Notes in English from Timber Framing conference in Mariestad, Sweden

Some notes in english from lectures/presentations.

Signal group "Stolpverk Mariestad"

There is a Signal group, see here for info about Signal app, and the group there is called "Stolpverk Mariestad", which you can join through this link.

Notes from Feb 3

Here is an attempt to translate some of the content from the lectures to English, in promptu. These notes are not very exact and may not accurately represent exactly what the presenter intended (sorry, trying my best to keep up here :))....

Johannes Kästel - about community building in our region

First picture shows a building representing the construction of a religious house (not exactly religious, "ordenshus", a house for members of an "order") in the mid-north part of Sweden. As an example of community building.

Exemplifies also with a Finnish expression - translating approximately to "the right spirit" - for when helping out your neighbor and in return getting help. Earlier this was quite natural in resilient local networks such as in villages, following a "law of the heart" but not a "written law". Could involve helping out when putting up new shingles on the roof or when working in the fields. That way outsiders got effectively integrated into local communities.

There are other variants of this expression, like the Norwegian "Dugnad" - meaning like "being of use to one another". Estonian "Talgud" - is it "forced labor" or "voluntary" - who knows?

In Swedish we have no good word for this, maybe "byggille" (the village celebrating work with bringing in the harvest or getting the roofing done for a house) or the Gotlandish expression "ating". Let's call it "gemensamhetsskapande byggande". A voluntary contribution adds to your account in the terms of trust and in various other dimensions, but maybe not as much in monetary currency.

Based on historical examples from Sweden, it should be possible to resurrect this kind of building tradition in Sweden...

Johannes gives another example of a bridge built in 1990 in Sweden where about a hundred people worked on the project, one of the builders said "it is almost like a religious experience to see it come together". The moment of the "magical raising day" is maybe the "ur-gestalt" for a community building event.

The fire in Järna 2020

What about right now? Johannes gives an example from a growing community "Under Tallarna" in Järna where Johannes K lives. A fire destroyed a building. Johannes has suggested that Stolpverk Norden helps out in a community building project to "resurrect" this building.

A plan is in the works - management, drawings and design. "Under Tallarna" provides food, shelter etc. During the spring more details will follow. It will be fun, a great experience. "Friendship, hospitality and romance" might be the spring time feeling evoked here!

Eric Howard - Executive Director for TFG - talk about community building

No translation needed :)

Mentions in the end a 1000 USD scholarship for young engineers, and invites people to the TFG annual conference in November in Denver.

Ulrik Hjort Lassen - Kesurokai

Perhaps this type of project is in the same spirit as previously described community building projects. First shows a video creating beams from roundwood timbers in a Kesurokai event.

Kesurokai means to "plane together" and is also a German educational community, where "journey men" (also women) in special attire do their apprenticeships often involving a journey to one or several other countries. Hannes - whose slides Ulrik present - created a community with about 1500 members in Japan. This community meets twice yearly for the duration of a week. Japanese - German craft knowledge exchange was arranged in a museum in Germany, with Japanese craftsmen travelling there.

UHL shows picture of a Japanese planing tool, and the tradition to compete in producing the longest and thinnest "wood shavings"/"scantlings", which requires sharp tools and great planing techniques.

UHL shows a picture of bare foot beam hewing using a goose wing shaped axe. Also a picture with special Japanese tools of the trade.

Communication was a barrier in the exchange, so Hannes learned Japanese.

A second meet was held in Hamburg, where Ulrik attended. Arrived with his own toolbox aiming to build Torii - a portal "between man and god".

Only hand tools allowed. Ulrik could borrow required tools - no problems. You get to (within certain boundaries) try out different tools. A lot of the Japanese saws may "wander" in comparison to Western tools, requiring special attention and techniques.

Ulrik speaks about cultural differences and being observed by colleagues schooled in the Japanese tradition, which may use different steps and techniques when creating tenons and mortises.

No cranes where used.

Everybody joined in and helped out. You get to sign in a place which is not visible (until the frame is disassembled).

The raising of the frame involved people from different countries and the Czech craftsmen that participated built a "gin pole" in situ, which was used when raising the frame.

The build was finished with a party including German beer and fireworks!

Second Kesorokai in Enzan, Japan, 2010, "Chisana Kesurokai"

The timber on this occasion was felled in the previous winter by German craftsmen. Maximum transportation distance of 500 m for timbers is a guideline/goal.

