Wood In Architecture Issue 1, 2018

04 Editor’s Note: A meless classic 

 

12 American white oak glulam for Lord’s Cricket Ground 

 

16 Wood takes o 

 

26 Nature’s advocate 

 

31 Liquid kitchen 

 

40 New tool to assist due diligence 

42 Red oak, America’s best-kept secret uncovered 

 

48 Prey Fit 

50 European laminate ooring sees renewed demand from Asia 

52 mura: Versale, durable and sustainable 

54 Masters of innovaon 

56 

61 

63 

64

Singapore MICA (P) No. 138/05/2017 

panelsfurnitureasia.com 

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A 

university recruitment advertisement in the subway reads: Her grandmother lived 

in a wooden house; her mother lived in a concrete building; what would her children live in? 

Wood was always the go-to material when people needed to erect shelters. In 

Southeast Asia’s tropics, generations lived under the same wooden roof and in close-knit 

kampongs for security and community. As industrialisation kicked in, these kampongs—and 

the community spirit—slowly disappeared to make way for modern cities. 

Malaysian architect Azman Md Nor once lived in such a kampong where most 

household items were made of wood. It was how he started adopting this material for 

his projects and eventually became a keen evangelist for it. He bagged the second prize 

for his project, Anjung Kelana, at the inaugural Malaysian Wood Awards in 2017 (p. 26). 

While the Philippines is probably the last place in the world you’d expect to find a wooden 

airport, one is currently being built in Cebu. It will be completed by June 2018 (p. 16). 

Although times have changed, wood is still as popular today as it was yesterday. The 

same unassuming material is a constant in structural and interior applications. It is strong, 

versatile and durable, easy to machine, seismic and fire resistant, and quick to put up. It 

stores carbon as the building stands, making it a favourite of eco-conscious architects 

and urban planners. It is a classic in a “you can’t go wrong with it” way in modern interior 

design. It is well-loved for its earthy feel in flooring (p. 48), it adds a dash of elegance to 

posh places (p. 31). 

With so many uses for wood, you may be forgiven for wondering how the earth 

will ever satiate the appetite for more. The truth is, wood use encourages responsible 

forest ownership so the lumber shop will always be in business. The plant-as-you-harvest 

algorithm is complex but we have tried to simplify an example on p. 40. 

Coming back to “what would her children live in,” we think it is going to be a wooden 

skyscraper. | WIA MENA 

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williampang@pabloasia.com 

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@panelsfurnitureasia 

4 ISSUE 1 • 2018 • WOOD IN ARCHITECTURE

2018 

by Panels & Furniture Group 

4 th Edition 

25 – 27 June 2018 

Shanghai, China 

ASIA’S SPECIALISED WOOD MATERIALS 

WOOD PRODUCTS TRADE SHOW 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

www.sylvawoodexpo.com

NEWS 

SOUTH KOREA RAISES GDP FORECAST TO 

3%, BUT WOOD DEMAND TO REMAIN LOW AS 

FEWER HOUSING STARTS EXPECTED 

By Tai Jeong, Canada Wood Korea 

- Domestic consumption forecast to rise 0.1 percentage point 

- Fewer housing starts and building permits issued in first 11 months of 2017 

- Lower lumber demand expected as cooling measures on housing to continue into 2018 

Bank of Korea has raised South 

Korea’s GDP growth forecast for 2018 to 

three per cent on the back of domesc 

consumpon recovery and robust export 

growth. 

With minimum wages raised by 16 

per cent to 7,530 Won (US$6.60)—the 

biggest jump in about two decades— 

starng this year, consumer prices are 

expected to rise by 1.7 per cent. 

February’s Winter Olympics will 

also boost private consumpon by 0.1 

percentage point in the rst quarter of 

this year. 

The Korean Won fell to a three-year 

low of 1,061.2 Won against the U.S. Dollar 

on January 2. Analysts say this will further 

fall below 1,000 Won if the geopolical 

risk on the Korean Peninsula eases. 

2017 TRADE 

Exports soared to an all-time high of 

US$573.9 billion in 2017, a 16 per cent 

increase thanks to recovery in the global 

economy. 

Trade volume exceeded US$1 trillion, 

as imports expanded 17.7 per cent to 

US$478.1 billion. 

Consumer prices grew 1.9 per cent 

in 2017 from a year earlier, marking the 

steepest gain in ve years since 2012, on 

the back of a strong industrial goods and 

nancial services sector. 

Unemployment stood at 3.3 per cent 

in December, up 0.1 percentage point 

from a year earlier. 

HOUSING CONSTRUCTION 

Cooling measures on South Korea’s 

housing market have seen fewer starts 

and building permits, especially in the new 

apartment market in Seoul. 

Housing starts fell 14.6 per cent 

to 90,497 while the number of units 

signicantly decreased 23.2 per cent to 

440,382 units in Nov last year. 

Housing permits during this period 

also dropped 10.2 per cent and 13.2 per 

cent respecvely to 107,308 and 552,558 

from a year earlier. 

While the overall residential 

construction sector is struggling, the 

number of wood building permits issued 

in the rst 11 months of 2017 increased 

1.7 per cent to 15,841 buildings from 

a year earlier. Wood building starts, 

however, fell 6.5 per cent to 12,954 

buildings during this period. 

The total oor area of wood building 

permits for the same period in 2017 

increased 5.8 per cent to 1,451,320m 2 

but that of wood building starts decreased 

slightly 3.8 per cent to 1,198,515m 2 from 

a year earlier. 

LUMBER SHIPMENTS 

B.C. sowood lumber exports to South 

Korea for the rst 11 months of 2017 fell 

5.7 per cent to 238,184cbm compared 

to 252,651cbm during the same period 

in 2016. 

This is mainly due to the government’s 

efforts in limiting the supply of new 

homes (from August 2016), especially 

apartments in Seoul to keep household 

debt and rising home prices in check. 

However, the export value for the 

same period rose a slight 2.8 per cent to 

US$54.6 million (CAD$68.678 million) for 

the same period in 2016. 

Lumber prices in Canada have trended 

upward for almost two years and reached 

13-year highs in July, 2016. On the other 

hand, Nordic lumber prices have been 

depressed in U.S. Dollar terms, resulng 

their current price levels to be the lowest 

they have been in eight years. | WIA 

Wood construction in South Korea: The Forest 

Genetic Resources Department at the Korea 

Forest Research Institute features the largest 

wood-framed building in the country. 


NEWS 

JAPANESE CONSTRUCTION COMPANY 

DEBUTS FIREPROOF WOODEN PILLAR, 

DRIVES ADVENT OF WOODEN HIGH-RISES 

Japanese construcon company has 

developed a wooden pillar capable of 

withstanding re for three hours without 

burning down. 

Shelter Co.’s invention will allow 

future wooden buildings to be largerscaled, 

scoring one for high-rise wood 

construcon. 

“Japan has a tradition of wooden 

buildings, such as Shinto shrines and 

Buddhist temples, that are unparalleled 

in the world,” Shelter President 

Kazuyoshi Kimura said in an interview 

with Asahi Shimbun. “We would also 

be able to pursue urban planning 

with wooden buildings even when 

it comes to modern architecture, 

where fire resistance and safety are 

required.” 

The pillar is a three-ply structure 

made of plasterboards covered with 

a rectangular wooden pillar. The 

plasterboards, in turn, are wrapped with 

yet another layer of wood. 

When tested in a furnace, the 

wooden cover as well as wet plaster 

kept the interior rectangular pillar safe. 

There were no burn marks on it even 

aer being exposed to temperatures up 

to 1,000 degrees Celsius for 12 hours. 

Shelter originally patented their 

invenon in 2009, and produced wooden 

products that could be used as pillars, 

walls or other building components 

capable of resisng re for an hour in 

2013, followed by more products that 

could withstand ames for two hours 

in 2015. 

The company has aained approval 

from the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, 

Transport and Tourism to apply the 

technology in structures reaching over 

15 storeys. | WIA 

A rendering of 

the pillar, where a 

rectangular wooden 

pillar is covered by 

plasterboards, which 

are, in turn, wrapped 

in yet another layer 

of wood. 

Image credit: 

Shelter Co. 

WOOD IN ARCHITECTURE • ISSUE 1 • 2018 

7

NEWS 

HEAVY INDUSTRIES MUST NOW PAY FOR 

WASTE EMISSIONS UNDER CHINA’S NEW 

ENVIRONMENT LAW 

By Lydia Chen, Canada Wood 

rst environment protecon 

tax law kicked in on January 1 this year, 

replacing a pollutant discharge fee 

system which, for decades, had been in 

place but lacked teeth. 

Under the new law, companies will 

have to pay levies for waste discharged 

into the environment—such as sulphur 

dioxide and sewage. They will also be 

taxed for noise polluon. 

The tax rates range from 1.2 – 12 

yuan per unit of atmospheric polluon; 

1.4 – 14 yuan per unit of water polluon; 

ve yuan per tonne of coal waste; and 

1,000 yuan per tonne of hazardous 

waste. They are determined based 

on each company’s operations. For 

example, a furniture manufacturer that 

earns 50 million yuan per year may 

report an overall tax rate of 300,000 

– 700,000 yuan, or up to a two per 

cent increase on the factory price of its 

products, according to industry analysts. 

The new law is intended to 

discourage heavy-pollung industries, 

many which have ocked to the country 

to take advantage of its low costs and 

weak environmental regulaons. 

China has imposed a “pollutant 

discharge fee” since 1979. However, 

loopholes in the system have seen 

companies evading taxes, especially 

the bigger ones that contribute to the 

local economy. Now any tax reducon 

or exemption request must undergo 

strict approval procedures and be 

documented. 

Tackling pollution was listed as 

one of the "three tough bales” China 

aims to win in the next three years, 

according to the Central Economic Work 

Conference that concluded in December. 

“The launch of the environmental 

tax is more serious than the pollutant 

discharge fee system and marks 

China’s rst real eort to use nancial 

mechanisms to curb polluon,” Liang 

Yinlei, partner of Tax Department at 

Ernst & Young Greater China, said 

in an interview with Jiefang Daily. 

“Some manufacturers may buy more 

environmentally-friendly equipment to 

reduce its sewage waste in order to pay 

less tax.” 

