant, Spa & Wedding Venue | Towers Hotel & Spa Swansea (thetowersswanseabay.com)
Ibis Hotel https://all.accor.com/hotel/6653/index.en.shtml
Travel Lodgehttps://www.travelodge.co.uk/search/results?location=Swansea&lat=&long=&action=amend&checkIn=&rooms%5B0%5D%5Badults%5D=1&rooms%5B0%5D%5Bchildren%5D=0&gclid=1ba1147bcb7515b8aa387277d44c5f0e&gclsrc=3p.ds&msclkid=1ba1147bcb7515b8aa387277d44c5f0e&utm_source=bing&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=UK+-+Brand+-+Exact+-+T3+-+South+-+Swansea+-+Location&utm_term=travelodge+swansea&utm_content=Brand+%2B+Location&sb=1
MarriotMicrosoft Bing Travel – Delta Hotels by Marriott Swansea
Grand hotel Hotels in Swansea City Centre | Grand Hotel Swansea | Wales (thegrandhotelswansea.co.uk)

Timber in construction roadmap | Response

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Woodknowledge Wales welcomes UK Government’s policy paper

On 11 December, following significant collaboration between government and industry representatives from across the supply chain, UK Government published their Timber in construction roadmap [1] for England.

This policy paper aims to support the expansion of low-carbon timber construction in the UK, reduce embodied carbon in the built environment, drive investment into tree planting, forest management and domestic supply chains and create industry jobs. It introduces a framework to implement the UK Governments commitment to increasing statutory tree and woodland cover in England to 16.5% by 2050, the Net Zero Strategy [2], the England Trees Action Plan [3] and the 2023 Environmental Improvement Plan [4].

In her foreword, Rebecca Pos, Parliamentary Under Secretary of State and Minister for Nature states: “Alongside increasing tree planting rates, we need to make good use of the timber arising from the trees we grow, both hardwood and softwood. We have identified that increased use of timber in the construction industry would make a significant difference to stimulate demand for domestic planting stock in England.“

“Increasing our home grown supply of wood, importantly, will reduce our reliance on imported timber. More and safe use of timber in construction will be a key step in supporting the forestry and wood processing sectors to grow and innovate, creating new green jobs and helping level up rural economies,” wrote Pos.

“The TIC Roadmap is a welcomed step forward for England’s timber industry and it is great to see moves to increase supply of home grown wood and reduce import reliance,” said Gary Newman, CEO, Woodknowledge Wales.

Seven priority themes outlined

The document outlines the opportunities and barriers to the use of timber in construction in England, centred around seven priority themes:

  • priority theme 1: improving data on timber and whole life carbon
  • priority theme 2: promoting the safe, sustainable use of timber as a construction material
  • priority theme 3: increasing skills, capacity, and competency across the supply chain
  • priority theme 4: increasing the sustainable supply of timber
  • priority theme 5: addressing fire safety and durability concerns to safely expand the use of engineered mass timber
  • priority theme 6: increasing collaboration with insurers, lenders, and warranty providers
  • priority theme 7: promoting innovation and high performing timber construction systems 

Woodknowledge Wales’ response

“While this policy paper is a step in the right direction, there is no mention of timber in construction as a Greenhouse Gas Reduction (GGR) solution and links to the circular economy need to be stronger,” said Newman.

The built environment is responsible for approximately a quarter of the UK’s greenhouse gas emissions. Timber in construction is an impactful, low cost, and technically ready GGR solution [5]. Large buildings using timber and engineered timber products can store up to 400% more carbon when compared with concrete constructions.

“The paper states that UK Government will ‘work with industry to explore options to reduce carbon emissions associated with timber construction at “end of life” and encourage greater circularity in the supply chain’. However, Government and industry commitment to increasing circularity remains weak, despite the evidence [7] that, in the short term, circularity will do more for climate change mitigation than tree planting,” continued Newman.

Quoted in a recent press release from Confor [8], Dr Eilidh Forster of Bangor University said, “Any climate change strategy must be supported with planting scenarios that have duration, under which we moderate the way we use wood, not just using more but by doing more with the wood we already use.  At its heart must be a vision that everyone can buy into, including [agreement] on the role of forestry in a circular bioeconomy.”

