InnoRenew CoE and the University of Primorska are organizing one of the world’s most important conferences in modern sustainable construction – Woodrise 2022. The conference is under the honorable patronage of the President of the Republic of Slovenia, Borut Pahor.

Woodrise 2022 will host international multistorey timber construction experts on the Slovenian coast to present the sector’s latest architectural and engineering developments. The conference will highlight topics advocated by the European Green Deal and the New European Bauhaus. Speakers will discuss the renovation, rehabilitation and restoration of existing buildings using timber construction technologies.

“We are very honored that the international alliance of universities, institutes and research centers, which oversees the organization of Woodrise conferences, trusted us with such an important event,” InnoRenew CoE’s Dr. Iztok Šušteršič said. “Presentations of international achievements and discussions with designers and contractors will surely effectively contribute to raising awareness of sustainable construction.”

The conference will be held 6–7 September 2022 in Portorož, Slovenia, at Congress Center Bernardin. Best practical examples of sustainable construction from around the world will be presented. Keynote speakers include Hans Joachim Schellnhuber, a mastermind behind the New European Bauhaus development; Bohumil Kasal, the director of the Fraunhofer WKI; Julian Anderson, director of 55 Southbank Boulevard Melbourne, the first high-rise cross-laminated timber (CLT) hotel in Australia; Frédéric Staat, the FCBA Timber Industry and Construction Department Director and the WoodRise Alliance Coordinator; Noriaki Yamada from the Structural Design Office; Matthew Eastwood from Tengbom; Jason Wright from Hickok Cole Architects; Bruno Dujić, director of CBD, a Slovenian company who will present a decade of innovations using timber to renovate the existing building stock in Slovenia, primarily focused on solving seismic-related issues; Luis Jorge, leader of Portugal’s Hotel Mondegro renovation; architect Robert Schmitz, who collaborated in building Sweden’s Sara kulturhus, a nearly 80 meter 20-story wooden building; and Stefan Winter from the Technical University of Munich.

International speakers at Woodrise 2022 will share their views and present their experiences with the renovation, rehabilitation and restoration of urban buildings using innovative technologies in wooden construction. Participants will also learn about a six-story concrete building in Melbourne, Australia, which was recently upgraded with ten timber floors, the complete replacement of the interior of an older 5-storey brick hotel in Portugal with a modern timber structure, the proper renovation of the timber load-bearing elements of listed buildings and many other outstanding achievements in the field of sustainable renovation of the building stock.

Before the main conference sessions, participants will have an opportunity to learn about influential research projects, such as DynaTTB and ClickDesign, and achievements in timber construction through thematic workshops where the latest findings on key characteristics of tall timber construction will be presented.

From 8–9 September 2022, attendees can join technical and business tours of the construction and wood processing industry in Slovenia and the surrounding region.

Please visit the conference website for more information.

Prepared by: Dr. Igor Gavrić, Dr. Iztok Šušteršič, Lea Primožič, InnoRenew CoE