Timber iQ February - March 2020 // Issue: 48 | Page 20

COVER STORY
Ten years and
still going strong
By Dineo Phoshoko | All images by HWZ International
While South Africa was preparing to host the 2010 Soccer World Cup for the first
time on the continent, the Cape Town International Convention Centre (CTICC) was
also preparing for a first-time event of a different kind – the Wood Conference.
T
he first Wood Conference took place in 2010 and saw a
modest attendance of 70 local and international
delegates. At the time, it’s highly unlikely that anyone
could have thought that ten years on, the conference would
grow to become what it is today.
A collaboration between HWZ International and Création Holz
laid the foundation for the inaugural Wood Conference. The
aim of the conference was to support local architects in the
promotion of wood in sustainable construction. Ten years on,
the conference continues to add value to the timber
construction industry in South Africa. According to Roger
Kuratle (Kuratle Jnr), head of corporate development at the
Kuratle Group, the Wood Conference was founded in 2010 by
George Kuratle (Kuratle), owner, and chairman of the Group.
“Since then, HWZ International Properties, which belongs to
the Kuratle Group, hosted this event to create a neutral space
for all timber-related interest groups to gain knowledge, share
and create know-how as well as to establish a strong network
in the sector,” he explains.
The conference was founded after Kuratle recognised the
opportunity and the potential for timber construction in South
Africa. Bringing together professionals in the sector to gather
and learn more about timber, the common goal of the
conference is to develop the South African timber market and
spread the knowledge about the world’s most sustainable
building material.
Each year saw the conference attendance grow as awareness
grew. Word quickly spread in the industry about the
interesting topics discussed, as well as the networking that
took place between various stakeholders in the industry.
HUMBLE BEGINNINGS
When the first event took place in February 2010, it was not
an all-day event and only took place from 15:00 to 18:00. This
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FEBRUARY / MARCH 2020 //
meant that presentations, discussions and networking took
place over three hours.
The programme for the first Wood Conference was also
vastly different from other conferences in that there were
only three presentations. These presentations were done
by international speakers from Austria, Switzerland,
and Norway.
Since then, the conference has grown immensely where it
now takes place for an entire day, starting at 08:00 and
ending at 17:00. The full day conference gives delegates more
time to discuss all things related to sustainable building
through timber construction.
The day’s agenda includes 12 topics, discussed in three
separate sessions. In between the sessions there are tea/
coffee breaks as well as lunch – which gives delegates an
opportunity to network during the intervals.
Since inception, participation in events has increased
significantly to become a leading conference where all
methods of timber construction are discussed. “We have
also learned about the many interesting connections that
have been established through this conference between
builders, developers, and architects,” explains Kuratle Jnr.
Hannu Garny has played a key role in the conference and
was involved from the onset. With the first and second
conferences, Garny was involved in putting the event
together. His passion for timber constructed homes made a
positive impression on Kuratle when the event was founded.
Having moved on from being part of the organising
committee, Garny is now a proud MC of the event. His
charismatic personality has kept various conference
audiences interested and entertained for many years –
something not many can pull off.
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