13th WOOD Conference – Timber Metropolis: Shaping Africa's Cities Through Sustainable Construction (2024)
Thomas Kaestner | New Zealand | Operations Manager, Hector Egger | "Modern Timber Construction – Think, Plan, Build"
Primin Jung | Switzerland | Certified timber construction engineer FH/SIA Chairman of the Executive Board, Owner, Pirmin Jung AG | "Wooden Dock A with commercial building at Zurich Airport"
Jaakko Paloheimo | Finland | Sustainability manager, UPM | "Responsibility made easy - how sustainability is vital in modern wood construction and partnerships"
Duncan Harrison | Australia | Principal (Toggle Consult) Senior Consultant (Arup), Arup | "Applying mass timber across property sectors to strengthen community"
Schalk Grobbelaar | South Africa | Senior Lecturer, University of Pretoria | "Protobuilding - Developing sustainable and valuable timber housing and modular structures"
Mark O‘Connor | South Africa | Area Sales Manager, Rothoblaas | "The challenges and technicalities of introducing mass timber construction to the traditional construction sector in Africa"
Hans Lemm | Tanzania | Group CEO, Green Resources | "Green Resources Sustainable Building to Sustainable Development in Rural Economies"
Radek Oslizlo | Czech Republic | Head of development, technical manager and salesman, Novatop | "Visual quality wood in the service of sophisticated structural solutions"
David Renggli | Switzerland | CEO, Renggli Group | "Industrialised timber construction: Challenges and opportunities in opening up new markets"
Arthur Bezuidenhout | South Africa | President and CEO, MAXXLIVING | "The future of timber in construction"
Hugo Schumacher | Switzerland | CEO / Founder, Polyloft | "Get out of the box!"
David Talbot | South Africa | Principal, Platform Architects | "Kloof Road House, Bettys Bay: Aspirational timber home design"
Stefan Zöllig | Switzerland | Founder, Chairman of the board, Timbatec | "Timber constructions - what does the future hold? A look into the crystal ball"
12th WOOD Conference – Timber: The Potential for Engineering and Architecture (2023)
Lukas Schiebe | Mozambique | Technical Director, Levasflor | "The Carbon Binding House"
Fabian Scheuerer | Switzerland |Managing Partner, Design-to-Production|"Swatch Biel – digital planning of free-form timber structures"
Franz Tschümperlin | Switzerland | Timber Constructions - Senior Project Leader, sjb|"The Cradle"
Thomas Rohner | Switzerland | Board Committee Building Digital Switzerland/buildingSMART, Berner Fachhochschule |"Sustainability and circular economy as a planning concept"
Marcus van der Hoven | South Africa | Co-Founder & Managing Director, Mass Timber Technologies |"The Mass timber Construction within the South African Building Context"
Carlu Swart | South Africa | Managing Director, Drawbox Design Studio Architects South Africa|"Architecture and Timber"
Reinhard Kropf | Norway | Founder, Helen & Hard |"Embrace"
Siv Helene Stangeland | Norway | Architect and researcher, Helen & Hard |"Embrace"
Sebastian Dietzold |Zanzibar | Founder and CEO, CPS |"The Rise of a new circular economy - from the tree to the house."
Wolfgang Hebenstreit | Austria | Head of international sales, Binderholz |"High technical mass timber solutions for the BURJ Zanzibar"
Oliver Bopp | Switzerland | Head of structural engineering in timber construction, Pirmin Jung |"The House of Wood"
Radek Oslizlo | Czech Republic | Head of development, technical manager and salesman, Novatop|"NOVATOP – A perfect harmony of wood, acoustics and design"
Christian Greyling | South Africa | Architect, Earthworld Architects & Interiors |"Scalable timber systems: A modular approach from furniture to structure."
