WoodSolutions Timber Talks

In this episode, we’re joined by Kevin Peachy to discuss the future direction of WoodSolutions and their strategic plan. 

Kevin introduces himself and his role, then explains what WoodSolutions is and its vision. He outlines the major changes in the new strategic plan compared to previous directions, highlighting the goals and aspirations for the future. 

We explore the biggest opportunities and megatrends in the timber industry, discussing how WoodSolutions plans to capitalize on them. Kevin elaborates on strategies to boost timber competency across the built environment, emphasizing how these efforts will reduce risk and drive market confidence. 

Ensuring expert advice, skills, and education quality is another priority for WoodSolutions. Kevin discusses specific initiatives in place to support skilling and accreditation within the timber industry. 

Finally, we discuss how WoodSolutions measures success, providing insights into the metrics and benchmarks used to evaluate the impact of their strategic initiatives. 

We're in a time of rapid innovation in urban development, driven by the need for sustainable use of space. Today, we're chatting with Kelly Harrison from Whitby Wood. 

Kelly introduces herself and her role, then delves into the Optoppen Project's mission to transform urban spaces using rooftop extensions. She highlights the benefits of building extensions, such as space optimization and energy efficiency. 

We discuss the untapped value on rooftops and address concerns about the structural integrity of existing buildings, examining the reliability of data and drawings. Kelly also shares insights into the growing appetite for mass timber in the UK and her vision for the future of timber construction, emphasizing innovations and challenges. 

In this episode, we’re joined by Franco Piva to discuss advanced Building Information Modeling (BIM) and its importance in mass timber projects. 

Franco introduces himself and his role in the timber industry. He explains advanced BIM management, highlighting the difference between effective and poor practices. Franco discusses who ensures proper BIM management and the roles of suppliers and engineers in the process. 

Franco shares keys to successful mass timber projects from his experience and offers his vision for the future of the timber industry, including emerging trends and advancements. 

One of the key processes of designing safe & efficient timber buildings is the structural modelling process. However, this does require deep understanding & expertise in order to execute effectively. Timber is a material with very different characteristics to concrete and steel. And in this episode, we're speaking with a world leading expert on this topic Zhiyong Chen, Senior Scientist at FPInnovations about the structural modelling of timber buildings. 

We're experiencing a time of fast innovation and growth in the timber industry, driven by the megatrend of decarbonization. Today, we're lucky to be speaking with Dean Lewis, Director of Mass Timber From Skanska. 

In this episode, we explore the potential of a mass timber program, discuss key conversations needed at the start of projects, and discuss the most exciting developments in mass timber globally. Dean also highlights recent innovations and shares insights on the future of the mass timber industry.  

In this episode, we dive into the intricacies of insuring mass timber projects with Michael Hastings from M.D. Hastings Risk Consulting. Michael provides valuable insights into how the insurance market operates, the current availability of insurers for mass timber buildings, and the unique challenges that these innovative structures present in terms of insurance. He offers practical advice on achieving the best coverage and price in today’s market, explores ways to improve the insurability of mass timber buildings, and discusses how the industry can handle major innovations on the horizon. Lastly, Michael shares his perspective on the future of construction and its implications for the insurance sector. 

Michael offers practical advice on achieving the best coverage and price in today’s market, explores ways to improve the insurability of mass timber buildings, and discusses how the industry can handle major innovations on the horizon. 

As mass timber continues to innovate the construction industry, it brings both challenges and groundbreaking advancements. In this episode, I sit down with Meike Engel and Ornagh Higgins from Aspect Structural Engineers. They share their extensive experience with tall mass timber projects, discussing key lessons learned, optimal building systems, and the integration of mass timber with concrete and steel. We delve into optimizing design programs for efficiency and explore the promising future of mass timber construction. Join us to gain insights from these industry leaders on navigating and shaping the evolving landscape of mass timber. 

We're experiencing a time of fast innovation & growth in the timber industry on the back of the megatrend of decarbonisation. There has never been a better time to act like an entrepreneur to make the change that you might be looking to see. Today we're lucky to be speaking with Tim Seims, a Global Innovation Leader & Go To Market Strategy specialist. In this episode we speak about fertile ground for innovation, nuances in timber construction & go to market strategy. 

As timber products enter new markets, there are naturally going to be moments with teething pains alongside moments of innovation that the world hasn't seen before. Since 2014 when Andrew Waugh and the project team drove Stadthaus, the world's first mid-rise mass timber building that unlocked the new market we know today. Since then, there has been a variety of hurdles that have popped their head up and in the midst of being overcome to take the industry forward. As always we enjoy learning from the leaders from around the world and not many more fun to speak to than Andrew Waugh! 

Timber is a material that can meet some of the emerging trends in construction; including offsite manufacturing, productization and sustainability. Some people & companies around the world are on the bleeding edge of driving this change to make the future a reality. In this episode, we're lucky to be speaking to Lucas Epp Vice President at Structurecraft. In this episode we discuss the importance of a master-builder mindset, the advantages & disadvantages of vertical integration, the future of software & how to best design with mass timber products. 

Lucas is very humble and one of the most intelligent and insightful engineers I've come across in my career so I know you'll enjoy this episode!