Between January and November 

last year, China invesgated over 35,600 

cases of environmental violaon, a 102 

per cent year-on-year increase from 

2016. | WIA 

Stock image by veeterzy on Unsplash 

EXPECT SIGNIFICANT CHANGES IN DUBAI’S 

PROPERTY MARKET: DELOITTE 

will be a year of change for Dubai’s 

real estate market. Across the hospitality, 

residenal, retail, oce and industrial 

segments, events such as the introducon 

of Value Added Tax (VAT) and 3D prinng 

will transform the property sector, 

according to a new report from Deloie. 

“Developers, operators and investors 

will need to navigate their way through 

increasing geopolical uncertainty, the 

adopon of disrupve technologies and 

the introducon of VAT. How well they do 

so will determine their performance in 

2018 and beyond,” Marn Cooper, head 

of Development Strategy & Investment 

in Deloie’s Real Estate and Construcon 

team, said. 

The introducon of VAT in the UAE will 

represent one of the biggest challenges 

for Dubai’s real estate market. 

“It not only forces the real estate 

sector to relook at their own pracces and 

procedures, but those of businesses in the 

value chain with whom they interact,” 

Bruce Hamilton, a partner in Deloie’s 

Indirect Tax team, said. 

“How well the real estate market, of 

whom developers are a crucial sector, 

comes to grips with these changes could 

impact the sector in 2018 and for years 

to come.” 

In addition, the introduction of 

VAT on construction materials and 

professional services may cause cash 

ow and working capital pressures for 

some developers. 

Disruptive technologies such as 

3D printing will also become more 

mainstream. The city is targeng for 25 

per cent of new buildings to be 3D printed 

by 2025. 

Other changes to expect are a more 

diverse development nance market and 

increased connecvity with the global 

economy. | WIA 


NEWS 

MENA TO MORE THAN TRIPLE 

RENEWABLE ENERGY USE BY 2035 

Middle East is expected to more 

than triple its share of renewables 

in the power mix from 5.6 per cent 

(16.7 gigawas) in 2016 to 20.6 per cent 

(100GW) in 2035, according to a new 

report by Siemens. 

Natural gas will remain the 

number one power source in the 

region, represenng 60 per cent of 

installed capacity through 2035. 

“We expect the majority of new 

power generation capacity to be 

via highly efficient combined-cycle 

power plants, but renewables will 

also gain a substantially increased 

share of the energy mix,” said Dietmar 

Siersdorfer, CEO, Siemens Middle East 

and UAE. 

With economic diversification 

and populaon growth accelerang, 

the growth in power demand in the 

region—approximately 3.3 per cent 

per year—will be realised through 

efficient natural gas-fired power 

plants. 

Aside from new capacity 

addions, an addional 45GW could 

also be realised through eciencies 

brought about by upgrading facilies 

above 30 years old. 

By 2035, the region will require a 

total of 483GW of power generaon 

capacity, an addional 277 GW from 

2016. 

Solar power will account for 

addions of around 61GW. There is 

signicant potenal for wind power 

generaon in Saudi Arabia and Egypt, 

but this potential is not entirely 

reflected in the moderate capacity 

addions expected. 

The report also highlights 

digitalisation as a tool to increase 

the eciency and exibility of energy 

supply, while decreasing producon 

costs. 

“Digitalisaon is an essenal part of 

the future energy landscape, and turning 

big data into smart data will enable us 

to be more reliable, energy efficient 

and cost effective,” said Siersdorfer. 

“However, we must remember that with 

greater interconnecvity, the use of data 

analycs and cloud technologies comes 

with greater exposure to cyber security 

threats so organisaons need to be well 

prepared.” | WIA 


9

NEWS 

FIRST WOODEN SKYSCRAPER PROPOSED IN 

AFRICA WINS INAUGURAL WAFX PRIZE 

first proposed wooden 

high-rise is a mixed-use condominium 

consisng residenal spaces, sporng 

facilies, sky gardens and a carpark. 

The 87-metre tall Lagos Wooden 

Tower is designed by Hermann Kamte, 

an architect from Cameroon. It aims 

to improve the urban conditions of 

the residents living in the Nigerian 

city. It also addresses the problem of 

poorly-planned construcon in many 

African cies by pushing the boundaries 

of contemporary 

architecture. 

The brief was 

initially submitted 

for Metsä Wood's 

City Above the 

City, a global 

competition that 

invited architects 

to rethink new 

housing on top 

of existing urban 

buildings. 

Recognised 

as one of the 

world’s most 

forward-looking 

architectural 

concepts, the 

Lagos Tower won 

the Best Cultural 

Identity project at 

the inaugural WAFX 

Prize in 2017, along 

with the Rethinking 

the Future Awards 

2017. The project 

was also a finalist 

at the World 

Architecture 

Fesval 2017. 

"Architecture is simple and 

incredibly complex at the same me," 

Kamte said. "The challenges are many, 

but the potenal rewards are high. In my 

opinion, architects are like philosophers 

- the more they learn the beer they 

are.” 

The 25-year-old Cameroonian 

graduated from the presgious EAMAU 

in 2016 and went on to found his own 

pracce, Hermann Kamte & Associates 

(HKA) in Yaounde, the capital of his 

home country. His projects are mainly 

based in central African countries such 

as Nigeria, Niger and Chad. 

"HKA is just embarking on its journey, 

but we want to bring a new dynamic to 

African architecture," he said. "Our goal 

is to contribute to shaping the world, to 

ensuring human well-being in harmony 

with nature through our designs." 

Although African designers and 

builders sll use concrete and bricks as 

they are far easier and a lot cheaper to 

procure, wood, a sustainable resource 

could benet African society at large, 

Metsä Wood wrote in a statement. 

“There is sll potenal for this to 

change. As we raise the prole of mberbased 

architecture, the demand will 

grow and wooden building soluons will 

become cheaper and more accessible," 

it noted. 

"The Lagos design project has 

really caught people's attention and 

highlighted the potential of wood 

construcon in Africa.” | WIA 

The 87-metre tall Lagos Wooden Tower 

could be a trendsetter in Africa. 

RECLAIMED WOOD AMONG MATERIAL 

TRENDS TO KEEP AN EYE ON IN 2018 

and repurposed wood is 

one of the trends to look out for in 2018 

according to Architect Magazine. 

Warm and visually pleasing to the 

eye, repurposed wood has become a 

choice for architects and designers for 

reasons that range from aesthetic to 

environmental. 

It claims an even smaller ecological 

footprint than virgin wood, which 

already boasts a smaller carbon footprint 

compared to other materials. 

A number of companies is already 

exploring the opon, with Houtmerk, 

based in the Netherlands, making panels 

of solid wood called Replex produced 

from pieces of recycled wood. 

In the UK, designer Tristan Titeux 

uses not only discarded wood furniture, 

but reused MDF, parcleboard, plywood 

and engineered lumber as well. 

Other material trends include 

bioplastic from algae, biomimetic 

insulaon, and photovoltaic glass. | WIA 


NEWS 

2017 WOOD DESIGN AND BUILDING 

AWARD WINNERS ANNOUNCED 

of the presgious 2017 

Wood Design & Building Awards 

programme by the Wood Design 

& Building magazine have been 

announced. 

The winning projects were selected 

by an esteemed architectural jury 

consisting Alan Organschi, principal 

at Gray Organschi Architecture; Betsy 

Williamson, principal at Williamson 

Williamson; and Richard Bonnin, 

design principal, HGA Architects and 

Engineers. 

The Canadian Wood Council, as 

well as the sponsors, Sustainable 

Forestry Iniave, Sansin and Western 

Red Cedar, also granted special awards 

unique to the programme in 2017. Two 

special jury awards were selected, one 

for technical innovaon, and another 

for public art educaon. 

An opportunity to showcase 

exceponal wood buildings that inspire 

designers to push the boundaries of 

wood in construction, submissions 

for the awards programme were 

thoughtfully designed and perfectly 

highlighted wood’s aesthec, funconal 

and structural qualies. 

“The Wood Design & Building Awards 

programme has been in existence for 

over 30 years,” Eenne Lalonde, vice 

president of Market Development for 

the Canadian Wood, explained. “We’ve 

been continually impressed with the 

quality of submissions each year, and 

it’s a testament to the sophiscaon of 

wood products, due to improvements 

in technology and advancements in 

applicaons.” | WIA 

Rundquist Architects 

got a Merit for the 

Wooden Ventilation 

Towers, located in 

Stockholm, Sweden. 

Image courtesy of the 

2017 Wood Design 

& Building Awards 

Programme. 


11

ENGINEERED WOOD 



“This large-scale commercial application of white oak glulam 

should really open architects’ eyes to this alternative option 

for their structural materials portfolio…” 


13


An engineering marvel made of 

American white oak features 

in the redevelopment of the 

Warner Stand at Lord’s Cricket Ground 

in London. The primary structure of the 

roof is formed from 11 canlever gluelaminated 

(glulam) beams, up to 23 

metres long, the rst me the species 

has been employed in this format on 

this scale. 

Architects Populous wanted to 

create a building that had the impression 

of lightness—hence the canopy 

comprising fabric rather than glass, and 

the 13-metre canlevered secon that 

makes it seem to oat over the crowd. 

“We wanted to capture cricket’s 

summer character and the ambience 

of a local club marquee,” said Philip 

Johnson, senior principal and project 

lead at Populous. 

The new four-storey stand has 2,656 

seats with improved sightlines, a new 

match control suite and beer facilies. 

Sustainability is also at the forefront of 

the design thinking, with solar thermal 

and photovoltaic roof panels to generate 

power. It replaces a 1950s structure 

and is part of an ongoing masterplan to 

improve visitor experience and boost 

the internaonal reputaon of Lord’s. 



Part of the brief was also to have its own visual identy, 

while sing sympathecally alongside Lord’s other buildings. 

“Lord’s comprises individual stand styles rather than one 

stadium design; it’s an architectural campus, described as 

‘pavilions around a village green’, so we made design nods to 

the other stands, notably the tent-like fabric roof of the Mound 

Stand,” Johnson added. 

WOOD TECHNICALITIES 

American white oak came on the scene through discussions 

between Arup and the American Hardwood Export Council, 

which also provided technical advice and helped source the 

mber. 