Roy Trembath | South Africa | Chief Instructor, Log Building |"Wallace’s house"
10th WOOD Conference – Wood: The Future Building Material (2020)
Phillipp Schmon | Switzerland |sjb |"A Tulip for Good Luck"
Anssi Lassila | Finland |OOPEAA|"Sustainable Construction in Wood: The Puukuokka Housing Block"
Reinhard Kropf | Norway | Helen & Hard |"Experiences from the Prefabrication of Wooden Buildings"
Frank Bohm | South Africa | Frank Böhm Studio |"The Value of Space"
Professor Thomas Rohner | Switzerland | Berner Fachhochschule |"The climate gives us the blueprint"
Greg Harvey | South Africa | KZN Timber Homes & Decks |"Sams Country Home"
Craig Patience | South Africa |"New World Luxury"
Siv Helene Stangeland | Norway | Helen & Hard |"Embrace - A safe place for Children and Women – Future Project"
Leander Moons | New York | OMT Archtiects |"CheiChei Living as an equitable local housing solution "
Professor Peter McKeith | USA |"Laminate: The Arkansas Timber Project"
10th WOOD Conference – Wood: The Future Building Material (2020)
Hermann Kamte | Cameroon | CREATIVE DIRECTOR, CHAIRMAN, CEO & FOUNDER, ARCHITECT & DESIGNER, HKA Hermann Kamet & Associates | "Wood As The Alternative To The City Reliance On Less Sustainable Material"
Arne Gunter | South Africa | TUT, BTech in Architecture, 2012 Earthworld Architects, BIM Manager, Earthworld Architects | "A Systemic approach to Timber in the African Context"
Peter Bisset | South Africa | Director, Cottage Concepts | "Tiny homes – a South African perspective"
Gregorie R. Kingsley | Washington USA | PhD, PE President and CEO, KL&A Engineers and Builders | "Kentucky Owl or Aspen Museum Project Washington USA"
Jamie Smylie | South Africa | Architect, Founder/Owner, XLAM | "A South African case for mass Timber"
Thor Olav Solbjør | Norway | CEO, SAAHA | "Bjergsted Financial Park, Stavanger"
Antonella Carfi & Sela Tamar Farner | Switzerland | Students, Bern University of Applied Sciences | "Our Experience planning a Swiss TINY-HOUSE"
Carla Jooste | South African | Candidate Senior Architectural Technologist, Osmond Lange Architects | "My Experince as the Timber Competition winner (WSF)"
Phillipus Rudolph Botha | South Africa | Founder and Director at Werkhof Architects and Engineer, Werkhof Architects | "Floating Fynbos"
Brand Wessels | South Africa | Senior lecturer in Wood Science Chairman, Department of Forest and Wood Science Stellenbosch | “Can (and should) locally produced wood materials become the dominant construction material for South African residential buildings?”
9th WOOD Conference – Modular Timber Constructions (2019)
Lucas Denvin | South Africa | Managing Director, Timbercraft |"Alternative Building Methodology with Timber"
Christian Hess | Namibia | Owner, Holzbau Hess | "Timber bungalows at the skeleton coast"
Max Renggli | Switzerland | CEO, Renggli AG | "Modular Structures"
Andrew Brose | USA/SA | Design Director, MASS Design Group | "Peripheral Timber: Applications for Underutilized Timber in Building Construction"
Neil Hayes - Hill | South Africa | Architect, Neil Hayes-Hill architect | "Stick, Poles, Timber, Elephant Dung and Dust"
Lena Weckstrom | Finland | Architect, Architect Studio Seppo Mäntylä | "New World Luxury - where everything comes together"
Michele Dal Ri | Italy | Engineer, rothoblaas | "Modular Timber Solutions"
Lukas Krbec | Czech Republic | Structural Engineer, A2 Timber s. r. o. | "CLT structure - dialog between Architect and Structural Engineer"
Dr. Nico De Koker | South Africa | Engineer, Stellenbosch University | "Principles of Timber Structural Design for Fire Safety"
Ulrich Grimminger | Germany | Engineer, Konbau | "Advantages of Prefabrication and Timber houses for developers"
Thomas Just | Zanzibar | Chief Product Officer, VOLKS.HOUSE | "Modern Living in Zanzibar - First sustainable development project in East Africa Fumba Town"
Rosie Goldrick | Ruwanda | Engineering Director, MASS Design Group | "Wood Value Chain: Design Considerations"
