The annual conference of the Institute of Wood Science (IWSc) welcomed around 70 delegates to the University of Bath on September 18 and 19 and treated them to a lively programme on the theme of “Traditional into modern”.
Speakers included Buro Happold’s Jon Shanks, who covered the subject of timber engineering in the context of traditional oak construction and Oakwrights’ John Lloyd, who explained how state-of-the-art CAD/CAM CNC technology was being used at the timber frame manufacturer.
Following a presentation by Helmut Holl, managing director of German manufacturer Baufritz, Tiffany Wood, the owner of the Baufritz house in Bath featured on Channel 4’s Grand Designs, gave her impressions of project.
In welcoming delegates at the pre-conference dinner and drinks reception at the Roman Baths in the city centre, IWSc president Geoff Taylor called on industry to support and commit to the work of the organisation.
“The number of new timber products and the speed with which these are coming to market is increasing, leading to the real market expectation of a knowledgeable workforce,” he said. “We shall continue to renew our efforts to be the relevant scientific knowledge and information base for our industry, but this requires more of our timber industry to support us.
“The responsibility for change cannot be borne alone by the knowledge and information base within our Institute,” he added.
The conference will be covered in more detail in a future issue of TTJ.