During this occasion two buildings were completed:

A teahouse - led by Japanese instructors.
A "grill house" - led by Westeners

Europeans gave their tools to the Japanese who according to customary local codex of honor swapped for their best tools!

After a couple of days of creating the beams, the initial excitement has worn off a little. This is a good way of starting, leaving participants in a good relaxed mode for the following phases of the building project.

As a participant you are involved in "production of members". In Japanese craft tradition you may not sometimes do things until you know them perfectly, which differs from Western more "just do it" tradition. "Swing the broom for six months before you can sharpen the plane, gradual process...".

Japanese layout tradition involves for example working with center line scribing. More about this tomorrow.

Shows a picture of a tenon that enters several other members (into the sill). And Japanese wood carving / decorating traditions were included in the build.

There was a cultural difference in food - no Coffee? different cuisine? ... it all panned out nicely in the end. Evening activities - is there a German football game available :) ?

There were also cultural difference with regards to safety equipment - do you only work barefoot or do you only work with steel-capped working shoes?

"Schoen is wenn altes bleibes ...." - was inscribed into the "grill hut" - in English translated to something like "It is great when the old ways remains and the new ways grow".

Shows a picture of a 83 year old Japanese sharpening master showing how to sharpen saws. Sharpening is a craft in its own standing. A foundation for the famously sharp Japanese tools.

Covered bridge project

8 m long, 2.5 m wide. Only for walking people, bikes and horses. Project involved 60 people from many different countries. Seven Swedish participants were there.

Douglas fir and spruce? were used. Included the chopping in the forest.

The location was in the middle of the forest. Very well arranged place to work with, good space, not crammed.

Full scale layout.

It is not exactly a "course", someone responsible for a wall section needs to check measurements layouted by people from different building traditions.

German tradition often use a completely level layout floor and wedges to place the members when doing the layout work.

Next project 2024 in Sweden!

International meeting in Unnaryd arranged together with Kroksjöns Trähantverk.

Plan not ready yet - tea house, "tower", small bridge or something else.... to be determined.

Stay tuned for more ... (and become a member of Stolpverk Norden if not already)!

The idea is to have about 60 participants, and half of them arriving from other countries.

Johanna Henriksson - Trønderskt sperreverk

(First part omitted .... trying to keep up... I am struggling a little bit with the different terms here, sorry....)

The construction when in two stories... remember that the braces should be oriented in opposite directions (first versus second floor) according to tradition.

Some of the braces on the lower floor - the long ones - are "slightly too long" and after being inserted they are in "extra high compression", which is adjusted for by a clever trick (?).

Book recommendation: Jon Bodal has made a fantastic contribution with categorizing and documenting timber framing constructions (stolpverk) in Norway.

It is a real treasure and there is a book "BERESYSTEM I ELDRE NORSKE HUS" that is highly recommended when learning more about this regional timber framing tradition.

The local traditions show interesting variations of "main stream timber framing". Often very clever ways of building - especially when you need to get things done quickly - can be found in for example the tradition of "Trönderskt Sperreverk".

Historically you needed to understand the interior space requirements, for example you need two rows of cows and a corridor in between.

Needs to have a high enough first story floor for the purpose of the building and then enough of space to store hay on the second floor.

Based on that you know the dimensions of the timbers / members needed to build your building.

Example: a boat house - Johanna mentions that often the roof traditionally is 34 degrees.

Terminology / A few traditional terms

"Stolpe" (post) has a "stavlina" (top plate?) ontop.

"Tvärstavlina" = tie beam ?

"Pute" - a surface to place the "spaerrebock" on.

(... images shown with the terms)

Materials, tools etc

Spruce with highly even thickness often found within this regional area, further towards the coast there is also fir available.

Wane is no problem. For a 6 x 6 you want to have at least two thirds WITHOUT wane for any side. Therefore, in the given example, the top width of the log needs to be about 8 inches.

Templates are used, especially one variant called "ku", "the ku" becomes "kua". As a curious fact, this word is probably derived from a word related to a part of the body that many men carry with them on a daily basis.

This template is used for simplify marking distances related to certain proportions of the whole width of the log, for example one half width, a third of the full width, a fifth and so on.

This template is for example used to lay out a full tenon and a half tenon, dimensions used are given in the picture.

Story about community build project

A group of people came together to raise a building in two stories.

