More than 70 delegates, including architects, builders, sawmillers and foresters, attended the international launch of the five nation challenge to promote timber as a major player in the modern building and construction industry.
Representatives from the four other partner countries – Germany, Poland, Slovenia and Estonia – met at the National Library of Wales, Aberystwyth to put changing the perception of timber as a building material at the top of the agenda for the three year European funded project, GATE (gaining added value for timber in Europe).
The two day conference took in visits to see how timber is already being used in construction throughout Wales.
GATE programme manager Anne Roberts said: “We have to convince planners and builders across Europe that timber is a modern building material which can increase design flexibilty, and reduce construction times as well as providing energy conservation benefits.”
During workshop sessions the delegates identified changing how timber is perceived in construction as the major target for their work over the next three years.