In response to the new Roadmap, Newman continued: “Likewise, the paper asks industry to ‘improve the quality of timber environmental product declarations (EPDs) by 2028 including through creation of a new, free to use timber EPD database being developed by Timber Development UK’. There also needs to be UK Government commitment to the development of a completely independent and well-governed database for all construction products and materials to eliminate data cherry-picking in embodied carbon calculations.”

Other points of missed opportunity Woodknowledge Wales experts wish to highlight include the lack of any mention around the development of a joinery supply chain or any exploration of government-backed insurance to encourage construction of low carbon, biogenic and/or timber buildings.

“Might, for example, there be room for a government-backed joint initiative with insurers, similar to FloodRE, to overcome the risk industry’s aversion to timber buildings and make innovative low carbon buildings more affordable for clients, developers and property owners?” asks Newman. [8]

“Finally,” said Newman. “It’s great to see the connection between the UK forest and the use of timber in the built environment and we look forward to a dramatic increase in the production and use of home grown timber in UK construction.”

Further reading

  1. https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/timber-in-construction-roadmap/timber-in-construction-roadmap#ministerial-foreword
  2. https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/net-zero-strategy
  3. https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/england-treesaction-plan-2021-to-2024
  4. https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/environmental-improvement-plan
  5. Greenhouse gas removal methods and their potential UK deployment, 2021, BEIS
    https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/greenhouse-gas-removal-methods-technology-assessment-report
  6. E J. Forster et al, Circular wood use can accelerate global decarbonisation but requires cross-sectoral coordination, Nature Communications, 25 October 2023, https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-023-42499-6
  7. Greenhouse gas removal methods and their potential UK deployment, 2021, BEIS
    https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/greenhouse-gas-removal-methods-technology-assessment-report
  8. https://www.confor.org.uk/news/latest-news/progress-towards-uk-net-zero-goals-is-way-off-track/
  9. https://www.floodre.co.uk/

Sawmillers visit Grosvenor’s Eaton Estate in Cheshire

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Woodland creation is a viable economic option for some areas of the estate’s farmlands

Grosvenor Eaton Estate’s Head Forester Greg Vickers hosted a visit to the estate’s state-of-the-art sawmilling operation, Grosvenor TimberWorks, and woodlands for Woodknowledge Wales on 25th November 2023.

Participants enjoyed a two-hour morning tour of the sawmill located in Hatton Heath, near Chester, followed by an afternoon walk through just some of the extensive woodlands managed by Greg.

Since 2015, Greg has been Head Forester for more than 2,000 hectares of woodlands across Grosvenor’s Eaton Estate in Cheshire, the Abbeystead Estate in Lancashire, the Halkyn and Nant Estates in Wales, and the Reay Forest Estate in Scotland.

The woodlands create local employment and supply materials to building and property maintenance activities across various estate holdings. The Eaton Estate alone has over 450 properties requiring routine maintenance and upgrades.

The Hatton Heath sawmill

Hatton Heath Mill took five years to build and became operational in 2021. To construct the sawmill, the project team had softwood grown on Grosvenor’s Reay Forest Estate in the North West Highlands shipped to BSW Fort William sawmill for processing, then transported to the Makar Workshop near Inverness. Here the workshop constructed frames and panels and had them transported down to the Eaton Estate for assembly. To fit in with the estate’s vernacular, the sawmill has a red-brick façade, and details such as red rainwater fittings. All the timber fittings within the building use estate-grown and processed hardwoods.

The site is on the southern edge of estate lands and was formerly a dairy farm. Three full time staff are employed in the mill, working five days a week. At present the sawmill aims to produce 2500m3 timber products per annum. The estate uses 20% of production internally across its various sites. The rest it sells to third parties. A small workshop facilitates on-site secondary processing of stock for the buildings team.

The mill works five days per week, usually milling hardwoods on two days and softwood for the other three days. The mill’s daily output can vary between 5m3 and 7m3 when processing hardwood, where special orders will often make up part of the production. When milling softwood, the outputs can rise to 15m3 per day.