Drawings show the rough plan for the building but are not overly detailed, as this is not required.

The building was built in one location, suitable for this activity, and later moved to its final location, in line with the regional building tradition.

The construction is built in layers on the ground. First and second levels are built in one go. Post are then produced.

All rafters are stacked on top of each other and are layouted in one go, at the same time.

The "spärrbock" is stronger if only sawed on three sides, traditionally the posts would be plane only on the sides where this was necessary.

A scarf is layed out in a traditional fashion. Measurements are made from the outside, and everybody use templates.

Teams can mix both young and old contributors, often a young and an older working together (in pairs?).

Due to public interest when working on the project, the first story was raised first... which is a deviation from the tradition.

The timbers here can be pretty heavy, so it is important to manage the logistics when erecting the frame to minimize relocation of timbers when on the building site.

Use a pole with a loop/sling to push up the truss when raising the frame.

Johanna encourages everybody to learn more about their regional building traditions.

Sten Nilsson - Regional tradition for half-timbered houses in Halland

Sten speaks about his background. Previously he worked as a ship builder, "båtbyggare". Wanted to build his own house and looked deeper into the regional building traditions.

This regional building tradition rarely uses "locked in" joinery, so is easy to raise and disassemble. A lot of the materials in a traditional house like this can be reused or recycled easily, including bricks (due to using lime mortar that can be removed and even reused).

Shows a picture of his house, no paint used. Using brick infill and clay etc inside the wall sections.

Shows a reused timber frame with brick infill.

Shows a barn with hand-hewn timber, reused. Methods involve minimizing the amount of work involved, therefore reusing building materials when possible.

Also shows a picture of a garden shed.

Sten talks about some local joinery techniques, simple joinery which can be quickly and effectively produced. The method is built on the assumption that the roof weight pressing down on the construction, not suitable for light roof constructions.

About 130 years old handhewn members were used in a building that Sten speaks about. Not starting with the drawing, but starting from the available material and taking its dimensions into account. It becomes important to use templates when building in this way.

Sten shows all members positioned for a one-time cutting operation which minimizes the work required when assembling the construction.

The barn is also made from recycled building materials, hand-hewn. Only a few members needed to be cut to complement in this particular example.

All members are of the same length, even the braces. Also here, a template is used for the layout of the tenon. This makes for efficiency and a speedy build.

Shows a scarf joint that is stronger than the traditional "blixtskarv".

Three sections, each 6x6 m were used in the barn.

Shows a picture with the "straight french scarf" from Rothsteins Byggnadslära (famous book amongs Swedish craftspeople). Reminds of drawings available for free here: http://runeberg.org/lcelandtm/.

Tenons have been produced with just one setting on the circle saw, quickly and efficiently, around each side of the post.

An example is shown where an "outer shell" is added outside an existing frame, leaving the previous wall sections as is (or in another instance gypsum sheets were added). The foundation is widened, and brick infill is added to the "outer frame".

Infill using clay / lime mortar

Timber in combination with clay or lime mortar is a great combination, standing the test of time. Do not use cement! This causes the wood to rot.

It is a pleasure to work with clay. A layer of clay is added to the wood section and 150 years old earlier layers could partially be reused/restored and finished off with a final layer.

Sten likes to use "isolera" - insulating clay-based mortar mix as infill.

There is a tradition of creating these kinds of wall sections in two layers of bricks.

Q: Why use double "tie beams"?

A: A simplification used for supporting the roof truss system in the traditional style.. (?)

Jakob about "Skiftesverk"

Jakob tells about his childhood, growing up in the countryside close to the forest. Likes to use locally milled timber.

Has specialised in the building tradition called "Skiftesverk" in Swedish, which involves building wall sections with infills of timber.

(Yes! There are english terms on Jacobs slides!)

Post-supported "skiftesverk", sill = "fotträ", the sill mail task is to keep the corner post upright.

"Bålar" are the infill planks, with pegs holding these together.

The infill planks only protect from rain/weather.

Braces in both longitudinal and in the other direction, to create a plumb and stable construction.

"Lejder", "takbjälkar, "bindbjälkar" - tie beams are important members for the rigidity of this type of construction. The roof construction is completely freestanding from the wall sections. This is a nice feature.

