24. 02. 2014 proholz Austria PRESS RELEASE WOOD. BUILDING THE FUTURE International road show visiting European cities starting in March WOODBOX, a compact and mobile exhibition element planted directly in city centres, reveals the potential for forward-thinking timber architecture in Europe. It acts as a hub during WOODDAYS, which are dedicated to exploring the possibilities offered by wood as a building material in urban settings through dialogue, lectures and demonstrations of best practices. The road show positions wood as a major topic for growing, green cities of tomorrow. The tour, initiated by proholz Austria and conceived to span several years, will have its first stops in Bratislava, Ljubljana and Milan, where the launch takes place on 21 March 2014. The concept behind the international road show is to position wood as a building material with hitherto unrecognised potential in a setting where timber construction will play a major role in the future right in the heart of our cities. Technological advancements in the past several years now allow for totally new ways of building using wood, making this sustainable material predestined for ambitious building projects in urban areas. Growing cities create a huge demand for intelligent ways to use densely occupied space, for energyefficient renovation and the creation of smart living spaces. At the same time, the increasingly urgent questions associated with protecting against climate change demand environmentally conscious building practices. Wood offers perfect solutions that are still not widely known and which have not yet found the ideal conditions for their application. WOODBOX shows forward-thinking, urban timber architecture x 50 Using about 50 completed architectural projects, WOODBOX demonstrates how building with wood can tackle completely new dimensions from long-span structures to high-rises, how innovative ways of building with wood can be applied to the expansion of existing structures, the compact building of housing and renovations and finally, the significant role wood can play in public building projects, including everything from schools to care homes. The majority of the model projects originate in the German-speaking countries; many of them are from Austria, which sees itself as a pioneer in building with wood. Drawing from Austrian know-how as well as specific experiences in Germany and Switzerland, the road show WOOD. BUILDING THE FUTURE will contribute to the expansion of and networking between timber construction projects throughout Europe. proholz Austria initiated and continues to lead the project along with a host of international partners. WOODDAYS as a unique forum for dialogue At the heart of WOODDAYS is an eagerness to promote networking. A variety of events from city dialogues to architectural conventions that will take place in all of the cities visited offer a unique, international forum for dialogue. The goal is to bring together politics and public authorities, architecture and planning, the timber industry and building companies as well as science and research. A healthy exchange will help define the conditions necessary for the increased use of wood in building to succeed and to establish sound, sustainable networks.
Wood Growing Cities High-density metropolises of wood The focus of these conversations is on the revitalisation of cities and the better use of densely populated space in cities using wood. Smart cities need sustainable buildings with small carbon footprints. Wood can make a profound contribution towards cleaner, more energy efficient and resource conserving building practices. Crucial points for expanding the use of wood are fire safety and multistoreyed buildings, or considerations regarding the effects of carbon emissions and the potential for energy efficiency. City dialogues as part of WOODDAYS will be dedicated to these topics and their political, administrative and planning aspects. This involves dialogues between Milan and Zurich, Bratislava and Vienna and between Ljubljana and Vienna. An additional element of WOODDAYS are the architectural conventions in which international architects will present exceptional examples of modern wood architecture. International Partnership In its role as the organiser of this wide-ranging road show, proholz Austria enjoys the support of the European Organisation of the Sawmill Industry (EOS) and the European Panel Federation (EPF). These two Europe-wide organisations also plan to present the WOODBOX in Brussels in September as part of the European Wood Day Action Week. Content design was a result of close cooperation with the Technical University of Munich. Hermann Kaufmann, architect and pioneer in building with timber as well as professor in the Department of Timber Construction at the TU Munich, is responsible for the idea for the WOODBOX and the direction it has taken. The WOODBOX is a distilled version of his much larger exhibition Building with Timber Paths into the Future that was held in 2011/2012 in Munich s Pinakothek museum and in 2012/2013 in Vienna s Künstlerhaus. The city governments of Milan, Bratislava and Ljubljana actively support the initiative as local partners. Equally supportive are the respective national architecture, engineering and timber associations, relevant higher educational institutions and significant companies involved in the European timber industry. Road show WOOD. BUILDING THE FUTURE WOODBOX & WOODDAYS 21/03 31/03/2014 Milan, Piazza Cordusio 25/04 05/05/2014 Bratislava, Pimaciálne námestie 08/05 21/05/2014 Ljubljana, Mestni trg WOODBOX open daily from 10:00am 10:00pm, free admission An initiative of proholz Austria in cooperation with the Department of Timber Construction at the Technical University of Munich. With the support of the European Organisation of the Sawmill Industry (EOS) and the European Panel Federation (EPF). Sponsoring partners: Binderholz Hasslacher Norica Timber KLH Massivholz Mayr-Melnhof Holz Pollmeier RUBNER Stora Enso Building and Living WIEHAG Timber Construction www.wooddays.eu For questions or further information: proholz Austria Tel. +43 1 712 04 74, info@proholz.at