The team stack timber outdoors for air drying prior to kilning. They fell and mill hardwoods in winter to avoid rapid drying during summer months.

As well as processing timber from its English and Welsh estates, timber is transported by ship from the Reay Estate via Kinlochbervie in Sutherland to Mostyn Docks. The short distance between the port and the estate helps minimise distance travelled by road, reducing its carbon footprint

The Eaton Estate woodlands

The Eaton Estate woodlands occupy over 400 hectares on the Cheshire plain. Planted for landscape and amenity use in the 1840’s on what had been agricultural land, the woodlands occupy sites along the five approaches (formal drives) to the main hall. The medieval ridge and furrow system are clearly visible within the woodland.

The heavy clay soils primarily hosts oak alongside a mix of broadleaf and conifers. Ash, alder, sycamore, lime, beech, hornbeam, and birch grow among Douglas fir, yew, larch, western red cedar, and Norway spruce. More recent plantings of hybrid lime and cherry have achieved yield class 8 to 10 with Douglas fir achieving yield classes in the high teens. Hornbeam is growing well but attempts to grow sweet chestnut have not been so successful.

Woodland creation is a viable economic option over traditional agricultural practices for some areas of the estate. In particular, the lower ground near the Dee flood plain.

The tour ended back at the sawmill and a donation was made to the Estate’s chosen charity in thanks for their hospitality.

For further information about our Community of Practice for Sawmillers and future site visits, please contact john.sweeney@woodknowledgewales.co.uk

Membership and Communities of Practice (CoP) Manager

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Job opportunity: Join the Woodknowledge Wales team and mission

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Membership and Communities of Practice (CoP) Manager Job Opportunity

Are you passionate about collaborative approaches as a means to drive change? Do you believe in the importance of developing and supporting strong relationships with member organisations built on trust and shared ambitions? Are you committed to improving the quality and sustainability of our natural and built environments? If so, would you like to work with us in Wales?

We’re a growing and highly motivated multi-disciplinary team. As our Membership and Communities of Practice Manager, you will help develop our membership further as well as strengthen relationships with existing member organisations across forestry and land use and the timber supply chain. You will support our communities of practice, a collaborative network of practitioners across the wood value chain. Your role in building knowledge and trust among our members is key to accelerating the just transition to a zero carbon Wales. As such, your work will be instrumental for all aspects of our ongoing and future projects from forest creation up to completed buildings.

Find out more about our current membership on our members page.

Read about our collaborative network of practitioners on our communities of practice page.

Job description

JOB TITLEMembership & Communities of Practice Manager
PURPOSE OF JOBTo manage and develop our membership and our communities of practice (CoP) and to support the Woodknowledge Wales team in delivering on its wider mission and purpose.
REPORTING TOGary Newman, Chief Executive
COLLABORATING WITHCommunities of Practice directorCommunities of Practice chairsCommunications manager
LOCATIONCardiff Office or home-based with an expectation to travel within Wales and the borders as required by the job. This primarily relates to in-person CoP events, visits to our members and occasional in-person team meetings.
AREA OF WORKThroughout Wales working with organisations in the timber supply chain from forest to end-product.
HOURS OF WORKFull-time. Part-time considered. Some long days may be required from time to time including occasional overnight stays.
SALARYBetween £33k and £38k depending on experience
DURATIONFunding for this post is currently secured until 31st March 2025 with an aspiration to develop a long-term funding model for this core role.
HOW TO APPLYSend your CV with a covering letter stating why you believe you are suited to the post to gary.newman@woodknowledgewales.co.uk
DEADLINE FOR APPLICATION3rd December 2023
DATE & LOCATION FOR INTERVIEWMonday 11th December 2023 – online or in Bangor, Gwynedd

About the role

This is a pivotal role in our organisation. You are the key contact and the face of the organisation, when it comes to our members. You are coordinating requests from our team members for collaborations with our members as well as requests coming in from our members. Together with our Communications Manager you will develop member communications. In collaboration with our Chief Executive and members of the team you will work on expanding and developing our membership further.