Sill plate joinery, Jakob recommends against "blixtskarv" (even though it looks nice from the outside) and recommends the other variant on the picture. When asked why, Jakob explains that there are two problems: a) with horizontal surfaces (where water can enter) and b) these "lightning bolt scarves" are very difficult to insulation where the surfaces meet. Jakob says that in most well-insulated houses for living the other variant has been used due to this reason.

Corner scarf variants

Corner scarf, open tenon - a long tenon is good for stability due to being horizontally stable during the construction phase.
Corner scarf, hidden tenon - has two pegs and doesn't go all the way through the other member, takes a bit longer to complete, but is a good alternative.
"Hörn skarv med halvlaxstjärtsformigt hak" (not sure about the english term to use for this one), Jakob mentions a few disadvantages, namely a) exposed straightcut wood surface facing the outside and b) sensitive when building if breaks off, which may happen often in the outer outside end.

Tie beam joinery (? might be top plate ?)

"Saxhak" is a nice variant, one may need to use a little bit longer members here (this is discussed a little bit with the audience where others too favor this variant).

Considerations for posts and tenons

Use a groove to stop wind from entering the planks in the wall section. Jakob recommends lower leg protection when using an adze-like tool to create this groove.

The groove is 1-2 inch wide and 2 inch deep.

The infill planks slotting in there are 2-3 inch wide, and about 0.5m - 7m (a full log length) and each plank is at least 10 inch high, and wood species used is oak (traditionally) or other species of wood.

Shows picture with profiles for infill planks, and recommends the right most variant if using an axe to produce the planks, and also mentions that it is very important to not make them too wide.

Pegs are placed with 70 cm intervals along planks.

Reference systems for layout

Jakob mention that it is similar to what Johanna described.

First place the sill/"fotträ", then use reference lines snapped 40 mm from the outside, on all members. Another snap is made 40 mm inside of that one. Then all markings for mortises can be made at once.

Uses a theoretical and a practical measurement when marking... where the theoretical measurement for width is 80 mm less than the outer dimension.

Heights for walls - all markings are made with a template, everywhere at the same time.

Wall sections are positionedd in layers, makes the markings when layers are level (horizontally and vertically), a plumb line is used where individual "skew" in a location can be adjusted for, and when done, the "horizontal layers" are removed (except the sill layer).

Then it is time for the vertical layers, where the wall sections are placed on the sill layer and marked. Finally the braces are processed.

It is important to have a reasonable "working height" from the beginning when placing the sill "layer".

Reflections and takeaways from Jakob

If the customer wants thick dimensions for the infill planks, this will take a lot of time, compared to if thinner versions are used. A lot of additional time and cost would be the consequence of such a decision.

An infill section of 2 m means 30-40 m of surfaces that meet. The wll section involves 28-35 planks. Corner posts may have 15-25 meeting members entering into the corner post and involve the highest amount of joinery.

Precision is important for a tight infill plank wall, which means readjustments occasionally, the fit needs to be not too tight but also not too loose ("lagom" in Swedish) with measurements taking into consideration shrinking and expanding movements in the wood.

Else if built on spring, the roof may be "pushed up" in the autumn... be careful! An important consideration is where does the wind blow from generally at the building site (this is the first thing to check when you arrive at the place). Then put the best quality timber there.

If using "green timber" for infill, there are "tricks" for getting it "nice and tight" - ask Jakob :) about specifics.

Jakob show a link to one of his projects: https://www.bulhuse.com

Q: Is this technique used in isolated houses "for living"?

A: Yes, mostly. Often 3-4-5" wide infill planks were used where possible, in a living house, often utilizing a "long groove" with moss insulation in between those planks.

Ulrik:"Bindingsvaerk" - wall constructions.

Mentions a book which describes the layout technique to use, "out of line transfer".

(I didn't get the name of the book, sorry)

February 4

Johannes Kabell - Enclosure / wall infill elements

(Didn't get time to translate this... will try to find a link to the slides later...)

Michael Andersen

(Gives presentation in English, great!)

Mats Anderses - The Tin Can Factory - thoughts about enclosure and completion of a timber frame building

Conventional insulation/enclosure of timber frames. Mats has 20+ years of experience as a carpenter, followed by a craft education here in Mariestad and after the education he has focused on timber frames. Has been a director earlier for the timber framing program.
Klädesholmen - search on Instagram for "Konservfabriken" to learn more about this project.

There are different ways to add insulation, but here the focus was primarily "sound and healthy materials". Mats says that the assembly and order of work that is employed by Kroksjöns Trä is the most efficient way to work in this aspect.

