Woodrise 2023 programming update: decarbonization, competitiveness, innovation… on the menu of the 4th Congress

Nearly 3.000 players in wood construction, real estate and development, from all over the world, are expected on WOODRISE 2023, from October 17 to 20, in Bordeaux.

Update on the programming of this international meeting, just over three months from its opening. On the menu of conferences, workshops, meetings with exhibitors, competitions and presentation of emblematic operations, the key themes and challenges of medium and high-rise wooden buildings around the world: decarbonization, competitiveness, innovation, circular economy and reuse, etc.

WOODRISE Fundamentals

Since 2017, the WOODRISE international congress, launched at the initiative of the FCBA Technological Institute (France), FPInnovations (Canada) and the Building Research Institute (Japan), has contributed to the development of medium and high-rise wood construction around the world.

At the same time a place of business, exchanges, information and interactions between actors, WOODRISE allows sharing of experiences and progress unique in the world on the subject:

• Responses provided by medium and high-rise wood construction to the decarbonization challenges of the sector : one of the 3 plenaries, "Decarbonizing the building and the city with wood", Tuesday, October 17, will be devoted to this theme.
• Processes, solutions and initiatives developed to remove the technical and economic obstacles specific to medium and high-rise wood construction, to the benefit of these types of buildings and, by extension, to all wood construction. First^nd plenary on October 17 will address one of these cross-cutting issues, “How to improve the competitiveness of wood construction? ".
• The international dimension of medium and high-rise wood construction, with a large number of countries strongly interested in this subject and the associated challenges, most of them represented at WOODRISE 2023. Many foreign delegations have to date confirmed their attendance at the congress. They will be able to benefit from multiple feedbacks on topics that concern them all, to varying degrees, in particular within the framework of the 3^th plenary, “Mid-rise and high-rise timber construction projects around the world”, which will take place on October 18. More than 50 foreign speakers, representatives of public and private organizations will also speak throughout the congress, within the framework of the various workshops and conferences. Among the exhibitors, the international dimension will also be there, with a large number of countries represented.

For all, the challenge is high: to seize what they have been able to discover and deepen within the framework of WOODRISE, for the benefit of the development of wood construction in their respective countries, on the technical, economic and regulatory levels.

WOODRISE 2023 novelties

Beyond these fundamentals, this 4^th edition, which sees the return of WOODRISE in France, will also focus on:

• The commitment of European actors and institutions in the field of wood construction. Several representatives of the European federations of wood processing industries and sawyers are part of the WOODRISE 2023 Program Committee. This strong representation is fully consistent with the place of wood construction on a European scale, with, for example, dedicated areas of reflection in the New European Bauhaus (project aimed at accelerating the transformation of various economic sectors, such as construction and urban planning, for circular and less carbon-intensive goods.). Ruth Reinstein, coordinator of the New European Bauhaus, will speak on WOODRISE on October 18, following the plenary “Mid-rise and high-rise timber construction projects around the world”.
• Innovation, with thematic workshops dedicated to key issues in the development of medium and high-rise timber construction. For example: on October 18, technical workshop 4: “Digital value chain: from trees to buildings”, addressing in particular issues of traceability, digital transformation in the tropical forest industry; BIM; the European initiative TIMBIM CEI-Bois; etc More broadly, the question of taking innovation into account in the field of wood construction, in the service of its insurability, will also be in the spotlight, as part of the workshop on October 18 also: "Securing innovation in wood construction".
• The circular economy and the reuse of wood material, a major theme when it comes to decarbonizing the built environment. Several technical workshops will be devoted to this subject on October 18, in connection with extending lifespans, limiting waste, etc. Examples of Austrian, Swedish, Canadian and Japanese initiatives will also be presented.

More information on the WOODRISE 2023 program, its 3 plenaries, 7 technical workshops, list of exhibitors and program of technical visits, organized on the sidelines of the congress: woodrise-congress.com/programming