“The imaginaon of the architects, the inspiraon of the 

engineers and the skill and tenacity of the fabricators have 

produced a landmark structure, which is a pivotal moment in 

the evoluon of mber construcon. This is also an excing 

moment for us (AHEC), turning our vision of what might be 

possible structurally with our hardwoods, into a reality,” said 

David Venables, AHEC European Director. 

The American white oak beams were manufactured 

by German timber specialist Hess Timber. Each beam 

measures 900mm x 350mm at the deepest point. The longest 

glulam beam weighs approximately four tonnes and 

measures 23.4 metres in length. The AHEC Grown in Seconds 

sustainability calculator showed that the 100m 3 of American 

white oak lumber used to fabricate the beams would take only 

160 seconds to be replaced in the American forest. 

“An advantage of American white oak’s stiffness and 

uniformity was that we could predict deecon levels and 

camber very precisely,” said Markus Golinski, head of Sales, 

Hess Timber. 

The beams also extend back using the same roof fabric, 

but double-skinned with a mid-layer of Aerogel insulaon. “So 

we have the same translucency, but, combined with double 

glazing and renewables, including ground source heang, it 

enables the building to be used for hospitality all year round. 

Then on summer match days the wide windows can be thrown 

open, creang one space that engages spectators with the 

game,” said Johnson. 

Lord’s new stand marks another milestone in American 

hardwoods’ dicult journey to get to this point in structural 

uses, but this project, Venables said, “should really open 

architects’ eyes to this alternave opon for their structural 

materials porolio at a me when they’re looking to build 

more with wood worldwide.” | WIA 

Project Details 

Client 

Location 

Completion : June 2017 

Architects 

Engineers 

Engineered wood manufacturer 

White oak supplier 

Photography 

: Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC) 

: London, United Kingdom 

: Populous 

: Arup 

: Hess Timber 

: Robinson Lumber 

: Jon Cardwell 


15

BIG PICTURE 

Airports: Kids seem to love rolling on their floors, 

the frequent flier wants to get out as soon as 

possible, others just want to go home. We all 

feel differently about being in transit and yet 

there is one absolute: waiting. Some airport 

authorities have decided on wood for their new 

terminals to enhance enjoyment, transforming 

waiting into something more pleasant. Here, we 

wouldn’t mind lingering on, just a little longer. 


BIG PICTURE 

WOOD IN ARCHITECTURE Jackson • ISSUE Hole Airport 1 • 2018 

17

BIG PICTURE 

 

 

 

 

 

Images By: Ivan Brodey, Knut Ranstad, Dag Spant 

Wood serves a practical and 

aesthetic purpose in Oslo’s new 

terminal expansion. 

The Oslo Airport Extension is one of 

those places we wished we could, 

like Tom Hanks in The Terminal, 

stay forever. It is not only dubbed the 

world’s greenest airport, it was also 

deliberately designed “to create a 

particular atmosphere… [especially] 

in areas where passengers spend 

a lot of time or where they want a 

certain amount of calm,” said Chrisan 

Henriksen, partner and design manager 

at Nordic Oce of Architecture. 

Architects Nordic were part of 

Aviaplan, the group behind the exisng 

airport building, which was completed 

in 1998 to handle 17 million passengers 

a year. 20 years later, the same firm 

added a 140,000sqm extension and 

modernised the train staon, doubling 

capacity to 32 million. Here, wood fulls 

its purpose as a structural element and 

design feature. “Wood denes us here 

in Scandinavia and it would therefore 

also define Oslo Airport,” Henriksen 

commented. 

Exposed glue-laminated (glulam) 

beams soar high above the busy ground 

while large panoramic windows enable 

passengers to enjoy the landscape 

around the airport. 

But the biggest change is a new 

300-metre-long pier that extends out 


onto the tarmac airside. The rounded 

pier is held up by glulam arches sourced 

from Scandinavian forests. The façade is 

mostly glass to let in as much daylight as 

possible, while the roof is nished with 

oak cladding, protected by a UV-resistant 

paint treatment. The wooden façade 

gives the pier an aracve aesthec, 

but its most important funcon relates 

to airport safety. 

“A pier that extends out towards 

the runways can cause problems 

for the air traffic control tower. The 

[communication] signals are highly 

sensive to distoron and can easily be 

reected, for example by metal, making 

the tracking on the ground suer. But 

with a wooden façade, the signals die 

when they hit the pier,” Henriksen said. 

 

 

The massive use of wood also met the 

strict environmental requirements set by 

the clients. Other low carbon footprint 

materials include concrete mixed with 

volcanic ash and recycled steel. The 

pier is rounded to minimise the external 

surface and so save energy. In winter, 

snow cleared from the runways is stored 

in an open pit covered with grained 

timber, which cools the terminal in 

summer. This reduces the terminal’s 

annual energy consumpon by 2 GWh. 

The design enables the airport to 

cut carbon emissions by 35 per cent 

and halve energy consumpon while 

at the same me increasing capacity. 

It achieved BREEAM “Excellent” rang, 

a global benchmark for sustainable 

design. WIA 


19

BIG PICTURE 

Construction of Terminal 2 is now underway and expected 

to complete in June 2018. The most impressive feature 

of the building is the dramatic roof structure made of 

glulam beams. 

Image credit: GMR- MEGAWIDE Cebu Airport Corporation. 


BIG PICTURE 

The Philippines’ second largest airport is possibly 

the first in Southeast Asia to use engineered wood 

for its new terminal building. 

Blessed with warm sunshine and peanut buery beaches, it 

is no wonder Cebu receives so many visitors a year. Airport 

authories expect passenger arrivals to hit 10 million by the 

end of 2017, a 12 per cent jump from 2016. 

To cope with increasing air trac, the Filipino city is upgrading 

the exisng terminal and building a second one, making it the 

second largest airport in the country. 

The most impressive feature of the new terminal is the dramac 

roof structure made of glue-laminated mber beams. The arches 

span every 30 metres, which enables Terminal 2 to be as columnfree 

as possible. The internal spaces are enclosed by a light and 

transparent glazed façade. The arch façade is 15 metres tall and 

is accentuated by vercal U channels. With sleek, elegant curves, 

the undulang roof is reminiscent of the waves of the seas around 

Mactan Cebu Island. 

Construcon is already in full swing and expected to complete 

in June 2018. The new terminal, spanning 65,500sqm, will increase 

passenger capacity to 12.5 million. 

Hong Kong-based Integrated Design Associates (IDA) forms part 

of MCIA Terminal 2’s design team. It is also working in tandem with 

Budji Layug, Royal Pineda and Kenneth Cobunpue on the design 

and look-and-feel of the new terminal. 

Envisioned with a unique design that demonstrates the warmth 

and friendliness of the local culture, the project is set to transform 

the local airport into a world-class facility with a welcoming 

ambience that is disnctly Filipino. WIA 


21

BIG PICTURE 

Fort McMurray’s remote location, 

fluctuating temperatures and limited 

labour force meant that building its new 

airport had to be innovative and efficient, 

which can only mean one thing—wood 

construction. 

Major public areas are defined by a mass timber structure comprising cross-laminated timber (CLT) panels in 

North America — in this case salvaged from British Columbia’s pine beetle infestation. CLT offers a light and 

and reduce the carbon footprint and cost of construction. 

Image Credit: Ema Peter. 

Home to the boreal forest, the 

prairies and the northern lights, 

Fort McMurray is unbelievably 

beauful. 

The Regional Municipality of Wood 

Buffalo in Northern Alberta expects 

populaon to double by 2030, thanks 

to a burgeoning oil sands industry that 

has thrusted the small community onto 

the global stage. This unprecedented 

growth has also created the impetus for 

a large transient populaon—temporary 

residents drawn to resource-based jobs 

who frequently y back home between 

work cycles. 

While Canada’s busiest airports have 

seen an average annual passenger trac 

growth rate of about three per cent a 

year, Fort McMurray grew 25 per cent 

in 2012 and 2013, and connues to be 

Canada’s fastest growing airport. This, 

along with more forecasted growth, 

inspired the Fort McMurray Airport 

Authority (FMAA) to build a new green- 

eld airport. 

The three-storey, 15,000sqm 

building was constructed with signicant 

o-site fabricaon, durable materials 

and simple technologies in order to 

ensure quality and minimise both 

the construcon schedule and future 

maintenance. 

Completed in 2014, the $258-million 

project is iconic and memorable, set in 

a landscape that is in harmony with the 

spirit of its locale. WIA 


BIG PICTURE 

combination with glue-laminated wood beams. The airport is presently the largest application of CLT in 

rigid structure with a beautiful warm interior finish. This enabled the team to increase construction time, 


23

BIG PICTURE 

Jackson Hole Airport, a wooden structure, is at home with the mountains. 

People y into Jackson Hole, Wyoming, all year round to 

visit the Grand Teton and Yellowstone Naonal Parks. In 

summer they hike down the heritage slopes, in winter 

they ski. It is the only airport in the United States situated in 

a Naonal Park. 

In conceptualising its design, the airport had to reect its 

mountain environment and western heritage. It also had to 

be environmentally responsible. Grand Teton Naonal Park 

also has strict boundary limitaons and an 18’ height limit—a 

challenging framework for design. Incorporang wood was an 

important part to achieving these goals. 

In the Tickeng Hall 24” diameter FSC-cered Douglas 

fir columns anchor the space. The columns are turned 

smooth in a rened modern manner in lieu of a convenonal 

rustic appearance. Expansive glulam beams dramatically 

span across the hall and interface with the columns 

via intricately detailed steel connections. Due to height 

restricons, a queen post truss system was integrated with 

the glulam beams to reduce their depth and bulk, thus 

maximising the terminal’s spaciousness. The rhythm and 

clarity of the structural system is on display as it marches 

over 250’ within the terminal, culminang with the dramac 

17’ exterior overhang. 

The ceiling and the underside of the exterior overhangs 

use 1 x 4 hemlock. The species was selected for its subtle 

grain and light, yet rich coloraon that complements the 

golden glulam beams. The hemlock ceiling boards are spaced 

intermiently to add acouscal value to the terminal that is 

primarily hard surfaces of glass, concrete, wood and steel. 