Shows a map / drawing of the location for the building. There are space constraints that need to be taken into account - a small property close to water.

The construction used here is very similar to what Johannes Kabell showed earlier in his presentation. Some things are important to consider. For example, the construction of the foundation when close to sea/water is important. Here the foundation is stabilized with poles but special considerations apply. Outside is granite. Insulation on top of concrete can cause problems with condensation, so a membrane layer is required.

The building was raised in November, under a large external roof providing weather protection, and anchor points were needed in the concrete foundation in order to secure the roof. (?)

Externally outside the timber frame, a tree fibre board with a groove was used (rather than "asfaboard" which is another alternative). This material is more expensive. One needs to take both material and the time required to install it.

Inside a high density board, "Fermacell" was installed and a dutch plaster of 3 mm in 3 layers was added and finished with a steelplate.
All the interior carpentry is custom built. A lot of time was spent on installing electricity connections (integrated inside the walls). There were several challenges with these installations.

Mats says that his plan was to retire for two years ago. But the architect Jon Helmfridsson asked for help. So therefore he is still heavily involved in different roles in this project (manager, responsible etc).

Mats recalls how he got involved in this community in the beginning of the 90s, after initial contacts with Johannes Kabell. Shows pictures from this occasion.

Ulrik Hjort Lassen - Overview of various layout reference systems

We have 2.5 h of exciting sessions in front of us! Some of the material to be covered can be slightly difficult to follow, due to the nature of the subject matter.

UHL mentions that a course will be arranged later this year that involves applying some layout reference systems in practice. Also mentions the study trip to the US later in March, information folders are available outside the lecture room.

Layout is the procedure of measuring out and marking for joinery. UHL mentions his experience of applying several of these different systems.
UHL says that there are really only four different principals for laying out. French, Norwegian, German, Japanese.

Square rule: a drawing exists, members are marked piece by piece, members fit in any location where a similar member is used. Square rule - adjustments, direct transfers, distance transfer.

Scribe rule: specific members are individually adapted to one another. Transfer of reference line and two other principles in UHLs dissertation fits in here.

Vertical transfer, horizontal transfer or distance transfer.

Norwegian - uses a bit of both...

Double cutting = "meddragning"

Purple - primary reference surface, Yellow - secondary reference surface

Datum lines - marks a distance from the outside of the timber

Reference systems are in three levels - the reference plan, reference lines and reference points

Japanese - work with center lines - located in the centre of the timber, which is useful for roundwood. An octagonal post is like working with a square post but with symmetric wane.

Reference line/edge - surface of the timer used in France, Norway, but also the floor (level) can be a reference

Reference point - where do surfaces on different members meet when joined?

"Plumb line method" - line transfer used to compensate for skew in adjoining member timber. A spirit level or pair of compasses can be used when a plumb (weight-on-a-string) cannot be used.
"Point transfer" / meddragning - a set distance and direction is used, can be snapped along a timber.

Jack Sobon uses a single drawing which serves as the basis for all joinery where conventions are applied consistently with regards to the layout of different members.

Magnus-Frimer Larsen - Piquer au plomb

Magnus has studied some of the French carpentry techniques. It is a vast subject and he will present a tiny little corner of this subject matter, focusing on "colombage" - playful carpentry with infill.
Relevance - if building in conceptualized in reference planes it is relevant but can also be used in other situations.

Suitable for handling funky timbers.

Oops - Magnus speaks in English (!) no need to try to translate :)

Andreas Björk - Full scale layout with edge lines as reference

Previously worked (maybe works presently?) as a teacher at the Mariestad education. Background previously as construction engineer (?).

Drawings - starts with overview drawing and then proceeds with more detailed drawings, providing a "hierarchy" or tree of drawings. Cross section drawings are used when locating members inside the assembly hall.

Roman numerals used, wall frames and cross frames are distinguished, front i A-side, backside is B-side. To find the B-wall, markings are used. B-side is "curly side" (curved chisel used for marking), A-side is straight side (front wall for example). This is the system used to keep track of the sections/bents.

To keep track of the reference planes (outside wall, upside of roof, upside plate). A long wall section longitudinally can be divided in three or four individual sections.

Detailed drawings are at "the bottom of the tree". In this example, only one detailed drawing was required. When required, for example due to special attention needed.

