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In many aspects, Finland is leading the way in the use of wood and wood products in public and ono-commercial buildings. The new Helsinki Library by ALA Architect's is an example of some of the outstanding design emanating from the region.

timber+DESIGN International is a free online Australian-based e-publication that features the best in innovative and excellent timber projects from local and international designers.

The carbon footprint of built structures is determined by many factors, however there are two that architects and designers can readily influence: the energy embodied the structure and the energy consumed during its use. This article suggest that most UK architects are not confident designing sustainable buildings...

timber+DESIGN International is a free online Australian-based e-publication that features the best in innovative and excellent timber projects from local and international designers.

As the UK’s premier award scheme with over 40 years of supporting excellence in the world’s only naturally sustainable material, the not-for-profit competition is the flagship for wood in the best of British architecture, furniture and design.

Technical advice can be a time and money saving tool for architects, engineers, designers, builders and more. Now the EWPAA Australian service and WoodSolutions Ask An Expert is complemented by this New Zealand based service.

timber+DESIGN International is a free online Australian-based publication that features the best in innovative and excellent timber projects from local and international designers.

Designed by Melbourne architect John Wardle and Boston’s architect Nader Tehrani, the new Melbourne School of Design (MSD) at Melbourne University is a striking example of innovative design, educational functionality and the use of timber and engineered wood products.

WoodSolutions supports excellence and sustainable practice throughout Australia's design and construction sector. Professional organisations supported include the Master Builders, Housing Industry Association and other industry bodies.

National Carpenters Day was part of National Carpenters Week, 17th – 23rd November, 2014. During the week, some 5000 people attended the celebratory BBQ’s held at hardware stores, building supplies and TAFE’s across the nation.

Arguably the world's largest architectural competition, the Helsinki Guggenheim has attracted more than 1,700 entries. Nicolas Pratt, a young Australian architect living in Europe, tells us more....

Design awards are showcases of the best and most innovative projects involving wood and wood products - and the Ontario Wood Works! 2014 Awards are no exception, as the awards below demonstrate.

At 30 metres, the Wood Innovation Design Centre is North America's tallest all wood building. The newly opened building is part of the University of Northern British Columbia's campus.

Architect Mark O’Dwyer explains why one of the oldest building materials in the world – wood – makes such a good external insulator. “Timber has that benefit; it’s a wonderful shade screen, an external skin,” he said. “Timber itself likes to expand and contract. It thinks it’s still on the tree. As it heats up and accepts and rejects moisture, it expands and contracts the same way it did when it was in the tree.”

Lisa Thom was a Wood Solutions Sponsored Industry Attendee at the World Conference for Timber Engineering, Quebec City 2014. Lisa is a structural engineer and UNSW School of Civil and Environmental Engineering Graduate.

Internationally the move towards tall timber buildings is gaining momentum. The latest evidence for this is a US$2 million government and industry sponsored design competition in the US.

Sponsored by WoodSolutions, one:one is a national series of events run by the Australian Institute of Architects through the Student Organised Network for Architecture (SONA) and the Emerging Architects and Graduates Network (EmAGN).

One of the first questions asked about massive timber building systems (cross laminated timber etc.) is "are they more expensive than concrete and steel?". This article discusses a US report that concludes there is a small saving using timber, although costs are expected to fall as usage rises. WoodSolutions will soon be publishing an Australian cost comparison research report.

If the proliferation of articles in the mainstream media about tall timber buildings is any guide, we'll soon be seeing a wooden skyline in many cities - this article from the UK Guardian, featuring WoodSolutions Seminar speaker, Michael Green, is an example.

Now in their 15th year, the Australian Timber Deign Awards are Australia's preeminent awards for timber design and construction.

Angelina Lu Zhang is a postgraduate student in the Department of Civil Engineering at Melbourne's Monash University. Here she shares her impressions of WCTE 2014.

Hartmut Hering, the author of this blog entry, is a German wood construction engineer living in France and specialising in construction methods and technologies. A full case study of this project will be published on WoodSolutions.

The increasing use of cross laminated timber (CLT) in areas such as education, healthcare and public/community buildings is changing the way architects, building designers and engineers look at thedse projects.

The World Conference on Timber Engineering (WCTE) is a biennial event that this year was held in Quebec, Canada. WoodSolutions sponsored a group of engineering students and recent graduates, this is a report from one of them, Elliot Panizza