In Prague, the highest wooden structure in the Czech Republic and multi-storey buildings based on wood from around the world will be showcased

Prague will experience a significant first at the beginning of February. The tallest wooden building ever constructed in the Czech Republic will be presented here. This is a four-story building whose main load-bearing structure will be made of heavy wooden frame and massive wooden panels (CLT) made of cross-laminated timber, which interested parties will be able to see for themselves as part of the Wood Buildings Fair. This fair will take place from February 2nd to 5th at the Holesovice Exhibition Center.

Wooden buildings represent a significant share of the total number of constructed houses, which is increasing every year. In the year before last, according to data from the Czech Statistical Office and ADMD (Association of Providers of Prefabricated Houses), they accounted for 13% of the total number of newly constructed houses. Thanks to their undeniable benefits such as construction speed, "dry" process, and low ecological footprint, wooden buildings are gaining more and more interest. This technology is being used not only for family houses but also for buildings in the form of kindergartens and corporate headquarters. The global trend is significantly shifting away from being limited to this type of project and is moving upwards, which is supported by changing legislation.

"We have been active in the field of wooden buildings for a long time. Among other things, we have been organizing the Wood Building Salon for the twelfth year, which is a non-competitive showcase of the most interesting modern wooden architecture that has emerged in the last year," says architect Pavel Horák and adds: "Recently, the topic of multi-story wooden buildings is resonating more strongly, especially abroad. Therefore, we want to connect with this trend and present interesting projects from abroad here in the Czech Republic, and we have decided to organize an international conference Grow UP! on this topic."

In the Czech Republic, the height of wooden buildings is legislatively limited to 12 meters (measured from the first floor to the floor of the last floor). A wooden building of just this height, whose main load-bearing structure will be made of glulam profiles and CLT panels made of cross-laminated timber, will be presented in Prague's Holesovice as part of the Wood Buildings Fair.

A significant part of the central hall will be designed as a "city of the future," where electric cars will navigate among multi-story wooden buildings; you can sit under plenty of trees on quality urban furniture, enjoy a coffee, or savor some great gourmet experiences. Such a city is not only environmentally friendly throughout its lifecycle but also regulates high temperatures in the summer much better. Living in such a city will simply be a pleasure.

The topic of multi-story wooden buildings will also be addressed at the international conference of the Wood Building Salon on the topic of multi-story wooden buildings, which will take place on Thursday, February 2, 2017, from 2:00 PM to 6:00 PM in the Auditorium of the Wood Building Salon as part of the Wood Buildings Fair in the central hall of the Industrial Palace.

The prologue of the entire conference will be provided by architect Pavel Horák, founder of the Wood Building Salon. Several foreign guests will lecture here. We can mention Austrian architect Bruno Moser from Architekturwerkstatt, who will present the corporate headquarters of Egger. This building received awards in 2016, for example, within the American Architecture Prize, where it won bronze in the categories of Green Architecture and Workplaces.

We will also welcome representatives from the architectural office MDH ARKITEKTER SA from Oslo, Norway, who will speak about the unique project The Moholt Student Housing Towers. From Slovakia, Marcel Dzurilla from the studio RAUM3 will present the extension of an elementary school in Bratislava, which was completed in a record 70 days.

Conference Program:

2:00 PM - 2:30 PM Registration
2:30 PM - 3:00 PM Pavel Horák / CZ - Prologue to Multi-Story Wood Construction
3:00 PM - 3:30 PM Benoit Legouge / FR - Novatop French Projects
3:30 PM - 3:50 PM Robert Spálenský (Ceco Legno) - Modern Wood Structures for Large Buildings
3:50 PM - 4:50 PM Bruno Moser (Architekturwerkstatt) / AT - Stammhaus Egger, St. Johann in Tirol
4:50 PM - 5:10 PM Marcel Dzurilla (RAUM3) / SK - Extension of the Gymnasium Building
5:10 PM - 6:00 PM Minna Riska (MDH architects) / NO - Moholt Student Housing Towers

A complete program can also be found on the website
www.salondrevostaveb.cz/konference.
Please register for the conference using the link above.

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Wood Building Salon is a non-competitive showcase of quality modern architecture made of wood. Through exhibitions, lectures, screenings, and professional literature, it offers a unique opportunity to view in one place a selection of the best that emerged in this field in the last year. The showcase premieres at the Wood Buildings Fair. Throughout the rest of the year, the exhibition regularly presents itself in other cities in the Czech Republic and Slovakia. The Wood Building Salon is primarily intended for the general public, aiming to provide the broadest possible spectrum of information about the rapidly developing field of wooden constructions. Architects and professionals not only from the Czech Republic but from all over the world also meet here. In recent years, we have had the opportunity to meet architects from Canada, Norway, Austria, Finland, and Belgium.