Datum lines are reference lines placed in this example 50 mm from the reference plane and are marked on all important building members. Anders also says "bring me back"-marks. For instance the distance from the top of the plate should be 300 mm.

Production of sill and top plate, marked in full length, then three teams can work on their individual sections simultaneously, producing mortises etc.

Anders shows a drawing inspired by Rackebyladan - a barn - a combination of roundwood and square timbers. Please have a look in the evening, it is out by the building yard!

http://media.traditionsbararna.se/2012/04/2012.28-l%C3%A4tt-ladugarden_Rackeby.pdf

"Primary timbers" are extra important - members that exist in several planes at the same time - such as corner posts etc. Braces are not primary timbers because these are always located in a single reference plane (?)

February 5

Niklas Carlén, Wingårdhs Arkitekter - Where are we heading with our contemporary building paradigm?

Trends in sustainability, reuse and a renewal for using wood as a building material

Wingårdhs Architects is a well known Architect company and Niklas is the office manager in Stockholm. This company has been on the market since the 70s. A policy now in order to meet climate requirements is for the company to use wood as a building material.

This is surprisingly challenging these days, partly due to poor support for using wood (as a heterogenous material) in software and models when complying with documentation, regulations etc. An important driver for using solid wood is achieving positive climate effects.

There are intiatives for resusing existing recycled wood components in new builds. For example a storage facility for that kind of material is about to be established.

Circular economy concepts: reuse, upcycling, ...

Reuse of bricks is currently the most successful example, where there are officially established regulations that can allow this. Another example is shingle plates made of reused metal sheets.

An example: shows a picture of a living house where the roofs from old cars are used as a building materials. Stainless steels, sometimes no even used, in other cases slightly damaged. Enough available in order to be able to source materials for the facade. A mock-up was first created. An source inspiration was for example a famous building in New York.

The Malmö Office of Wingårdhs is working on this currently.
Recycling companies and industries are mapped out for sourcing these materials, and in addition sites that are being demolished can function as a source for reusing materials already when being "dismantled".

What local materials are available? Storage? Design?

Another example: a 20 000 square m office facility - uses reused brick, wood (perhaps "burned on the surface" - see https://japanwoodcraftassociation.com/traditions/techniques/yakisugi-shou-sugi-ban/ -- to achieve a uniform look) - this might results in a new kind of architectural look in the decades to come.

At about 2018 it became important to calculate the climate cost of buildings, especially for larger buildings which is the main commercial focus for Wingårdhs. So far mostly focus has been to use building materials without mixing different types of materials.

Shows pictures of multistory wooden frame living house constructions. Acoustics, fire safety, room plan and electrical installations are important considerations.

Mentions that there can be be harmonic resonance issues with wood as a building materials, which is a challenge. Another challenge is to make wood work well when used together with steel and concrete. These materials have been managed separately but not really well as combination. Another challenge with wood is using it as an outer surface.

Installations of electricity and piping is a challenge in timber frames. Due to regulations ("detail plan" requirements) timber framed constructions have been at disadvantage and if chosen needs to be built with a fewer amount of stories ("one story lower compared to what usually is possible").

2022 something happened, a new driver - law regulates climate cost declaration. This aspect comes into focus from 1st of January 2022. There are no "hard strict" numbers to hit in these regulations but there is a clear trend in favor of increased use of wood/timber in house building.

Several political parties want to promote the building of houses with wood as a building material. Approximately 20% of new (multi-family?) houses are using timber frames, 90% of smaller houses.

Cross-laminated wood materials is frequently used, however these materials carry a high climate cost. The use may decrease going forward, in favor of using an increased share of less processed wood materials.

Another trend may be to combine concrete foundations with wooden beams and use beams in between stories of multi-story houses. A huge part of the climate cost comes from using concrete.
Optimizing timber frames may be another trend. Using fewer amounts of members and reducing the volume, even though wood is a good material to use.

Q: Why use cross-laminate wood with high climate cost?

A: There is an industrial process in place. Using massive wood / natural timbers - there is a huge potential for this. Maybe there will be a revival in the future?

Pi Ekblom - Gaia Architecture (pi@gaiaark.se)

Background from working at White Architects - another well-known Swedish Architecty company. GAIA ARK - Architecture as a driver for healing global systems. Has been involved in research projects and aims at focusing on "full system chains" - co-existence between countryside and city "systems". "Living landscapes, living cities".

