15th International Wood Construction Forum (IHF)

IHF-Garmisch 2009 with an even wider ranging programme

Date: 3 - 4 December 2009
Venue: Congress-Centrum, Garmisch-Partenkirchen, Germany
Application Deadline: 27 November 2009

An up-to-date, full and formative offering of knowledge and information from the world of wood construction – that is the goal the organizers have set themselves for the 15th International Wood Construction Forum (IHF), which is again taking place in Garmisch-Partenkirchen.

On the day before, there will be the usual expert warm-up in the form of pre-conference seminars (2 December 2009) plus the introduction to the conference proper at an opening session organized by the German Timber Industry Council on the subject of “Sustainability – Ecology – Certification.”

The number of parallel preconference seminars has been increased to four with the addition of a Connector Technology Forum (on the subject of “Screwed and glued connections in timber construction”). The new forum is being organized by Graz Technical University (making its debut as a co-organizer of IHF) in collaboration with the Vinzenz Harrer company (Frohnleiten AT) and Schmid Schrauben (Hainfeld AT). There will also be much useful information to be had at the three traditional preconference seminars, namely:

• Architecture Forum (TU Munich /Lignatur) on “Cultivated construction”
• Prefabricated Housing Forum (BDF / Stora Enso Timber DE) on “Market analysis and market opportunities”
• Wooden House Construction Forum (European Federation of Timber Construction) on “Added value of sustainable construction”.

The individual topics addressed in the pre-conference seminars subsequently receive in-depth treatment in the main sessions on the following two days of the core event (3/4 December 2009).

Heavy-dute bridge Sneek, Schaffitzel Holzbau
Source: Forum Holzbau

In the light of climate change, the sparing use of resources through energy efficiency and the simultaneous reduction of carbon emissions must be the order of the day. In the construction industry, the objective must accordingly be to minimise the energy requirements of new buildings and at he same time reduce energy consumption in existing buildings through energy-related rehabilitation measures. As the use of wood as a construction material can make a significant contribution to sustainability and energy efficiency, and ultimately to stabilisation of the climate system, the programme of the International Wood Construction Forum is highly meaningful in this respect, too.

The international team of organizers under the leadership of the Bern University of Applied Sciences (Department of Architecture, Wood and Civil Engineering), Biel, and Rosenheim University has succeeded in attracting speakers of national and international standing to IHF 2009, and attendees can look forward to a wideranging and in-depth update of their knowledge from presentations grouped around the following topics:

• Global crisis management and its opportunities
• Imitating Nature with free-form surfaces in wood
• Supporting timber structures – selected objects from around the world (art gallery, sports facilities, trade fair hall)
• Multi-storey timber structures for residential properties in Sweden (host country at IHF 2009)
• Timber bridge construction – thoughts and examples
• Wood – ideal construction material for energy-efficient objects and their external envelopes
• Urban wood construction – with a little bit of help from research.

The International Wood Construction Forum (IHF) in Garmisch- Partenkirchen will again be an ideal setting for public tributes for outstanding services to the wood construction industry. This year’s well deserved awards will go to Reinhold Mosser of Mosser Holzindustrie (Randegg AT) and Professor Peter Glos of TU Munich.

The complete IHF package, with the main two-day conference, the opening session and the four preconference seminars on the day before, once again promises to live up to its reputation as Europe’s most important platform for the transfer of knowledge and innovation and the exchange of information within the wood construction scene.

The IHF 2009 website (www.forum-holzbau.ch) includes the full programme of the 15th IHF with all the details of the presentations, speakers and social events as well as useful information for attendees, including registration procedures and prices.

Application Deadline: 27 November 2009
For Application form see website below.

Further Information:
Berner Fachhochschule Architektur, Holz und Bau
(BFH-Biel), CH-Biel
Frau Nicole Näher
Solothurnstr. 102, CH-2504 Biel
Tel.: 0041 (0) 32 344 03 30
Fax: 0041 (0) 32 344 03 91
web: www.forum-holzbau.com/ihf/garmisch_index.html