WOODDAYS Programme 21/03 31/03/2014 Milan, Piazza Cordusio 21/03, 6:00pm, Opening 26/03, 10:00am 1:00pm, Urban Center Milano City dialogue Wood Growing Cities Milan Zurich _ Zurich municipal politics, the vision of a 2000 Watt Society _ Political and technological developments in the incorporation of more timber in multistorey buildings in Zurich _ Experiences from the Via Cenni project in Milan _ Status of urban building projects involving wood in Europe and abroad _ Norms, building regulations, status of fire and earthquake safety technologies 28/03, 2:00pm 6:00pm, Palazzo Giureconsulti _ Use of timber in the consolidation of existing structures _ Repurposing and revitalising abandoned zones in the urban fabric _ Development of urban timber construction using Zurich as an example _ Modern building of schools, intelligence and sustainability 25/04 05/05/2014 Bratislava, Pimaciálne námestie 25/04, 3:30pm, Opening 25/04, 10:00am 12:00pm, Bratislava Town Hall City dialogue Wood Growing Cities Bratislava Vienna _ Current timber construction projects multistorey and urban in Europe _ Urban development in Vienna with timber experiences and perspectives _ Building with wood: planning and public authorities in dialogue 28/04, 2:00pm 6:00pm, Bratislava Town Hall, Hall of Mirrors _ Practical example Schukowitzgasse Kindergarten in Vienna _ Paths to zero-energy buildings in new constructions and renovations _ Wood as a building material for high-density living with a residential building on Breitenfurter Straße in Vienna as an example _ Relational design with timber 08/05 21/05/2014 Ljubljana, Mestni trg 08/05, 4:30pm, Opening 08/05, 2:00pm 4:00pm, Ljubljana Town Hall City dialogue Wood Growing Cities Ljubljana Vienna _ Current timber construction projects multistorey and urban in Europe _ Urban development in Vienna with timber experiences and perspectives _ Building with wood: planning and public authorities in dialogue 13/05, 12:00pm 4:00pm, Cankarjev dom _ Status quo of Slovenian architecture involving timber construction _ Public buildings using timber in urban settings _ Age-appropriate: current examples of two retirement and care homes in Graz _ Thermal renovation and modernisation of existing buildings with wood _ Wood. Structure, soul, shell. Example of a project from South Tyrol.
WOODBOX ON TOUR Examples of urban timber architecture a selection Residential building Via Cenni, Milan, Italy Largest current residential building project in Europe involving cross-laminated timber. The four connected buildings of nine storeys each demonstrate the potential for using wood in building projects of larger dimensions. Photo credit: promolegno, Gaia Cambiaggi Treehouses Bebelallee, Hamburg, Germany Addition to an existing estate of terraced houses in prefinished wood frame construction. The doubling of living space whilst at the same time halving carbon emissions released from regular use of the building demonstrates wood s quality as a building material for redensification projects. Photo credit: blauraum Architekten, Dominik Reipka Schukowitzgasse Kindergarten, Vienna, Austria Two storey, prefinished room modules made from crosslaminated timber arranged around a central structure create an interesting typology of space with a high diversity of uses. The kindergarten was completed in just six months using a passive house building methodology. Photo credit: Hertha Hurnaus Mixed residential and commercial building on Badenerstraße, Zurich, Switzerland The first building to follow the 2000 Watt Society principles in Switzerland. The six residential floors are constructed completely using timber. The decision to use wood as the building material was decisive in reducing the primary energy demand. Photo credit: pool Architekten, Giuseppe Micciche
Polo Tecnologico, Reggio Emilia, Italy Revitalisation of an abandoned industrial zone. The historic shell was retained, whilst the interior was given a completely new spatial topography by timber elements. The structure is now home to a technology centre with university-related and research facilities. Photo credit: promolegno, Schulte Residential complex in Johann-Böhm-Straße, Kapfenberg, Austria Renovation of a 40-year-old existing building to the standards of a plus energy house. Prefinished, highly insulated façade modules made from glued laminated timber were added to the building. Solar and photovoltaic cells, window and house technology were already integrated into the module. Photo credit: Thomas Raggam Alex Monroe jewellery shop, London, UK A zinc-clad timber construction was placed on top of a traditional shop right in the heart of the London s Bermondsey Street, a landmark preservation area. It houses design studios, offices and conference rooms and harmoniously blends in with the historic character of the street. Photo credit: KLHUK