Raising awareness of the qualities of wood and promoting its use as a sustainable construction material to boost trade are the main objectives of the forum, which will allow attendees to explore the multiple perspectives of this constantly-evolving field, which is very well positioned within the framework of sustainable construction and has an ever-increasing economic heft. This dynamism will be reflected in the various areas of the event.
On this occasion, top-level speakers such as Carlos Castanheira (Carlos Castanheira Architects), a prestigious architect mainly working in the residential sector and known for his characteristic use of wood as a reflection of the interaction between construction and nature; Laura Álvarez (Laura Álvarez Architecture), who has been recognised as one of the most outstanding architects and designers aged under 40 in Europe and who is committed to experimentation and to landscape and urban architecture as crucial ingredients for successful and integrated design, will display her most outstanding works at the Conference; Stefan Prins, an architect specialising in woodworking in high-rise buildings and a partner at Powerhouse Company, the architectural firm responsible for the iconic Rotterdam Floating Office, which is designed to rise with the tides; and Vittorio Salvadori, an Austrian with a PhD in architecture and a Business Development Manager at CREE Buildings, a consulting and technology firm working in sustainable and healthy buildings using prefabricated wood-based components.
In a clear commitment to sustainability, the event will feature Spanish speakers such as Iñaki Archanco, who together with his team at BOA Arquitectura Sostenible, follows a philosophy of sensitivity to the environment and the well-being of people; and Elizabeth Ábalo & Gonzalo Alonso (Estudio Ábalo-Alonso), winners of the Egurtek 2020 Construction Award for their project A Baiuca Nursery School in A Estrada, Pontevedra.
On 20 October, the second day of the conference, the Danish architect Lone Wiggers (C.F. Møller Architects), who has worked on a wide range of projects, including both new buildings and conversion and restoration of older buildings and who has headed the architectural committee for the cultural canon of the Danish Ministry of Culture and been involved in the Special Building Inspection Board for the Cultural Heritage Board since 2003; architects Sheila Blanco and Iñaki Del Prim (Blancodelprim Arquitectura Ecopasiva), who have been committed to wood construction in their systems since 2005 and who have specialised in the Passivhaus standard, practicing architecture in a context of decarbonisation, both in the use phase and in the manufacture and construction of buildings; María Barcina, an architect specialising in large-scale hotel and residential projects and the founder of BxD Arquitectura; and Jonathan Tuckey (Jonathan Tuckey Design), British architect and advocate of the reconstruction and reuse of old buildings through the elegant and efficient use of wood.
The presentations will focus on topics such as “Wood construction strategies,” “Working with wood,” “Latest works with wood,” “Vernacular architecture,” “Architecture in wood” and “Geometry, materiality and systematisation,” among others. The dynamics of this event will allow attendees to interact directly with the speakers in lively debates in which the details of the constructions will be explained.
EXHIBITION AREA, SPEAKERS’ CORNER AND TECHNICAL CONFERENCES AT THE LUXUA FAIR
At the same time, those attending Egurtek will find the most innovative solutions and the latest trends in wood construction in the Expo Zone. This area will bring together around 50 national and foreign exhibitor firms, providing a complete snapshot the sector. All of them will offer at the Luxua Fair products and services related to architecture, wooden houses, wood treatments, sustainable construction, magazines, associations, engineering and decoration, wood for construction, structure software and importers of wood, elements and materials.
Moreover, and to emphasise the innovative nature of the event, the Expo Zone will have a Speakers’ Corner, a space where exhibitors will give dynamic and agile presentations about the main innovations with which they are attending the forum. Thus, in 15-minute sessions, a wide range of services and products related to “Sustainable construction with CLT panels”, “How to reduce time at the installation”, “The rational and sustainable use of wood” and “The importance of sound insulation in wood construction”, “We will only use wood intelligently if we understand it” will be presented.
The Egurtek Technical Workshops will be held alongside the Expo Zone. Organised by the Basque Wood Association, BASKEGUR, the Technical Workshop will present the work of various European projects related to wood construction in which the organisation is involved. The Basque strategy for promoting the Circular Forest Bioeconomy will also be highlighted and BEHS, the educational network consisting of companies, research centres and teachers to promote a joint strategy to train people who will work in the forest-wood sector in the near future, will be set out.
The first topic to be discussed on the morning of 19 October will offer an in-depth look at the Basque Government’s strategy for promoting the Circular Forest Economy. It will be attended by the Deputy Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food Policy, Bittor Oroz, together with companies of different sizes that are promoting R&D projects to obtain new products. Some of these initiatives are in an initial process and others are already in the marketing phase.