Stefan Thomas Rubner | Austria | Vice president, Rubner Group | "Temporary Living Spaces made out of Solid Wood"
Warren Papier | South Africa | Junior Architect, Blueprint Architects | "Architect for Ark Angels Educare (WSF Project) - From start to completion"
8th WOOD Conference – Fascination Wood (2018)
Lungile Mabece | South Africa | Chairperson, SAFCOL | "How to change the values and thinking about Timber"
Richard Müller | South Africa | SA University Professor, Nelson Mandela University | "The Shrinkage and Dimensional Stability of wood"
Hermann Blumer | Switzerland | Architect | "Review of innovation in timber construction over the last 7 years"
Reinhard Kropf | Norway | Norwegian Architect, Helen & Hard | "Wood as your Design Partner"
Keith Struthers | South Africa | SA Architect, Naturals Cool | "Bending and Twisting your Creativity - Taking wood to another dimension"
Philipp Zumbrunnen | UK | Director, EURBAN Limited | "BIM & CLT - The perfect match to boost modern timber construction"
Dimitry Denim | Switzerland | Architect | "Algorithms Behind Spatial Timber Structures"
Eliška Oberhofnerová | Czech Republic | Student, Czech University of Life Sciences in Prague | "Progress in Hout Bay House research project: Wood degradation and thermal properties"
Andre Eksteen | South Africa | SA Architect, Earthworld Architects | "The Role of Digital Design and Manufacture in Redefining Current Value Chains and Contractual Environment"
Werner Slabbert | South Africa | SA Developer, Managing Director, Eco Log Homes | "Timber construction: Finance, carbon tax and the green economy"
Elke Zwicker | South Africa | Initiator, Ark Angels Educare | "WSF Project - Progress report and construction begins"
Dawid Rabie | South Africa | Architect | "Evolving Ancient Principals to Solve Current Planning Challenges"
Roger Gentinetta | Switzerland | Bloch SA | "The South Africa Trip of Bloch"
7th WOOD Conference – Wood as a Sustainable, Multifunctional, and Cultural Material (2017)
André Eksteen | South Africa | Architect, Earthworld Architects | "The role of the architect in the rapidly evolving technological landscape. Timber as driver for innovation and democratic industrialization"
Johannes Hedinger | Switzerland | Founder, Com&Com | “Bloch - a Swiss tree in Africa”
Richard Stretton | South Africa | Architect, Koop Design | "Timber - The Democratic Building Material"
Abe Stears | South Africa | SATAS | "The importance of certification on imported timber"
Bruce Breedt | South Africa | Executive director, SAWPA | "The importance of treatment on local and imported timber"
Ben Paine | South Africa | Director, Logo Homes Pty Ltd | "Misconception on Timber Housing in South Africa"
Dimitry Denim | Switzerland | Architect | "Algorithms Behind Spatial Timber Structures"
Pietro Russo | South Africa | Architect and Founder, Ecomo | "The art of pre manufacturing the future"
Barry Muller | South Africa | Wood Technology Lecturer, Nelson Mandela University | "Student’s Timber Structures projects at NMMU George Campus"
Fredy Iseli | Switzerland | Architect, Group ECOCELL AG |"ECOCELL - disruptive building technology"
Roger Kuratle | Switzerland | CEO, Kuratle Group | Jiri Oslizlo | Czech Republic | CEO, AGROP NOVA a. s. | "Largest world skier from wood"
Eliska Oberhofnerova | Czech Republic | Student, Czech University of Life Sciences in Prague | "Surface Degradation of Wood Exposed to external conditions in SA"
Prof. Dr. h.c. Heinrich Köster | Germany | Board Member of Wood Construction Forum | "Prefabrication of wooden buildings: innovation in the areas of production and logistic"
6th WOOD Conference – Wood Promotes Climate Regulations (2016)
Josef Hess | Switzerland | Vice Director, Federal Department of the Environment | "Policies of the past, now and future - wood as an excellent example of sustainability"
Ing.Thomas Hugo | South Africa | Engineer, Greenplan | Ing. Melanie Blumentritt | South Africa | Stellenbosch University | Ing. Eliska Oberhofnerova | Czech Republic | Student, Czech University of Life Sciences | "Hout Bay House"