Gives an example from the inner Stockholm City. A lot of stone materials is used when building transportation infrastructure - instead of dumping this material at waste sites, it can be used to improve the ecosystem properties of beach environments while being beneficial to fish life (?)

Mentions co-operation with Plockhugget. https://plockhugget.se/ to support sustainable forestry practices

Mentions another example: Bangkok - invited to go there to promote using timber when building new structures in the expanding city.

Some challenges in "full supply chain from living forests to living communities" - involving different parties along the chain - regulation and coordinating a process that takes into account the full chain means having to move "outside the existing box" / supply chains.

Shows an example of a wooden bridge using cross-laminated wood and "tryckt virke" "pressure treated wood / tanalized wood"(?)....

Shows a picture with a small house built with Masonite I-Beams.

Shows a picture of a Vinnova financed building project "Duveds framtid" which has involved a Japanese architect that likes to use "paper pipes" in his designs.

Shows a picture of Johan Jönssons shed in Järna (not far from where Johannes K lives), in Södertälje. The architect has drawn this shed in "antroposofical spirit" and Johan J framed it and raised it. A "post and plank" shed.

Karin Löfgren, Architect at AIX Arkitekter

Japanese word Tatemai - ? A word for a community build event? I find https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Honne_and_tatemae but it might not be the right one...

Explains that Japanese barefoot carpenters are barefoot for a reason - they do not leave dirty footprints on the beams :)

Shows a picture of a building site with a vacuum cleaner - intended to keep the material in tip-top-shape, clean and tidy

Shoin zukuri - squared osts (15-1600s) - important to use square posts for sliding doors

Sukya zukuri - round posts - the work site looks different, secondary members needs to be scribed and processed on site, requires "artisans" working on site.

Mentions in two occasions a "generation shift" event, where the old master stands quiet as the younger generation steps up to lead the future building projects.

Rickard Troeng, Skogsportalen AB

About "sustainable forestry" - a practice to avoid deforestation through cutting down all trees in a forest, instead supporting "selective logging".

Rickard has a company Skogsportalen, cooperating the the company "Plockhugget". An initiative to support a local infrastructure for sourcing naturally grown timbers. The challenge here is finding a business model that works for being able to supply this material to those with demand for this supply.

https://plockhugget.se/information-in-english/

"We deliver traceable timber from continuous-cover Swedish forestry – with resilience, beauty and biodiversity in mind!" Rickard plugs for an education/course which he warmly recommends: https://plockhugget.se/kurser/

What is a natural forest? Diversity in species, different ages - both young and mature trees. The opposite of what is produced from "clearcutting forestry". How can a forest owner benefit from "natural forestry"?

Plockhugget provides certificates for "natural timber" of good quality. Plockethuggets forestry "standard" guidelines:

- Take down larger trees only

- Max 0.25 ha glades (no clear cutting of larger areas)

- ....

A complex endeavor... mills of various sizes required locally etc, a previously living "infrastructure" which is no longer available....

How it really works: Skogsportalen finds forest owner, they get a "plan" for forestry and agree to it, certificates are sold to timber resellers (ByggMax, Beijers, architect firms etc - who can "compensate" for traditional forestry, similar to the idea of "buying trees in deforested areas", traceability for certificates means that buyers can say "we have bought the equivalence of this volume of certified timber")

Customers are starting ta ask for "non-clearcut forestry timber". The local manager hears the demand and needs to make a decision about how to source it and may start with "ok we need 1% as a start", resulting in this volume entering the full market.

So, to be clear, most of the timber comes from "clearcut forestry", but Skogsportalen as a hub organizes that a certain percentage is "natural non-clearcut forestry".

Example of customer - "SOMA Forest" - everything this furniture manufacturer produces is compensated in this way. "Sunda Byggvaror" has a webshop where the customer can choose to push a button to "compensate" when buying timber.

Reading recommendations: Skogslandet, De svenska träden etc see https://plockhugget.se/lasvart

Get in touch with Rickard for any questions or annevi@plockhugget.se

Certificate is about 400 SEK per cubic meter sawn wood...

A new building of 90-100 square meter living areas is about (less than 10 000 SEK?).

Last few minutes - about Skogsportalen
www.skogsportalen.se

This company exists because buyers of Swedish timber knows about 4 species of wood (spruce, fir, birch and "combustible").