The Wednesday afternoon will focus on presenting the Basajaun project led by Tecnalia, which aims to optimise wood construction chains to promote rural development and urban transformation through sustainable forest management. Thanks to the work with leading agents at the European level, new products have been obtained for testing in two pilot buildings in North Karelia and Aquitaine, which will make it possible to determine their effectiveness over time. Within the Basajaun project, Baskegur has been the body responsible for coordinating the preparation of a detailed report on the state of wood construction in the regions participating in the project (the Basque Country, two regions of Finland, North Karelia and a region of Poland). The work will make it possible to compare the different situations and how they develop over time.
Baso Egur Hezkuntza Sarea (BEHS) is the project promoted by Baskegur, together with Hazi Fundazioa and the Departments of Education and Economic Development, to ensure that, through networking, the needs of companies in the sector are matched with the training plans of universities and vocational training centres. The Thursday morning will be an opportunity to get to know this initiative in depth, as well as other realities that can help to improve the network. Among others, Dr Asif Iqbal from the University of Northern British Columbia will show how schools and companies work in Canada and New Zealand, two situations he knows in depth.
The presentation at Egurtek of the Eguralt project will bring the Technical Conferences to a close on Thursday afternoon. The initiative aims to highlight the value of wood construction in the SUDOE area. A report will be presented, based on the testimonies of specifiers, professionals and owners surveyed in the regions that make up the SUDOE, including the Basque Country. It explores the reasons why architecture professionals, quantity surveyors and other people involved in construction choose to build in wood or, on the other hand, the reasons why they do not. Also on display will be the 600-page publication that identifies the main wood construction projects that have been carried out in recent years in Southern Europe. A complete guide that includes plans and characteristics used in the construction of these buildings so that they can be taken into account in future wood construction projects.
PRESENTATION OF THE VI EGURTEK AWARDS
Asimismo, Egurtek 2022 acogerá el 19 de octubre a las 14h la ceremonia de entrega de sus VI Premios, en los que se distinguirán las mejores obras en seis categorías: El Premio Especial Madera Local-Basque Quality ha recaído en el proyecto Casal Porta Trinitat, de Manuel Sanchez-Villanueva y Carol Beuter; El Premio Especial Bois/Egurra/Madera (BEM) ha sido para el trabajo Last Chance For A Slow Dance, de Beñat Saratxaga y Gentzane Goikuria; El Premio Edificación se lo ha llevado Viviendas Sociales de Marta Peris y José Manuel; En la categoría de Interiorismo, los arquitectos Óscar Andrés e Iván Andrés han ganado con la propuesta Casa Pris, y el Premio Diseño de Producto ha sido para Mesa Laga, de la autora Silvia Ceñal. Por último, en la categoría de Publicación, el premio ha recaído en Archi, presentado por el arquitecto José María Marzo, y en la Revista Aitim, presentado por el arquitecto José Enrique Peraza.
Desde su creación en 2012, los Premios de Arquitectura en Madera reciben cada año en torno a un centenar de proyectos de gran calidad y se han convertido en uno de los reconocimientos más prestigiosos del sector. Los paneles de los candidatos participantes se expondrán junto a la zona comercial del certamen.
EGURTEK IS ACCREDITED AS A SUSTAINABLE EVENT
Bilbao Exhibition Centre has begun to certify its events with the Erronka Garbia seal as an illustration of its commitment to sustainability and the SDG 2030-Sustainable Development Goals agenda as a roadmap. The next will be Egurtek, the 9th International Forum on Architecture and Construction in Wood which, since its inception, has underlined the transformative role of this field and is a clear exponent of the value of wood in sustainable construction, thus faithfully representing the philosophy advocated by this certificate.
Thus, Erronka Garbia, a seal awarded by Ihobe-Public Society for Environmental Management of the Basque Government, recognises events that integrate environmental measures in their design and organisation to minimise potential negative impacts on the environment. The six action areas covered are: mobility, energy, water, procurement, infrastructures, and waste. Actions such as adjusting the intensity of light and temperature to the different time phases; reducing stands’ energy use; applying sustainable elements in signage and reinforcing awareness-raising messages through communications, social media and the website, among many others, are decisive in making an event sustainable.
Egurtek will be officially open on 19 October at 9.30 a.m. and its opening will be presided by Bittor Oroz, the Deputy Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food Policy of the Basque Government.
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