Richard Peter Grant Brown | South Africa | Professional Senior Architectural Technologist, SA Institute of Architectural Technologist (SAIAT) | "Timber Construction and Regulation XA-Energy Usage in Buildings"
Peggy Sithole | South Africa | Founder and Managing Director, Workplace Entrepreneurship Talent Solutions (Pty) Ltd | "Positioning South Africans to value wood products for socio-economic growth“ - Towards tackling Climate Change
Max Renggli | Switzerland | CEO, Renggli AG | "Modern Timber Constructions Modul R1 - R42" and "Big acceptance of wood in modern cities"
Trynos Gumbo | South Africa | Senior Lecturer and Co-coordinator, University of JHB | "Insights into Wood building technologies: Towards sustainable living environments in the African Continent"
Schalk Kapp | South Africa | Operating Partner, Global Environment Fund | "Turning Forest Industry Byproducts and Residues into Profits: Biomass Energy Case Studies from the Perspective of an African Forestry Investor"
Christian Balanche | France | CEO, Simonin sas | France Jannick Jahnke | Technical Sales, Simonin sas | France | "Modern free-form timber structures, French Pavilion Milan"
Jacques Cronjé | South Africa | Owner, Jacques Cronje Timber Design | "Jury member WSF"
5th WOOD Conference – The New Passion: Create Something with Wood (2015)
Jiri Oslizlo | Czech Republic | CEO, AGROP NOVA a. s. | "The progress and the experience of the Novatop System in SA"
Alayne Reesberg | South Africa |CEO, World Design Capital | "Beyond 2014: Social Impact of Design"
Peter Richards | South Africa | Managing Director, Project Management South Africa | "The Role Of Project Management In Modular Construction"
Ben du Toit | South Africa | Senior Lecturer, University of Stellenbosch | "Timber production in SA – the environmental Footprint"
Kate Otten | South Africa | Founder, Kate Otten Architects | "Working with wood"
Benson Wekesa | South Africa | Technical Group Leader - Engineering, Agrément SA | "Approval of Innovative Building Construction Systems"
Schalk De Jager | South Africa |City Planner, City of Cape Town | "Land use regulations"
Markus Schietsch | Switzerland | Prinicap, Markus Schietsch Architekten GmbH | "Elephant House Zoo - Zürich"
Alexander Frehse | South Africa | Student, University of Cape Town | "Langa Pavilion"
Simon Baillieu | South Africa | Nkuni Holdings/Ian Fuller Agencies | "Nkuni – our worldwide sourcing helps you create"
Philip Crafford | South Africa | Student, University of Stellenbosch | "The potential of young, wet and finger-jointed Eucalyptus timber for structural use"
Roy Southey | South Africa | Chairman, The Wood Foundation | "The South African Resource"
Nigel Gwynne-Evans | South Africa | Chief Director Trade & Sector development, Government of the Western Cape | "The Role of Provincial Government in Economic Development"
Lukas Wolf | Switzerland | Wood Engineers, Pirmin Jung Schweiz AG | "Four stars in forty weeks"
Garreth Bloor | South Africa | Councillor, Mayoral Committee member for Economic, Environmental and Spatial Planning, City of Cape Town | “The Economic Case for Cape Town”
4th WOOD Conference – Global Value and Sustainability by Using Wood (2014)
Jiri Oslizlo | Czech Republic | CEO, AGROP NOVA a. s. | "Experience with Project Pinotage Bellvile"
Fred Wagenaar | South Africa | Executive Officer, Institute of Timber Construction | "The Regulation of Structural Timber Roof Structures in South Africa"
Vernon Collis | South Africa | Enineers and Architects, Collis & Associates | "Seeing the wood for the trees – a critique in the context of climate change and resource depletion"
Cobus Lourens | South Africa | Swartland Boudientse | "Sustainable use of Wooden windows"
Bert de Weijer | Germany | Export Manager, Fermacell GmbH | "The ultimate building board"
Pieter Silberbauer | South Africa | CEO, Rustic Homes (Pty) Ltd | "Timber Homes in South Africa – The Sustainable Alternative?"