Reclaimed weathered snow fence was used extensively in the 

millwork and as a wainscot. The weathered grey appearance 

oers a nod to the past and is a nice contrast to the new warm 

wood structure and ceiling. Glulam beams from the original 

demolished building were repurposed into large-scale exterior 

and interior benches. 

The terminal expansion was completed in 2010 and 

achieved USGBC LEED Silver cercaon. WIA 

Close-up of the underside of the exterior roof 

Steel connections secure the wooden elements in place 

FSC-certified Douglas fir columns and hemlock ceiling define the ticketing hall 


BIG PICTURE 

The smallness of mankind is immediately evident against the mountains’ overwhelming magnificence. Image credit: Matthew Millman. 


25

IN PERSON 

Anjung Kelana by Mr Azman. 

The project bagged second prize at the 

inaugural Malaysian Wood Awards in 2017.

IN PERSON 

Malaysian architect Azman Md Nor is a huge fan of 

wood. He is quietly championing this material in his 

country, but the lack of skilled craftsmen and quality 

timber, he says, is hindering progress. 

Timber is experiencing a renaissance in Southeast Asia as 

local architects return to their roots, drawing inspiraon 

from the tradional kampong houses of their youth. Or 

at least, this is what Azman Md Nor feels is driving the mber 

revoluon in the region. 

The 55-year-old architect and part-me lecturer grew up 

in such an environment—a kampong (or village in Malay) in 

Port Dickson where most household items such as toys and 

furniture were made from wood. 

“We used wood to make whatever we needed, even the 

chicken coop. It’s convenient and easy to work with,” Azman 

says. At Deakin University where he read architecture, he was 

inspired by the late Professor Kevin Borland who took the class 

to visit the mber houses he designed, further fanning the 

ames for wood appreciaon. However, it was only in 2006 that 

the father of four began acvely pursuing projects in mber at 

his own pracce, Arkitek Azman Zainal. 

Azman’s style can be described as avant-garde, bold and 

unique, a “like it or hate it” kind of vibe. He personally feels it is 

humanisc, raw and natural, drawing richly from local culture. 

“Using wood for the interior is like bringing in all the 

aributes of the forest into the hearth. Wood has many health 

benets,” he says, conrming several studies that a wood-clad 

interior calms the nerves and reduces stress levels. 

This philosophy is evident in Anjung Kelana, the home and 

oce he built for himself. The building brings out the honesty 

and raw beauty of mber, and for that, bagged second prize at 

the inaugural Malaysian Wood Awards last year. According to 

the jury, the curved wall structure is “one of the most interesng 

design elements of the house, providing structural stability that 

speaks volumes of what could be done with mber.” 

“Let wood be wood,” he says. 

Like many of his peers, Azman agrees that wood is easy 

to work with: It can be carved or craed using light handheld 

tools; it generates minimal waste as the o-cuts, wood chips and 

sawdust can be fashioned into other products; damage can be 

easily repaired; old mber works can be reclaimed and recycled 

for other purposes. 

However, external applications of wood pose a great 

challenge in Asia’s tropical climate. The material must bale 


27

IN PERSON 

Azman Md Nor 

designs with wood and has his 

own practice, Arkitek Azman Zainal. 

Wood for window frames and grilles are common in 

tropical homes 

oxidaon due to prolonged exposure to 

the sun’s ultraviolet rays. In a couple of 

years, it will weather into a silvery grey 

colour which is not a structural problem 

but can be an aesthec concern for some. 

The wooden building in the tropics 

must be well-venlated to preserve the 

mber. “Those who appreciate mber 

and want to use it are mainly worried 

about decay, termites, aordability and 

maintenance. But these can be easily 

addressed. For example, decay occurs 

because of dampness which can be due 

to poor detailing, poor venlaon and 

maintenance,” Azman advises. 

Having a well-lit and airy indoor space 

also improves occupants’ well-being, 

he adds. 

OBSTACLES IN THE WAY 

However, there is sll a long way to go 

before wood becomes a choice material 

in design and architecture. 

In Malaysia the industry struggles 

with labour shortage. Dependence on a 

transient populaon of foreign workers 

means few can be trained or retained as 

skilled crasmen. It is also increasingly 

dicult to have designs built well due to 

the lack of quality mber supply—one of 

the biggest barriers to building a mber 

construcon culture. 

Azman stresses that mber delivered 

to the construcon site should be ready, 

meaning that it should not be deformed, 

green or juvenile. Yet over the years, 

people have lost condence in mber 

because “we don’t know what kind of 

quality we are geng at the construcon 

site. Subjecng it to tesng at the last 

minute is disrupve to the construcon 

schedule.” 

Other obstacles include low 

awareness and poor perception of 

timber’s structural strength—a myth 

perpetuated by poor mber quality at 

the work site. 


IN PERSON 

Over time, wood will weather into a silvery grey, which 

can be an aesthetic concern for some. 

The curved wall structure is “one of the most interesting design elements of the 

house, providing structural stability that speaks volumes of what could be done 

with timber,” according to the jury of the Malaysian Wood Awards. 

CREATIVE PROBLEM 

SOLVING 

Most architects want to see their designs 

come to fruion but in reality, Azman 

remarks, this is oen hindered by changes 

and volale temperaments “pulling you 

in all sorts of direcons." 

He says, "You have approvals that 

come in so late that by then, the project 

has lost its feasibility. 

“Then you also have impaent clients 

who want to get the design to the ground 

even though it is incomplete. This puts a 

lot of pressure on us.” 

In the past 20 years, government 

authories have also been fond of the 

design-and-build approach, estranging 

the architect and his design team away 

from the end user, Azman adds. Clients 

sometimes employ project managers, 

adding an unnecessary layer to the 

building procurement system which 

makes it increasingly challenging 

for the architect to communicate values 

that the end-user actually wants or needs. 

But at the root of the practice, 

architecture is about creave problem 

solving, Azman says. “We can organise 

ourselves so that we have more control 

of our intellectual property. I am now 

looking at a designer-maker approach and 

seeing where this path leads to.” 

Also, if the mber supply chain can 

provide quality mber and be backed 

up by a systemac delivery system, the 

design and building sector can be more 

condent in coming up with bold, quality 

and innovave designs. 

Finally, the industry must stop 

perceiving mber as a commodity: Drop 

the consumerist behaviour, stop and 

enjoy the material, and experience the 

design. 

This will perhaps give Malaysian 

timber research and design its long 

overdue recognion in the internaonal 

arena of wood architecture. | WIA 


29

27 - 29 MARCH 2018 | 3 DAYS EXHIBITION 


26 - 30 MARCH 2018 

5 DAYS CONSTRUCTION CONFERENCES 

KUALA LUMPUR 

CONVENTION CENTRE 

& CIDB IBS CENTRE 

ACHIEVING 

PEAK 

PRODUCTIVITY 

HOSTED BY ORGANISED BY CO-LOCATED EVENTS 

www.icw.my | www.ecobuildsea.com

FIT-OUTS 

Modern day diners expect more than just new palate 

sensations and to impress the discerning, restaurateurs 

have taken interior design as seriously as their 

kitchen kungfu. Three restaurants show how ‘molten’ 

wood can create ambience for the evening meal. 


31

FIT-OUTS 

Walk into RAW and it will tell you the story of Chef André 

Chiang’s food. 

RAW is somemes lauded the best 

restaurant in Taipei. It is hard to 

get a reservaon, but if you do, 

note how Andre Chiang’s arsc vision 

for food is translated into a design that 

reflects his artistic and minimalistic 

creaons. 

The architects from WEIJENBERG 

used wood in its pure state. The organic 

wooden forms are made up of locallysourced 

spruce blocks joined together 

by local carpenters with techniques used 

in shipbuilding. The design was prepared 

using 3D modeling soware; the 3D data 

was used to determine the tool paths for 

the CNC machine. 

The central wooden sculpture, a 

65-metre long wine bar is held up with 

double anchor points on each node. 

Since Taipei lies in an earthquake-prone 

region, the structure was reinforced 

with steel and lateral bracing in order 

to tackle the lateral swing in the event 

of a tremor. 

The design reflects the essence 

of RAW’s cuisine which is organic and 

natural. It incorporates ne, subtle details 

of meculous cra complemented by a 

subdued and minimal material palee. 

Concrete walls and copper light xtures 

minimise distracon, allowing the chef’s 

creaon to take centre stage. 

The two wooden islands are not 

only visually appealing, they also serve 

a praccal purpose: They guide the ow 

of spaces in between, eliminang the 

‘boxy’ feeling usually associated with 

paroned areas. | WIA 


FIT-OUTS 

In keeping with the artistic side of the chef, the space was designed to fl ow from one region to another guided by the undulating geometry of the 

wooden forms. Zones are demarcated through transitions in fl oor materials and the positioning of wooden elements. Image credit: MWPHOTOINC 


33

FIT-OUTS 

Two Cups Bar shies away from the 

uninspiring and gaudy that so typifies 

China’s urban landscape. 

Image credit: Daipu Architects 

The bar owner wanted his customers 

to enjoy a tipple outdoors over 

the unique skyline of the Yuzhong 

peninsula. At the same time, Daipu 

Architects was experimenng with more 

prototype-driven soluons to generate 

new building and structural systems. 

The project team put this intenon 

into Two Cups Bar by introducing a 

“mountainous terrain” into the restricted 

concrete space. The whole model is 

made of pure solid wood and carved by 

computerised digital control machines. 

The model is designed on computer, 

prefabricated, and then assembled on 

site, saving considerable me. 

This installation can be seen as 

topography, landscape or furniture 

design. It includes the guide of sight 

line at the entrance, spaal parons, 

footrests of bar counter, small arcles 

for ddling with while drinking, and a 

large wooden sofa. 

The wood is meant to wear out aer 

a few years, giving the pub a rugged, 

weathered feel.| WIA 


FIT-OUTS 

Project Details 

Client : Two Cups Bar 

Location : Chongqing, China 

Site area : 120sqm 

Outdoor area : 200sqm 

Architects : Daipu Architects 

Completion : Jan 2017 


35

FIT-OUTS 

Bar Raval pays homage to 

the social and gastronomic 

culture of northern spain. 


