Hardwood suppliers from the US, Asia, Africa and Europe and timber organisations worldwide have pooled resources to produce a hardwood guide for UK architects and specifiers.
The guide is the latest in a series of generic material guides published by RIBA Journal and was the brainchild of timber consultant Michael Buckley of Turnstone Communications.
The first on softwood was put together for the architectural magazine by wood. for good which was the single sponsor, but Mr Buckley explained: “In the fragmented hardwood industry, which is a small cousin to the mighty softwood trade, it is much more difficult.”
However, he recognised the value of reaching 25,000 architectural readers with an editorial-led hardwood publication in the style of RIBA Journal and approached various organisations proposing a joint effort.
Swift support was offered from the Timber Trade Federation, the American Hardwood Export Council, the Malaysian Timber Council, the Timber Industry Development Division of Ghana’s Forestry Commission, and Timbmet – all under the umbrella of the Institute of Wood Science (IWSc).
Suppliers from the US, Asia, Africa and Europe also got behind the project and the result was a print run of 39,000 ‘Hardwood’ guides which was officially launched at the IWSc convention in Cardiff.
Mr Buckley said: “The guide is designed to demonstrate the technical and aesthetic benefits of hardwood. It is not intended to be a comprehensive directory to individual hardwood species, but rather to direct readers to sources of hardwood material and information.”
Hardwood traders can obtain additional copies of the guide, subject to stocks, by visiting www.turnstonecommunications.com or from any one of the sponsors.
