Wood Solutions 2010 - Speakers

Andrew joined Ove Arup & Partners in London in 1993 with initial assignments in Paris, Hong Kong and finally the firm's multidisciplinary arm, Arup Associates. In 2002 he joined Arup's Advanced Technology and Research Group and is now the firm's leading timber specialist and a member of the BSI Timber Code Committee.

His presentation will feature many of the ground breaking timber structures in which he has been involved including Alvaro Siza's Serpentine Pavilion and the recently completed Metz Pompidou by Shigeru Ban. He will demonstrate how the natural attributes of timber can make it the ideal choice for both iconic and smaller scale structures and will survey some of the exciting recent developments in timber within Europe.

Comments from Andrew Lawrence

"In the past five to 10 years designers have started to realise the potential of timber as a structural material to create some truly dynamic and innovative structures. Because timber is so easy to form and machine we are released from the constraints of steel where economics usually restrict us to off-the-shelf standard sections. No two timber structures look alike so there is much more scope for the architect to stamp his mark on the structure.

"Timber is the only truly renewable construction material. What's more, it grows using solar energy so as electricity prices continue to rise, it will become more and more competitive.

"If you factor in savings in craneage and construction times it is already on a level footing with other construction materials.

"Five years ago we had to fight to encourage clients and quantity surveyors to consider timber; now they're coming to us!"

Michael Green was born in a small Inuit (Eskimo) community in the far north-west corner of Hudson Bay. It is ironic that someone who has become so committed to the use of wood in architecture comes from a village far north of the tree line but as a carpenter, boat builder, millworker and architect Michael Green has always felt a strong connection with wood.

As a founding principal of mgb ARCHITECTURE + DESIGN Michael Green has designed buildings, public art, interiors, landscapes and urban environments around the globe.  Michael’s current work ranges from small houses to animal shelters, from restaurants and cafes to skyscrapers, from fashion boutiques to international airports and from civic buildings and galleries to urban revitalization and parks and public art.  He is happiest when his designs are quiet and modest while embracing an underlying goal that through design we can create a context for making all people’s lives happier.

Michael’s convictions align with Henry David Thoreau who said “Don’t just be good, be good for something”.  He believes that architects have a broad duty for service.  For Michael, service includes the duty to teach, to lecture and broaden the accessibility of our profession to the public, to design for those in greatest need, to respect and promote regionalism worldwide and to find ways that build with a truly lighter footprint on the environment.

Michael believes that the integrity of the profession is to build with modesty, simplicity and maturity.  He is committed to the idea that professional excellence is achieved through living a balanced and generous life. 

Comments from Michael Green

"I believe architects have a duty to address the problems of our profession as it relates to climate change much in the same way as doctors address an accident scene; triage. Triage asks us to tackle the most serious issues first and then work our way to the less significant.  Triaging buildings means to look at the impact of the materials and the energy consumed during construction and during the life of the building first.

Often today’s 'green architecture' is one of covering up the small scratches and ignoring the massive wound.

I believe the materials we build with are something we can easily address to make an enormous difference that will lead us to carbon neutral and in time negative buildings."

(Image: Spirit of Nature Wood Architecture Award 2004)

Richard Leplastrier is a seminal figure in Australian architecture and architectural education. He eschews publicity and his built works are secret treasures to be discovered only by those privileged enough to be introduced to them. His sensitivity to issues of culture and place and his accumulated wisdom in the design and making of architecture is gently revealed though his tutorial sessions in the design studio.

Richard Leplastrier has asked himself the question “How little do we need?” many times in his long career. Richard Leplastrier is renowned and recognized for only using resources close by in an endeavour to minimize the impact on the environment as much as possible. His favourite material is wood – preferably recycled and veneer – and in principle, many of his designs can be taken apart and used again.

He received national recognition in 1999 through the award of the Gold Medal of the Royal Australian Institute of Architects. Richard has also received international recognition through receipt of the 2004 ‘Spirit of Nature Wood Architecture Award’. The award, established in Finland by the Wood in Culture Association, is granted every second year for architectural excellence. He has been awarded the Dreyer Foundation Prize of Honour 2009 in Denmark, the first time an architect from outside Denmark has received this prize.

In the words of architect and Dreyer Foundation board member Lene Tranberg, his architecture is an ‘Ode to nature’. With roots in the ancient aboriginal culture of leaving no traces behind, Richard Leplastrier asks fundamental questions about our conception of ‘existence.’ His architecture interprets and explores the notion of the primal shed through simple, minimal constructions in which alcoves, sleeping niches, work desks, and dining spaces are worked and reworked, taking on the minimal, multi-functional character of a ship’s interior. All his buildings offer intriguing and insightful interpretations of natural ventilation, solar shading, and the tectonic accommodation of the changing weather and seasons.” Lene Tranberg Board Member, 2009.

Owen is Marketing Director for McIntosh Timber Laminates Ltd – NZ’s largest manufacturer and exporter of structural Glulam. He comes from a background of 40 years involvement with the company in the development and manufacture of structural timber solutions. Specialising in laminated timber, he has been involved in expanding the international awareness of NZ Glulam’s potential as a prime structural design option. His company has been at the leading edge of Glulam development in NZ since their beginning in 1957 and has a long standing commitment to design detail, innovation and quality in service and production.

McIntosh has been instrumental in introducing NZ Glulam structures to a number of overseas markets including The Pacific, Australia, Hong Kong, Asia, North Africa, The Middle East and Mediterranean.

Owen is also the Chairman of the New Zealand Timber Certification Board and immediate past president of NZ Pine Manufacturers Association, an executive member of the Structural Engineered Timber Manufacturers Association and the New Zealand Timber Design Society and a board member of Woodco. He has presented various papers and spoken at a number of international seminars on timber design.

Dr Andy Buchanan is Professor of Timber Design at the University of Canterbury, where he teaches and researches structural design of timber buildings. His main interest is multi-storey timber buildings, with additional expertise in earthquake engineering, fire safety and environmental impacts of timber and other materials.

He has degrees from the University of Canterbury, the University of California, and the University of British Columbia, and 15 years of consulting engineering experience.

Andy is past president of the NZ Timber Design Society, Research Director of STIC (Structural Timber Innovation Company Ltd), and he serves on the Management Team for the NZ Wood programme.

He is well known as an author and editor of the New Zealand Timber Design Guide, also the Fire Engineering Design Guide, and Structural Design for Fire Safety, as well as many academic papers.

Allen Kearns is an environmental scientist with research interests in the social and ecological consequences of urban and industrial development.  Allen now leads the Sustainable Cities and Coasts Theme in the CSIRO Climate Adaptation Flagship. He was formerly Deputy Chief of CSIRO Sustainable Ecosystems.

Prior to joining CSIRO in 1995, Allen worked for thirteen years in environmental chemistry and applied ecology with the international environmental and engineering consulting company, Dames & Moore. He ran practices in Australia, California and France and worked on a wide range of natural resource management and infrastructure development projects for the mining, energy, chemical, manufacturing and urban sectors.

Allen also worked in research teams investigating groundwater contamination from waste disposal sites and the development of biofuels (Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, University of California, Berkeley, USA) and marine pollution chemistry at the Australian Institute of Marine Science, Townsville. Allen is a Chartered Chemist and originally educated in Agricultural Science at the University of Sydney.