FIT-OUTS 

Bar Raval’s molten curves encourage customers to cradle in and become part of the woodwork. All images courtesy of Jonathan Friedman. 


37

FIT-OUTS 

The fluid flows within the space have an ethereal quality 

Celebrated gastronomists Grant van Gameren, Mike 

Webster and Robin Goodfellow wanted to take the 

culinary experience to a new level of art. Apart from 

mouth-watering tantalisers, their new tapas-style bar had to 

be reimagined as a stage for performance, interacon and awe. 

Toronto-based designers PARTISANS furnished the 

space with a molten quality, fostering fluid circulation, 

close encounters, honouring the spirit of its Spanish pintxo 

counterparts. The rippled surfaces around the standing space 

encourage patrons to get comfortable, lean into their so 

edges, and become a part of the woodwork. 

“It is a 21 st -century response to Spanish Art Nouveau 

design,” the architects said. “van Gameren [got us] to execute 

an ambious vision… to create an ‘art piece’, a space that would 

become an enduring Toronto instuon.” 

The team also used advanced digital methods to develop 

prefabricated components that could be inserted directly 

into the building’s exisng fabric with minimal disrupon. 

The team worked directly with fabricators MCM Inc, which 

enlisted Mastercam to adjust the soware code they would 

eventually use to mill over 9km of engravings on 75 panels of 

wood. The team also worked closely with engineers to develop 

customised acouscs and a tailor-made sound system. The 

result is a marvel. | WIA 


24-27 October 2018 

 

THE WOODWORKING 

SHOW IN THE HEART 

OF VIETNAM'S 

FURNITURE CLUSTER 

BINH DUONG 

BINH DUONG — THE RIGHT LOCATION 

Jointly organised by 

HAWA CORPORATION 

PANELS & FURNITURE Group 

Enquiries For International Exhibitors 

Pablo Publishing Pte Ltd 

3 Ang Mo Kio Street 62 #01-23 Link@AMK 

Singapore 569139 

Tel: (65) 6266 5512 

Email: williampang@pabloasia.com 

Venue: Expo Binh Duong 

Binh Duong Province, Vietnam. 

www.vifawoodmacvietnam.com

MATERIALS & TECHNOLOGY 

By 

Easy-to-use online maps to track the sustainability of American hardwood trees, 

species by species and county by county, are being launched by AHEC. 

These interactive maps will provide transparent and 

veried data on the sustainable hardwood resources of 

the USA, state by state and county by county for traders, 

speciers and consumers. A series of online maps forming a 

key component of the new americanhardwood.org website 

and using data from the U.S. Forest Inventory Analysis (FIA) 

programme gives new insights into the sustainability of 

American hardwood forest resources. 

The FIA programme is one of the longest running, most 

comprehensive and sciencally rigorous forest inventory 

programmes in the world. It dates back to 1928 when the 

McSweeney-McNary Forest Research Act iniated the rst 

forest inventories in the United States. 

In 1974 the Federal Forest and Rangeland Renewable 

Resources Planning Act (RPA) required the U.S. Department 

of Agriculture to prepare Renewable Resources Assessment 

every 10 years. 

In 1998 the U.S. Farm Bill enhanced the FIA programme 

with annual updates at state level based on measurement 

of a proporon of plots, to produce a naonal report every 

ve years. 

FIA data derives from a combinaon of sources. Satellite 

remote sensing is used to measure area, locaon and main 

forest aributes at increasingly high levels of resoluon. More 

than 125,000 forest sample plots across the USA provide 

detailed informaon on forest type, site aributes, tree 

species, tree size, and tree health. Quesonnaire surveys 

of landowner plans, values, and intenons are made as well 

as a survey of wood processing facilies to track commercial 

mber producon. 



The interactive forest maps offer statistical information about America s forest resources such as species, growth and distribution. 

Ulisaon studies of logging sites to record how much 

wood is actually removed during harvest are also carried out. 

FIA data shows that between 1951 and 2011 the volume 

of U.S. hardwood growing stock increased from 5.2 billion 

m 3 to 12.0 billion m 3 , a gain of over 130 per cent. This trend 

occurred because hardwood growth was well in excess of 

harvest volume throughout the sixty-year period. FIA data 

also shows that U.S hardwood forest area increased at a rate 

of 400,000 hectares per year between 2007 and 2012, adding 

an area the size of a football pitch every minute during this 

period. 

The graph shows the long term net growth of hardwoods, 

with an The area interactive increasing forest from maps 99 million offer statistical ha in 1953 to 111 

million information ha 2012, about adding America an area s forest the size resources of a football pitch 

every minute, such as rising species, at a rate growth of 40,000 and distribution. ha per year or in total 

an area equal to France, Belgium, Netherlands and Germany 

combined. Removals have been reducing since 1996. 

The online interacve maps allow users to visualise U.S. 

hardwood forest resource information from a bird’s-eye 

perspecve to reveal underlying spaal paerns. The most 

recent FIA data on the volume of live trees, growth and 

harvest is provided for 22 hardwood species which together 

account for over 96 per cent of all hardwood standing volume 

in the United States. Through a simple and intuive interface, 

users can analyse the distribuon of hardwood volume, 

growth and removals at naonal level, or drill down to state 

and county level. 

The online map system was developed by AHEC in 

collaboration with BWA Design, a UK-based company 

specialising in creave web design. | WIA 


41

Bloomberg's new European headquarters in London: 

The lobby, or ‘Vortex’, features a red oak cladded arch. 

Image credit: Foster + Partners and Nigel Young 


By Michael Buckley, 

World Hardwoods, Singapore 

About 40 per cent of the U.S. national hardwood 

resource is oak, of which red oak accounts for 

about three quarters, but it is still under-utilised. 


43



There is much discussion as to why red 

oak is named as it is. Some say because 

the leaves turn red in the fall, rather than 

brown as in white oak. Others suggest that 

the wood has a reddish nge, although that is 

oen not the case. Lincoln* describes red oak 

as ranging from biscuit coloured to pink. What 

is absolutely sure is that its name has nothing to 

do with red wine, for only white oak is suitable 

for barrel-making! American red oak is highly 

suitable for a whole range of other applicaons 

from ooring to furniture, cabinets to coee 

tables and every type of joinery from doors to 

decorave panels. But many of today’s furniture 

makers and interior joinery manufacturers, 

especially in Asia, remain unfamiliar with this 

oak, one of the most sustainable and available 

of all temperate hardwoods. 

TECHNICAL CHARACTERISTICS 

American red oak is a true Quercus, mainly 

Quercus rubra Northern red oak and Quercus 

falcata Southern red oak, but there are many 

other sub species of red oak in North America 

such as Spanish oak, cherrybark oak and 

shummard oak. They all exhibit much the same 

technical and working properes but, as with 

most U.S. hardwoods, they can vary in colour 

and grain from region to region. 

The percentage of heartwood in red oak 

is relatively large particularly in northern 

grown material. Northern and southern is not 

dierenated by merchants. So as usual when 

specifying American hardwoods it is best to 

research your source, if physical properes are 

more important than visual aesthecs. Most 

hardwood importers and distributors are wellversed 

in their dierent characteriscs. 

 

a) 707 kg/m 3 b) 707 kg/m 3 

 

 

10.8% (Green to 6% M.C.) 

a) 12,549 MPa b) 15,721 MPa 

a) 5,738 N b) 6,583 N 

a) Quercus rubra b) Quercus falcate 

Northern 

Southern 

Interior staircase in Bloomberg London's new office 

Photo credit: Foster + Partners and James Newton 


45


Red oak interior flooring 

Image credit: Foster + Partners and Nigel Young 

RED OAK is everywhere in Bloomberg’s new 

European headquarters. Designed by Foster + 

Partners, the dramatic lobby features a dizzying 

1,858sqm of cladding while 37,160sqm of the 

material spreads out beneath your feet. The multipurpose 

room takes up another 1,350m 3 of red oak, 

here used in the form of glulam. 

So how did so much wood end up in the media 

colossus’ office? 

Project Architect Michael Jones recalled 

[Bloomberg] wanted something “bespoke and 

tailored to the way they operate.” 

On his part, sustainability considerations let him 

to timber. (The office scored a record BREEAM 

rating of 98.5 per cent.) 

In the end, red oak was chosen because it was “a 

species with warmth that would mellow and mature 

with age,” Jones said. 

With so much wood, so much could go wrong, 

but the technical challenges have been overcome— 

such as micro-perforating the lobby’s vertical 

cladding to absorb sound. Individual flooring boards 

can also be lifted and refitted at will, a solution that 

prevents creaking. Footsteps are also deadened by 

an additional acoustic layer between board and 

access floor. 

“Businesses now want their buildings to 

have a different sense of personality and be more 

responsive to people who work in them,” Jones said 

in hindsight. “Bloomberg loves the result, so do we.” 

Red oak represents about 30 per 

cent of the total American hardwood 

standing timber although the sawn 

lumber imported into Southeast Asia 

does not reect this, and hence the new 

promoon of red oak by the American 

Hardwood Export Council (AHEC). 

Currently in all Southeast Asian 

countries the import of red oak falls well 

below the volumes of other American 

species. Nevertheless the USA exports 

around one million cubic metres of red 

oak annually because it is so suitable for 

interior uses. 

EASY TO WORK WITH 

Red oak makes excellent lumber but is 

also parcularly easy to slice and peel for 

veneer and plywood and is very readily 

available from U.S. exporters. The trees 

grow large and tall, giving much beer 

specicaons of lengths than most other 

types of oak. As a result it is widely 

used for doors and panelling where its 

individual character oers decorave 

opons for interiors to designers and 

architects for ooring, panelling, interior 

cladding and joinery. 

The seed of the American red oak is 

resistant to re and is a pioneer species 

after others have been destroyed by 

fires, often started by lightning. In 

Pennsylvania, aer devastang natural 

res in the early 1900s, it was red oak 

that came back to regenerate the forest 

naturally. It has been cut connuously 

for widespread use since the European 

selers rst arrived 400 years ago and 

yet it increases its growing volume 

by sound management and natural 

regeneraon – always a true measure 

of sustainability. Interactive maps of 

all American commercial hardwoods 

newly launched show that annual 

growth exceeds annual harvest and 

mortality. 

