Reading hosts WoodFest

WoodFest Reading, which began in May, continues through June and July and has a focus on the social impact of housing, custom build, connecting communities, local timber and healthy building products.

The programme features a collection of seminars, exhibitions and tours celebrating the versatility and sustainability of building with wood, organised by the Wood for Good timber industry campaign.

Remaining events include a tour of Vastern Timber, one of the largest hardwood sawmills in the country, on June 12. In addition to the tour, the day will include an insightful CPD talk delivered by managing director Tom Barnes on selecting timber cladding, covering timber cladding choices, composites and modified wood. The day will wrap up with lunch and plenty of opportunity for questions and discussion.

On the afternoon of July 3, KISS House will host a panel discussion on the topic of ‘Making high quality housing attainable.’ Chaired by Christiane Lellig, campaign director for Wood for Good, the event will bring together a broad line-up of panellists from across the industry to discuss what quality housing is, why it is important and how to achieve it. Invited panellists include Jonny Anstead, TOWN, Sally Godber, WARM: Low Energy Buildings Practice, Ian Pritchett, Greencore Construction and Mike Jacob, KISS House.

The early evening will see a case study presentation of the RIBA East award-winning home, The Deerings. Delivered by the project team and the client, attendees will learn more about this striking and ambitious Passivhaus building, constructed from a super-insulated timber frame with recycled paper insulation.

“With a focus on housing and local communities, WoodFest Reading promises to offer a fantastic opportunity to bring all those involved with the built environment to explore what can be achieved when we work together,” said Ms Lellig.

 “Each event is a chance to learn and share about the use of timber in architecture, particularly around the social impact of housing and helping to connect local communities. It provides a platform to discover what’s happening in the region and to be inspired by timber design.”

Partners include: KISS; RIBA South and South East; TRADA; The University of Reading School of Architecture; and Vastern Timber.