RBA at the International Wood Construction Forum
Last week, our colleague Pierre Caraud attended the 14th annual International Wood Construction Forum (FBC) at the Grand Palais in Paris. Between the conferences, round tables, exposition stands, and project displays, he had a fruitful and informative visit.
Pierre attended presentations on a variety of topics. In ‘2050 Climate Strategy’, he learned about PACT 2030, a social enterprise that aims to create a more sustainable future, and the steps that French companies are taking towards the same goal. One strategy is to increase timber construction, plant new forests to create carbon sinks, and make our forests more adapted to climate change. Over half the forests in metropolitan France are deciduous, yet hardwood makes up less than 20% of the harvested wood. It is therefore just a matter of integrating more hardwood in timber construction.
Pierre also attended presentations on biosourced facades, such as timber and hemp. As a company that specialises in data centres, it’s fascinating to see how these materials have been utilised in large-scale projects like the 2024 Olympic Village. Biosourced materials create different challenges from conventional industrial building materials like concrete and steel—for example, wood has a lower thermal inertia than concrete, and it can expand in high humidity. It’s important to thoroughly research the materials we specify in our projects to ensure the highest quality, which is why events like FBC are valuable opportunities to learn from the experiences of other designers.
Finally, Pierre was able to meet suppliers of wooden products—some of which we’ve already used on our projects—on the exhibition floor and see wooden projects from around the world in the Gallery of Wood and Biosourced Architecture of the 21st Century.
All in all, it was an informative and inspiring trip to FBC, and Pierre returned to the office ready to share his experience with his colleagues and eager to incorporate more timber in our designs to push towards a more sustainable future.