Lincoln* describes American red 

oak as “weighing around 770 kg/m 3 

with medium bending properes and 

very good bending with steam.” It has 

“high crushing strength” and is mostly 

straight grained. Such properes led to 

the American Hardwood Export Council 

in Europe to select red oak, along 

with ash, white oak and tulipwood for 

structural tesng by Building Research 

Establishment in the UK years ago. The 

results are contained in the publicaon, 

Structural Design in American 

Hardwoods, which provides architects 

and engineers with structural data under 

codes not previously available. 



HARDY, STRONG AND FIRE 

RESISTANT 

American red oak is classied as nondurable 

although the sapwood is 

permeable and easily treated with 

preservave, whereas the heartwood 

is moderately easy to treat. This fact 

also enables American red oak to be 

more easily treated with re retardants 

than some other hardwood species. 

This beer permeability of American 

red oak leads to a greater uptake and 

retenon necessary to achieve the Class 

0 re rang for internal linings used in 

escape routes and circulaon areas in 

public buildings. 

More recently test projects have 

revealed red oak as most suitable for 

thermal modicaon – so TMT red oak 

is now available for exterior applicaons. 

Other properes lead to the harder 

wood needing pre-boring for nails, but it 

machines well and also glues and stains 

well to a fine finish. The decorative 

properes of red oak are derived from 

its strong grain paerns and generally 

warm colour. 

In performance the hardness of red 

oak makes it ideal for ooring, and with 

its disnct grain paern it shows wear 

and tear less than many other species 

used today. Given the sustainability of 

red oak, speciers can rest assured that 

its use threatens no forests but provides 

a material with characteriscs that can 

spell both ‘contemporary’ and ‘heritage’. 

Bloomberg’s new oce in London 

is one such marvel, with red oak ed 

throughout the 1.1 million sq oce. 

| WIA 

*“World woods in colour” 

William A. Lincoln ISBN 0 85442 028 2 

Michael Buckley at World Hardwoods 

holds an MPhil for hardwood research 

and is a fellow of the Instute of Wood 

Science in the UK. He writes widely on 

hardwood subjects. 


47

FLOORING 

New look for laminate: Digital printing enables unusual design concepts to 

be applied, such as decors with a visual material mix and creative colouring. 

Image credit: Parador. 

Stylish laminate decors with the glamour factor: Deep, warm tones 

with a subtle shimmer of gold give a hint of luxury. 

Image credit: Quickstep by Unilin. 

The latest trends in flooring are becoming 

more diverse. They must be as pretty as the 

furniture that sits on them, look natural and 

of course, be durable and easy to maintain. 

MODERN AUTHENTICITY 

Industrial Chic, Modern Classic, Bohemian 

and Country themes continue to be 

popular in homes and commercial spaces 

worldwide. Likewise, Nordic styles are sll 

welcome for its sober, clean shapes and 

light colours. 

In addion, many people are looking 

for ooring they can “touch and feel”, 

and this has resulted in users having 

a greater understanding of materials. 

Authencity is becoming a determinant 

in their choice of products and this has 

strongly inuenced the way new laminate 

oors are being developed. 

A NEW KIND OF 

NATURALNESS 

Vintage and the “used" look are sll major 

themes, but overall the appearance of 

laminate wood is now more linear and 

softer. Textures are now used more. 

Some laminate oor coverings feature 

slight traces of wear on the surface. 

The “rustic” look, popular in recent 

years, has given way to a new kind of 

naturalness. Special surface treatments 

on planks, such as “oiled” and “brushed”, 

are reflected in a tactile and visual 

nish. 

No other wood is as expressive as 

oak, which is why oak remains a longterm 

favourite in the laminate sector. The 


FLOORING 

European laminate is popular for its technical and eco-friendly performance. 

Image credit: Wineo. 

most dominant colours range from light 

to medium dark, with various shades 

and hues of grey. Equally attractive 

are the new interpretations of wood 

reproduced to look like maple, acacia, 

beech, alder, ash, spruce, larch and 

nutwood. Depending on the character of 

the ooring, the colour palee extends 

from bright ma white through to deep, 

warm shades of honey, nutmeg and 

cognac. Popular in Scandinavia, pine can 

be used as a realisc-looking laminate 

decor even in high trac areas. 

“LUXURY” BACK IN DEMAND 

Modern stone decors that resemble 

marble, sandstone and slate are 

increasingly in demand. With their 

harmonious blend of colour, texture 

and shape, these oors have an elegant 

look-and-feel inspired by nature. 

Concrete eect designs, now available in 

new variaons, are also fashionable and 

proving to be successful on the market. 

A special surface eect can be created 

on laminate boards by incorporating 

nuanced metallic reecons in gold or 

bronze. For example, a subtle gold shimmer 

in a warm, dark wood reproducon can 

provide a hint of luxury. Mediterraneanstyle 

mosaic designs, supergloss laminate, 

tradional country-style rusc planks and 

the classic herringbone paern are also 

popular choices. 

AHEAD IN TECHNOLOGY 

Industrial digital prinng has facilitated 

the design of laminate collecons with all 

together more variety and colour. This is a 

real bonus as there are no limits in terms 

of creave scope and customisaon. 

There is more demand for 

contemporary, easy-to-maintain wood 

eect laminate ooring in the kitchen 

and bathroom too. Laminate boards with 

special water-resistant features are a 

growing product segment. The necessary 

swelling protecon is achieved by using 

newly-developed HDF core boards with 

a high degree of hardness and density, 

and also by impregnang the overlay and 

edges to make the boards more splashand 

moisture-resistant. This is what 

makes laminate such an easy-to-maintain, 

cost-effective and visually attractive 

ooring opon for the commercial sector. 

NEW CLICK VARIATIONS 

New solutions for click systems now 

make installations easier, quicker and 

more secure. Some of the designs allow 

for dierent connecon methods: the 

elements can either be laid row by 

row or by following the staggering 

principle which allows several installers 

to work on the same area simultaneously. 

Dismantling is also made smoother with 

these new methods. 

There are now “assembly kit” 

soluons available for laminate, allowing 

the chosen design of flooring to run 

connuously over mulple storeys. An 

increasing number of new and improved 

quality laminate products are appearing 

in the European laminate flooring 

industry as a result of the input of fresh 

design ideas and the intelligent use of 

innovave technologies. | WIA 

Source: European Producers of Laminate 

Flooring 


49

FLOORING 

Source: European Producers 

of Laminate Flooring 

Total laminate ooring sales in volume terms 

from members of the European Producers 

of Laminate Flooring (EPLF) reached 477 

million m 2 in 2017. The associaon’s home market 

of Western Europe continued to decline whilst 

Asia was once again the market that recorded the 

biggest growth. Exports to the Americas and Russia 

also saw gains. 

WESTERN EUROPE 

Total sales in Western Europe (including Turkey) fell 

2.9 per cent to 243 million m 2 . Germany remains the 

single largest market in Central Europe, achieving 

ooring sales of 57 million m 2 , although this gure is 

a 10 per cent decline from 2016 due to consumers’ 

preference for thermoplasc ooring. 

France is sll in second place, demonstrang a 

small increase in sales to reach 37.6 million m 2 . UK 

sales rose 2.5 per cent to 33.8 million m 2 , pung it 

in third place ahead of Turkey. 

Global sales of EPLF members in million m 2 

Sales gures for Turkey fell by 9.2 per cent, down 

to 24.9 million m 2 . The Netherlands is in h place 

followed by Spain. 

Major regions EPLF members export to (in million m 2 ) 

EASTERN EUROPE 

Although sales in Eastern Europe climbed marginally 

in 2017, the region remains a major growth market 

for EPLF manufacturers—sales rose 1.9 per cent to 

128 million m 2 . (The EPLF is aware that just under 

20 million m 2 of laminate produced by Russian 

member companies are not accounted for, for 

various reasons, since 2015.) 

In 2017, EPLF members in Russia reported 

sales growth of 5.2 per cent to 35 million m 2 ; 

Poland sales were steady at just under 31 

million m 2 ; Romania, 13.2 million m 2 ; followed 

by Ukraine, which grew 18.4 per cent to 

7.4 million m 2 , Hungary and Bulgaria. 


FLOORING 

ASIA AND MIDDLE EAST 

Asia Pacic saw the biggest growth in 2017 where 

total export sales were over 29 million m 2 , an 8.7 per 

cent increase. Shipments to China (including Hong 

Kong) reached 9.6 million m 2 , a 10.8 per cent increase 

over the previous year. Taiwan registered just under 

1.8 million m 2 , a rise of over 18 per cent. Kazakhstan, 

surprisingly, also saw tremendous growth of over 39 

per cent YoY with sales volumes reaching 3.6 million 

m 2 . (Stascs from the Central Asian country were 

only collected from 2016 onwards.) Israel notched up 

to 2.2 million m 2 ; Saudi Arabia remained stable at 2.7 

million m². 

THE AMERICAS 

North America recorded a 4.7 per cent YoY increase 

to reach 49 million m 2 . It connues to be a key market 

for EPLF members. Shipments to the U.S. were around 

32 million m 2 (+8.1%) while that to Canada were just 

under 18 million m 2 . 

Lan America imported 17.7 million m 2 , a three 

per cent increase. Figures for Chile, the largest single 

market, rose by 4.6 per cent YoY to 7.7 million m 2 . 

Mexico, the second largest market, recorded 4.3 million 

m 2 , followed by Columbia and Argenna. | WIA 

EPLF members' sales to Asia and Middle East (in million m 2 ) 


51

FLOORING 

By thermally modifying wood, timura 

Holzmanufaktur offers wood in the same durability 

class as tropical wood, suitable for both interior and 

exterior flooring, as well as cladding for façades. 

Renowned for their philosophy in design and innovaon as much 

as their commitment to preserving the world’s tropical forests, 

mura Holzmanufaktur GmbH, a wood manufacturer based in 

Südharz, Germany, is dedicated to improving the lives of those around 

them in an ecologically sound way. 

Certified by both the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) and 

the Programme for the Endorsement of Forest Cercaon (PEFC) 

schemes, one of mura’s most unique aspects is that they oer 

modied wood that is as durable as the endangered and coveted 

tropical wood – but made of sustainably sourced German wood. 