A significant part of your role is to manage and support our communities of practice (CoPs) in collaboration with the CoP director and the CoP leads. We are currently running five such collaborative networks and are planning to establish two further CoPs over the coming 18 months. Each community has a member of our team assigned as their dedicated CoP lead. The CoP director is responsible for knowledge sharing and learning across these networks by bringing together the CoP leads in our internal ‘CoP of CoPs’.

Our CoPs gather professionals of the same trade or supply chain level around a shared challenge or opportunity. They are an essential part of our work, guiding what we focus upon as well as informing and validating outputs across our projects. This approach helps to extend impacts and accelerate shared learning within and across the supply chain.

Our CoPs are centred around practical solutions and capacity building and give members the opportunity to prototype innovative approaches together with others. Each community defines its own agenda and schedule of actions based on the needs of its members. Woodknowledge Wales ensures flow of information between CoPs, so that we can progress together.

Key Responsibilities

  • Membership engagement and development
  • Supporting the development of our CoPs by working with the CoP leads to plan, organise, attend, potentially facilitate, and report meetings and events.
  • Being able to work effectively with a diverse range of organisations in our existing CoPs (Architects and Designers, Timber Frame Manufacturers, Housing Associations, Small Timber Processors and Joinery Manufacturers) as well as helping to develop new communities in the areas of farming and forestry.
  • Identifying opportunities for collaboration, innovation and change across the supply chain to demonstrate the value of participation in the CoPs, thereby helping to deliver project objectives and help deliver on Woodknowledge Wales vision and purpose.
  • Being pro-active and creative in problem solving.
  • Preparing progress reports and contributing to writing articles for Woodknowledge Wales newsletters and website

In addition, the successful candidate is expected to contribute to the overall mission of Woodknowledge Wales and help design, organise and participate in events such as webinars, workshops and conferences (incl. the annual WoodBUILD conference and expo)

Key abilities / experience

We are looking for someone who can work closely with a growing, independently working team of driven individuals in a flexible and supportive way across job boundaries. You must be able to engage with all relevant individuals and organisations in the supply chain from forest to construction sector. You must be able to do this in a way that promotes trust and supports the mission and purpose of Woodknowledge Wales as an independent for-public-good organisation. You must be able to communicate with humility, empathy and clarity in discussion around complex challenges to landscapes and communities posed by climate change.

Person Specification

Essential criteria

  • Project management
  • Evidence of effective partnership working
  • Thorough working knowledge of Microsoft Office
  • An organised self-starter, able to manage own workload and work independently to tight time scales
  • Excellent communication and interpersonal skills – specifically the ability to work closely with and build trust with partner organisations
  • Excellent problem-solving skills, coming up with ideas and solutions as issues arise.
  • Willingness to work in a flexible way and respond to changing circumstances.
  • Full, clean driving license and access to a car for travel throughout those parts of Wales where there is limited access to public transport.

Desirable criteria

  • Facilitation skills. We can organise training in facilitation skills if required.
  • Be up to date with changes in legislation which impact on the forestry, timber and construction supply chain.
  • Understanding and experience of wider delivery of social value.
  • Welsh language skills would be a plus.

About Woodknowledge Wales

Woodknowledge Wales is an independent mission driven membership alliance. We are a charitable Community Benefits Society, which is a form of cooperative that exists for the benefit of society. We are governed by a voluntary board. We aim to create and share knowledge to accelerate change. We believe that timber demand and supply can be better aligned and more purposefully driven to deliver greater climate change mitigation and biodiversity enhancement across land use and construction. We are transparent and collaborative in our approach.

We are a growing interdisciplinary team of driven individuals motivated to inspire, catalyse and accelerate the transformation to a regenerative zero carbon society through the growing of trees and the use of wood. We believe that the most effective way to do this is to build trust in the change agenda by supporting organisations involved in both timber use and supply. We seek to capture and share the knowledge gained by holding engaging events, by creating informative case studies, by developing new guidance and through inspiring communication. We support policy makers to create enabling policies and then help overcome barriers to implementation.

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