Luyanda Mphalwa | South Africa | Director and Design Principal, Design Space Africa | “Projects on Design for Social Change”
Martin Brettenthaler | Switzerland | CEO, Pavatex SA | "Construct. Insulate. Relax"
Sally-Anne Käsner | South Africa | Environmental Consultant, EcoStandard SA | "Introducing South Africa’s Eco-Label for Building Products"
Max Renggli | Switzerland | CEO, Renggli AG | "Modern timber construction"
Werner Slabbert | South Africa | Eco Log Homes | "Energy Efficiency of Timber Homes"
Bruce Breedt | South Africa | Executive Director, SAWPA | "Wood Preservation – The South African Regulatory and Standards perspective"
Herbert Handlos | Austria | CEO, Herbert Handlos GmbH | "Log Homes made from glue laminated timber"
3rd WOOD Conference – Inspired by Nature: Wood, a Sustainable Building System (2013)
Thomas Rohner | Switzerland | CEO, cadwork informatik | "Wood Conference and Wood Foundation"
Jacques Cronje | South Africa | Owner, Jacques Cronje Timber Design | "Timber Homes in South Africa: past, present & futur"
Jiri Oslizlo | Czech Republic | CEO, AGROP NOVA a. s. | "Novatop System - Project Pinotage"
Mel Barton | South Africa | Project manager, WSP Johannesburg | "Energy & thermal performance of the Novatop House"
Otto Bernd Kohlstock | South Africa | Director, iThemba Labantu Lutheran Community Centre | "How iThemba-Labantu Lutheran Community Centre assists the community of Philippi» and «some aspects of informal dwellings"
Andy Raymond Horn | South Africa | Founding Director & Principle Architect, ECO DESIGN - Architects & Consultants | "PRACTICING ENVIRONMENTALLY RESPONSIBLE TIMBER SOURCING & TREATMENT"
Michael Louw | South Africa | Lecturer, University of Cape Town’s School of Architecture, Planning & Geomatics | "From reduce, reuse & recycle to research"
Christoph Meier | Switzerland | CEO/COO, SJB Kempter Fitze AG | "Hybrid Buildings in Wood"
Anton Marais | South Africa | Regional Engineer, National Home Builders Registration Council | "The National Home Builder Registration Council and Timber Construction"
Chris Häring | Switzerland | President of the Board, Häring AG | "Experiences with timber technology in Central Africa"
Katharina Lehmann | Switzerland | Chairman of the Board of Directors and Chief Executive, Blumer-Lehmann AG | "Urban timber construction: office building TAMEDIA"
2nd WOOD Conference – Cutting-Edge Knowledge for Building and Living (2012)
Prof. Thomas Seifert | South Africa | Professor, Stellenbosch University | "Wood in South Africa – how sustainable is the resource?"
Dr. Harro von Blottnitz | South Africa | Associate Professor in Chemical Engineering, University of Cape Town | "Occurrence of CCA-treated timber in caterers’ fuel wood stocks in the Cape Town region"
Thomas Rohner | Switzerland | CEO, cadwork informatik | "Technic – state of the art - latest developments in CAD/CAM - „from idea to machine“
Hermann Blumer | Switzerland | CEO, Création Holz GmbH | Christoph Meier | Switzerland | CEO/COO, SJB Kempter Fitze AG | "The return of the timber to town"
Jiri Oslizlo | Czech Republic | CEO, AGROP NOVA a. s. | "From the bungalow to the mobile terminal - flexibility – an important factor of the wood construction"
Christian Kuhn | Switzerland | CEO, dukta GmbH | "dukta – flexible wood – a material innovation"
Chris Häring | Switzerland | President of the Board, Häring AG | "Wood is a Global Building Material – Experiences with Timber Technology Transfer to Central Africa and China"
Christian Blaser | Switzerland | CEO, Blaser Architekten AG Basel | "Wood-Archi-Tecture, challenges of urban densities, people, space, architecture and opportunities of wood"
1st WOOD Conference – Wood: The Universal Material for Innovative and Sustainable Modern Architecture (2011)
Michael Flach | Austria | Univ. Prof. DDipl.-Ing | "Timber Construction – an effective contribution to world’s climate protection"
Hermann Blumer | Switzerland | CEO, Création Holz GmbH | "Top achievements (performance) in wooden architecture"
Siv Helene Stangeland and Reinhard Kropf | Norway |Owner, Helen & Hard | "Sustainable architecture"
WOOD Conference in Johannesburg – Wood as a Modern Building Material (2016)
Jiri Oslizlo | Czech Republic | CEO, AGROP NOVA a. s. | "From Safari cabin to International research project"
Lyndsay Cotton | South Africa | Chairman and serves on the board of directors, Timber Construction (ITC-SA) | "A burning issue: Timber construction in the affordable housing sector"
Michael von Esden | Germany | Export Manager, Fermacell GmbH | "fermacell gypsum fibre boards in timber system construction"
Peggy Sithole | South Africa | Founder and Director of Workplace and Entrepreneurship Talent Solutions (Pty) Ltd | "Let‘s Think Wood for Timber Structures"
Richard Stretton | South Africa | Founder, Koop Design Architect | "Mass Wood and modern"
Werner Slabbert | South Africa | Rustic Timer Homes | "Energy Efficiency of Timber Homes"
WOOD AS A MODERN BUILDING MATERIAL