“The inial idea was to save the tropical rainforests here in 

Southeast Asia, which we can do as we have enough resources 

in Europe, and especially Germany where our forests have been 

sustainable for 300 years and sll growing,” Chrisan Pongratz, senior 

sales manager of mura, explained. “We use ash, spruce, pine and 

beech for our products. But since American ash has a lower density, 

we use German ash.” 

THERMO WOOD 

Sustainably harvested, mura’s thermally modied ooring, a product 

of vacuum press drying, is lighter, holds more moisture than wood not 

thermally modied, and oers beer insulaon due to its decreased 

thermal conducvity and lower density. 

“Mould normally grows on the wood if the moisture is over 25 

per cent, but we thermally modify the wood and bring the moisture 

down to around eight to nine per cent. Since mould cannot grow on 

the wood, the durability is also enhanced,” Pongratz said. 

But the wood is not only durable due to its water absorpon and 

water-binding properes; it also oers beer dimensional stability. 

“Because the wood is pressed and thermally modified, its 

expansion and contracon is also greatly reduced, and one benet 

is that it will not bend or warp. So there is no need to iron out the 

wood every few years.” 

UNIQUE 

There are many benefits to building with wood, but the many 

properes of thermally modied wood means that this versale 

product has a large range of uses, from outdoor and exterior decking 

as much as it can be used for interior ooring. 

“What is special about our products is that seamless outdoor or 

exterior decking – without gaps – is possible,” Pongratz expounded. 

“The innovaon here is the SenoFix that was specially developed 

for our thermo wood. It’s one of the reasons why designers and 

architects like our products, along with the fancy shapes and colours 

they can come in.” 

timura’s products are also suitable 

for outdoor decking

Although the popularity of composite materials 

has risen over the past few years, thermally modied 

wood has slowly been gaining aenon as well. 

“Some builders and developers have not had 

posive experiences with wood, what with it warping 

with expansion and contracon, fading under the sun, 

and delaminaon,” Pongratz stated. 

“But because our thermally modied products 

are so unique, and architects, builders and developers 

are interested in looking for sustainable and durable 

wood, we believe that we are able to oer projects 

that don’t want composites as an alternave.” 

Thermally modified 

and pressed, timura 

offers wood in the same 

durability class as tropical 

wood. 

THE FUTURE 

“Thermally modied wood, in general, is a great 

opportunity in green buildings,” Pongratz pointed 

out. “Though it is the architect who has to decide 

on what is best.” 

And although thermally modied wood may not 

be commonly found in Southeast Asia yet, it is a viable 

alternave to many other construcon materials. 

“I will be happy if there will be more aenon on 

thermally modied wood in the future,” Pongratz said 

candidly. “It may be a niche product, but that doesn’t 

mean it will be pricey.” | WIA 


53

FLOORING 

By 

Speaking of ooring companies, the 

rst few names that come to mind 

are Nature, Treessun, Powerdekor or 

Boer. While these brands are well-known 

for superior quality and have signicant 

market share, they also end up ooding 

the market with large quanes of similar 

products, resulng in ght compeon. 

Furthermore, products that are 

marketed as “environment-friendly”, 

“formaldehyde-free”, “waterproof” and 

“radiative floor heating” have been 

commonplace for the past 20 years. 

These practical characteristics attract 

consumers but are in fact nothing new 

for trade media and industry insiders. 

In the west, environmental standards and 

grades are no longer business gimmicks; 

they are a basic standard. Can we 

finally have some fun and novelty in 

ooring? 

What does creativity in wood 

flooring look like? The answer 

can be found in INNOMASTER. 

VETERANS IN THE BUSINESS 

Huang Guang and his business partner, 

Liu Shuozhen, can be considered 

veterans since each has more than 20 

years’ of experience in the industry. 

But more importantly, the founders of 

INNOMASTER broke convenon, taking 

ingenious ooring design to a whole new 

level. Their products gained popularity 

in an amazingly short me. 

Liu, who is also the chairman 

of INNOMASTER, is the founder of 

Elegant Living Baroque Flooring. The 

company specialises in branding ooring 

and building material enterprises. By 

melding stories and cultural elements 

into the brand, he proved himself the 

innovave storyteller, establishing a new 

universe behind INNOMASTER. 

At the Shanghai and Guangzhou 

trade fairs, INNOMASTER’s booth is 

always packed with visitors. Even though 

it is located in the Chinese hall, it aracts 

overseas buyers too. The large spacious 

booth, creave design, bright tones and 

disncve styles are impressive. Most 

cannot resist grabbing snapshots with 

the booth. 

To approach real design and 

prepare for the upcoming Age of 

Colour, INNOMASTER worked with Italy’s 

Stewari design studio and designed over 

4000 dierent types of veneer. Although 

not every design is praccal, the wide 

range of products is enough to leave 

many competors trailing 

far behind. 

At the Shanghai and Guangzhou 

trade fairs, INNOMASTER is always 

packed with curious visitors. The loud colours 

and expressive designs are always a hit.

FLOORING 

According to Huang, Armstrong, 

one of the largest ooring and building 

material companies in the U.S., is 

negoang the exclusive rights to sell 

INNOMASTER’s products in America. 

“We've been travelling the world in 

the last ve years,” Huang said. “Now we 

are back and we hope to amaze everyone 

with what we can come up with.” 

TRIAL AND ERROR 

Many people enjoy the loud colours 

and explosive styles in INNOMASTER’s 

overwhelming variety of products. 

But few know that these products are 

the result of countless of hours of trial 

and error. Furthermore, products with 

disncve characteriscs are very hard 

to cater to the majority’s taste. But this 

is easy to nd out—just launch an online 

poll and observe the responses. In the 

end, some universally popular products 

will emerge, which are so original, they 

cannot be copied. 

“The trial and error process is not 

meaningless if they lead to the correct 

result,” Huang says. He also adds that 

the market’s unpredictable reaction 

forces INNOMASTER to offer good 

customisaon service in return. 

The building materials sector doesn’t 

often work with other industries. 

Tradional companies can be insensive 

to design and style. Unlike the clothing 

industry, it usually takes ve to seven 

years for the building materials industry 

to catch up with trends. 

However, as industrial printing 

technology becomes more popular now, 

a growing number of building companies 

are incorporating popular fashion 

concepts into their business. Many 

companies are also trying to get rid 

of faceless styles, which are 

mostly grey, white 

or wooden tones. And while trending 

colours, styles and designs are now more 

common at regional exhibitions and 

conferences, only INNOMASTER seems 

to have undergone the greatest change. 

With an internaonal outlook, good 

fashion sense and keen understanding of 

the ooring industry, things are looking 

up for INNOMASTER. It should connue 

to grow if it develops these strengths as its 

core compeveness. The best products 

on the market can be copied, but having 

a sense of creavity and adventure is 

priceless and irreplaceable.| WIA

SHOW PREVIEW 


As one the most interesting events in 

the international wood market, Sylva 

Wood is returning for its fourth edition 

to become the one-stop destination 

for bringing furniture and flooring 

manufacturers, as well as traders 

and importers together to strategise, 

and exchange ideas and insights. 

Sylva Wood 2018 will take 

place in Shanghai from 

June 25 to 27 

The countdown is on for the annual Sylva Wood. Now 

in its fourth year, the only specialised wood materials 

show in Asia, with no machinery or nished products, 

has built a solid reputaon in the region and set to be even 

greater. 

Once again taking place in June, Sylva Wood remains the 

ideal place for industry players to meet while leveraging on 

the opportunity to tap into the Chinese market. 

“We are overwhelmed by the enthusiasc response. 

Sylva Wood has expanded its footprint over the years, and in 

this fourth edion, we are looking at the interplay of big and 

small companies to bring the best in the industry to visitors,” 

said William Pang, director of Shanghai Pablo Exhibion. 


SHOW PREVIEW 

The Russian Pavilion will return again for the second time along with the Dongguan Veneer Alliance 

The show connues to be endorsed by the American 

Hardwood Export Council, American Sowoods, Canada 

Wood, French Timber and Sowood Export Council. This 

year, it has also received the support from the Thai Timber 

Association, Malaysian Timber Council and National 

Hardwood Lumber Associaon. 

Visitors can also look out for the Russian Pavilion as it 

returns again for the second me along with the Dongguan 

Veneer Alliance. 

“The show has been improving. It focuses on wood 

materials and is very useful for our members. We’ve got 

a prey good number of visitors vising and they are 

professional mber trade people. The members are very 

happy so I believe this is a quality show that is valuable for 

us,” said John Chan, AHEC’s regional director. 

EXPLORING CHINA’S POTENTIAL 

According to RISI, a company specialising in providing informaon 

and data for the global forest products industry, China’s imports 

of sowood and hardwood logs have jumped by 42 per cent in 

the last ve years, while imports of lumber soared by 81 per cent. 

The country is the world’s largest importer of wood bre, and 

largest exporter of plywood, ooring, wooden furniture and other 

related products. While rising labour costs and other factors have 

been potenal drags on growth, 2017 sll saw record-high imports 

of logs and lumber. 

In addition, despite the central government’s move to 

aggressively reduce nancial risk and polluon in the country, 

the wood content of China’s primary forest products imports will 

increase from an esmated 194 million cubic metres in 2015 to 

254 million cubic metres by 2025, reported RISI. 

The country’s mber and forest products imports are expected 

to increase by 60 million cubic metres by 2025, and will eventually 

account for 12 to 13 per cent of global mber harvest. 

As the only premier plaorm for the wood materials sector, 

visitors and exhibitors can expect opportunies to explore and 

enhance productivity and competitiveness at this dedicated 

business-to-business event. 

The world-class show will take place in Shanghai from June 

25 to 27 and a full programme of workshops and seminars will be 

held over the three days – with more details to be provided in the 

following months. | WIA 


57

March 26 to 29, 2018 

Dubai World Trade Centre 

2018: 

All images are credited to N 

Design for self-expression will be the central theme of the INDEX show in March. 

With one of the most diverse and creave catalogues of exhibitors to date, INDEX 

will celebrate design as a direct reecon of individuality. The event will feature 

the pinnacle of local and internaonal design minds, and bespoke live features brought 

to Dubai, UAE, exclusively for the show by leading European designers. 

Forecasted to see over 1,000 exhibitors from across 60 dierent countries, 

the 2018 show is set to oer a wealth of products for those hoping to nd that 

special item which will allow their client’s project to feel uniquely theirs. 

Architects, interior designers, interior architects, retail managers, purchase 

managers, manufacturers and suppliers, and procurement managers will 

also be expected at the show. 

Samantha Kane-Macdonald, event director at INDEX, said, “Clients 

and end-users have more creave input than they have ever had 

when dealing with interior designers, product designers and 

contractors, no maer what the scale of the project. 

“With that, the pendulum of control has swung back to 

the people. The design mantra is more and more about 

incorporang the traits of the individual: their beliefs, 

their experiences, their ambions. Never before have 

interiors, furniture and décor been considered such a 

direct reecon of those who own the space.” 

Allowing the scope for personal selfexpression 

is already becoming essenal when 

thinking about an interior space, explained 

Kane-Macdonald. 

“For 2018, INDEX will crique the way 

we express our individuality through the 

products we source for our interiors, be 

that at work or at home,” she added. 

This will be the second me in 

the event’s 28-year history that 

INDEX will incorporate a theme. 

At the 2017 show, the 

four-day exhibition was 

transformed with 

lush greens to allow 

visitors to delve 

into interiors that 

stimulate Design 

for the Senses. 

| WIA

SHOW PREVIEW 

With over 25,000 homes being 

added to the UAE’s residenal 

market this year, the wood and 

furniture market is likely to witness solid 

growth. 

Wood and wood products are 

expected to get a solid boost from 

the $2.4-trillion worth of construcon 

acvies, especially when new homeowners 

start purchasing furniture and 

interior décor accessories, industry 

experts say. 

In the Middle East, 70 per cent of 

mber and wood products are used in 

construcon; the rest are used in real 

estate, interiors, furniture and other 

industrial applicaons. 

With an average spend of $2,722 

on wooden products per home, this 

translates to $68 million spent this year 

in Dubai alone. 

However, with more than 35,000 

residential units slated for delivery 

in 2018, spend on wooden products 

is expected to jump 40 per cent to 

$95 million, according to a report released 

of ahead of the Dubai WoodShow. 

"The growth in the housing market 

will drive the wood, wood-related and 

mber business across the region and 

this creates a great opportunity for the 

industry," said Dawood Al Shezawi, CEO 

of Strategic Markeng and Exhibions, 

the event’s organiser. 

"As families move into their new 

homes, they will require a fresh supply 

of furniture. Most families will look for 

authenc wooden furniture and products 

– wherein lies the new demand." 

Al Shezawi said in order to capture 

the lucrave UAE market, more than 300 

exhibitors from 100 countries are all set 

to showcase their innovave soluons 

at the next edion of Dubai WoodShow, 

which will showcase new designs, style 

and product innovation on managing 

home space in innovave ways. 

The demand for wood products is 

also expected to be driven by new hotel 

projects. 

"Dubai will add 40,000 hotel rooms 

and service apartments to meet the 

growing demand of tourists as part of 

the build-up to the Expo 2020, which 

is less than three years away," stated Al 

Shezawi. 

Dubai’s hotel sector has more than 

100,000 hotel rooms and serviced 

apartments. By October 2020, Dubai will 

need to have a strong hotel inventory 

of 140,000 hotel rooms and hotel 

apartments. 

“As we speak, a number of hotel 

operators are floating tenders for 

wooden beds, tables, and wooden 

interior products to oer greater comfort 

to hotel guests. This is going to be a great 

driver of demand for wooden products,” 

he added. 

The Dubai WoodShow will be held 

from March 12 to 14, 2018, at the 

Dubai World Trade Centre. Organisers 

ancipate over 300 exhibitors from over 

106 countries will participate at the 

show. | WIA 


SHOW REVIEW 

Amagnicent building material like 

timber should not be reduced 

to secondary functions and 

Malaysian architects as well as structural 

engineers need to relook the use of 

timber in architecture. As the world 

moves towards changing building code 

regulations to accommodate timber 

high-rises, Malaysia should consider 

revising its building tradion with this 

material. 

This was the message conveyed by 

the disnguished panel of speakers at 

the Malaysian Timber Council’s (MTC) 

International Conference on Wood 

Architecture held Nov 9 in Kuala Lumpur. 

The panel included world-renowned 

The Malaysian Timber 

Council’s International 

Conference on Wood 

Architecture highlights 

why timber is the star 

building material of the 

21 st century. 

or manufactured off-site to improve 

productivity and reduce on-site 

construction waste. The use of IBS 

components with a minimum score of 

70 per cent in government projects will 

be made mandatory. IBS is also expected 

to improve producvity by 2.5 mes,” 

he added. 

In the recent Budget 2018, Malaysia’s 

prime minister announced various 

initiatives to strengthen small-andmedium 

enterprises (SMEs) as well as 

enhance automaon and Bumiputera 

entrepreneurship. 

“Sensaonal mber structures have 

been developed primarily in European 

countries and this is something which 

Conference participants (from left): Kevin Hill, PAM President Ezumi Harzani, Norihide Imagawa, Almaz Salma Abdul Rahim, MTC Deputy CEO Richard Yu, 

JKR Civil and Structural Engineering Branch Director Ir Muhammad Azman Jamrus, Azman Md Nor, Boris Iskra and Andrew Waugh. 

architects and engineers Andrew 

Waugh, Norihide Imagawa, Kevin Hill and 

Boris Iskra. Malaysian architects 

Almaz Salma Abdul Rahim and 

Azman Md Nor, rst and second prize 

winners, respecvely, of MTC’s inaugural 

Malaysian Wood Awards 2017, spoke on 

their winning designs as well as on their 

other wood-based structures. 

The conference promotes the use 

of timber and highlights the need 

to change the mindsets of those in 

the construcon industry. About 300 

delegates aended. 

Deputy Minister of the Plantaon 

Industries and Commodies YB Datuk 

Datu Nasrun Datu Mansur ociated the 

opening ceremony on behalf of Minister 

YB Datuk Seri Mah Siew Keong. Also 

present was MTC Chief Execuve Ocer 

Datuk Dr Abdul Rahim Nik. 

Players in the construcon industry 

will nd themselves in a transion period 

and will have to employ a different 

atude which would be a more nurturing 

one when they build with mber as the 

government instutes various iniaves 

such as the Industrialised Building 

System or IBS, said Nasrun, delivering a 

speech on behalf of Minister Mah. 

“Under the IBS, components such 

as mber frames will be prefabricated 

we can emulate. Building regulaons 

are also being revised, reflecting the 

successes accomplished in countries 

which have constructed tall timber 

structures. Malaysia should embrace the 

advancements that mber architecture 

is oering,” Abdul Rahim said. 

A mini exhibition was also held 

in conjunction with the conference 

to showcase products such as doors, 

flooring, decking, panel products, 

mouldings and glulam. These enabled 

specifiers and users to know what is 

available in the market. | WIA 


61

MARCH 

5 – 8 Wood Tech & Design Expo Saudi 2018 Jeddah, Saudi Arabia www.wtdexposaudi.com 

6 – 9 Architecture + Construction Materials Tokyo, Japan www.messe.nikkei.co.jp 

8 – 11 IFFS Singapore www.iffs.com.sg 

8 – 12 India Wood Bangalore, India www.indiawood.com 

9 – 12 Build+Décor 2018 Beijing, China www.build-decor.net 

12 – 14 Dubai WoodShow Dubai, UAE www.dubaiwoodshow.com 

14 – 17 Shanghai Design Week Shanghai, China www.designshanghai.com 

18 – 21 CIFF Guangzhou, China www.ciff-gz.com 

20 – 23 Domotex Asia/ China Floor Shanghai, China www.domotexasiachinafloor.com 

21 – 23 International Building and Construction Trade Fair Shanghai, China www.shfair-cbd.no4e.com 

21 – 24 CIDE 2018 Beijing, China www.door-expo.com 

26 – 29 INDEX Dubai Dubai, UAE www.indexdesignseries.com 

27 – 29 EcoBuild Southeast Asia Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia www.ecobuildsea.com 

28 – 31 CIFM/ interzum guangzhou Guangzhou, China www.interzum-guangzhou.com 

APRIL 

17 – 22 Salone de Mobile Milano Milan, Italy www.salonemilano.it 

24 – 26 Gulf Construction Expo Bahrain www.gulfconstructionexpo.com 

24 – 26 Gulf Interiors Bahrain www.gulfinteriorsexhibition.com 

MAY 

2 – 6 IndoBuildTech Jakarta 2018 Jakarta, Indonesia www.indobuildtech.com 

7 – 8 Kuwait Housing Residential Development Kuwait www.housingkuwait.iqpc.ae 

7 – 10 Project Qatar Doha, Qatar www.projectqatar.com 

8 – 12 Yapi – Turkeybuild Istanbul Istanbul, Turkey www.yapifuari.com.tr 

15 – 17 Guangzhou International Wooden House 

& Wooden Structure Fair 2018 

www.muwuz.com 

30 – 1 Jun Carrefour International du Bois Nantes, France www.timbershow.com 

JUNE 

13 – 15 Chengdu China Building & Decoration Materials Expo Chengdu, China www.cdjbh.cn 

25 – 27 Sylva Wood 2018 Shanghai, China www.sylvawoodexpo.com 

AUGUST 

20 – 23 World Conference on Timber Engineering Seoul, Korea www.wcte2018.kr/home 


63

AHEC 

OBC 

American Lumber 7 

Arden Precision Technology Co Ltd 1 

Baillie Lumber 11 

CIFF 2018 

IFC 

Chia Lung Machinery Ind Co Ltd 51 

DOMOTEX ASIA 2018 53 

Dubai WoodShow 2018 62 

EcoBuild Asia 30 

Extend Light Machinery Co Ltd 25 

Hoon Hsiang Ind Co Ltd 47 

Kuang Yung Machinery Co Ltd 9 

Softwood Export Council 3 

Technik Associates, Inc 

IBC 

Wood Taiwan 2018 59 

VIFA Woodmac Vietnam 2018 39 

Sylva Wood 2018 5 

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