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The American Hardwood Export Council (AHEC) will host the largest ever American Hardwood Pavilion at INDIAWOOD, which is due to run from February 22 – 26, 2024 at the Bangalore International Exhibition Centre (BIEC), in Bengaluru, India. Source: Timberbiz A record year of exports to India in 2023 coupled with India’s growing appetite for temperate hardwoods has bolstered US hardwood exporters to become increasingly active in India. The event will see the participation of 14 exporters under the banner of the American Hardwood Pavilion. The American Hardwood Pavilion, which will occupy 224 square meters of space at the show, will serve to highlight the variety of American hardwood species while also throwing the spotlight on the benefits of the value-added processes undertaken to supply such a high quality and high yielding kiln-dried raw material. Participating companies include Baillie Lumber, Banks Hardwoods, Bingaman & Son Lumber, Cascade Hardwood, Classic American Hardwoods, Crown Hardwood Co., Hartzell Hardwoods, Midwest Hardwood Corporation, Midwest Timber Exports, Missouri Walnut, Ron Jones Hardwood, Turman Group, Wheeland Lumber, and WM Cramer Lumber. “Demand for North American hardwood lumber has been increasing in recent years, with 2023 looking set to be another record year for US hardwood lumber exports to India. Data provided by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) for the first 11 months of 2023 revealed that US hardwood exports to India were valued at US$6.54 million, equating to a volume of 10,905 cubic meters,” said Roderick Wiles, AHEC Regional Director. “We look forward to our participation at INDIAWOOD, which is a must-attend event for the region’s timber trade and woodworking sector. Now in its thirteenth year, the show allows us the opportunity to share the comparative benefits of US hardwoods, in a market that offers significant and long-term growth potential.” According to AHEC, while the export-focused furniture and handicraft manufacturers (concentrated in Rajasthan) represent the greatest current market opportunity for US hardwood lumber in India, the long-term target market will be domestic consumers. Currently, this market is primarily serviced by smaller furniture, joinery and flooring manufacturers, who offer bespoke solutions and who are not export-focused. The size of the domestic furniture market cannot be understated. According to Mordor Intelligence, it is estimated at US$15.79 billion in 2023, and is expected to reach US$26.85 billion by 2028, growing at an annual rate of over 11% during the forecast period. In recent years, the market has expanded beyond chairs and tables to include designed interiors, wardrobes and upholstered furniture sets. Escalating demand for customization is another major growth-inducing factor, as consumers are seeking personalized, functional, and design-centric furniture. The heightened focus on sustainability and eco-friendly furniture made from renewable or recycled materials has also catalyzed market growth, while several favourable government initiatives, such as the ‘Make in India’ campaign, that encourage domestic manufacturing and enhance the availability of quality furniture at affordable prices are contributing to market growth.

For decades, Nokian Tyres Noktop 21’s traction, self-cleaning properties and versatility on challenging surfaces has made it a trusted go-to tread for commercial use. From the beginning of 2024, the classic tread gets new features while keeping its first-class properties. Source: Timberbiz From February 2024, Noktop 21 gets a new look and new features. While the time-proven rubber compound, tread pattern and two-layer cap/base structure remain, it now has broader width range of 240–280 mm, added stud holes for every width, clear product markings for identification as well as 3PMSF marking as proof of safe winter use. “By creating new moulds and adding some improvements we gave the classic tread a fresh start,” Teppo Siltanen, Product Manager at Nokian Heavy Tyres said. “With the new 280 mm width, the Noktop 21 range covers the most popular tyre sizes very well.” Over the years, the Noktop 21 drive tread has become something of a legend in the transport industry. Its good self-cleaning properties and remarkable traction have earned the trust of people working on wintry roads. Its tread pattern has also been copied by many other manufacturers. “Earlier versions of the Noktop 21 tread had a distinctive white stripe, which we later had to leave out for manufacturing reasons,” Teppo Siltanen said. “Now, the renewed Noktop 21 has clear markings with model number, country of origin and winter symbols to prove it is the real deal. “Retreading makes sense both economically and for the environment,” Mr Siltanen said. “For all-season general use, you cannot beat the two-layer cap/base structure of the original Noktop 21. “The tread profile changes over the winter to become suitable for summer use.”

The Building Simplexity Laboratory (BSL), at the Faculty of Architecture of the University of Hong Kong (HKU), has showcased the innovative use of evolutionary algorithms in simplifying non-standard, lightweight catenary wood structures through their design-build project, the KATENARA Pavilion. Source: Timberbiz The Pavilion, built in collaboration with NYCU Graduate Institute of Architecture, at Dongshi Forestry Cultural Park, Taichung City, Taiwan, in 2023, features a striking double-curved wooden roof surface, composed of two glulam ring beams and 10 near-catenary-shaped glulam beams, anchored by tension cables. The Project highlights the development of advanced computational methods to reduce construction complexity while emphasising the use of timber as a sustainable, low-carbon construction material. An exhibition featuring drawings, prototypes, and onsite documentation of the Project – ‘KATENARA: Advanced Computational Methods for Low-Tech Timber Construction’ held in Hong Kong showcases the technique. The ‘KATENARA’ exhibition also presents a series of pilot studies and historical precedents to reveal the construction complexities and opportunities inherent in catenary glulam roof systems. Architects and engineers have long optimised geometry and cost to create structurally sound and visually appealing spaces. Examples include the JS Dorton Arena (Matthew Nowicki, USA, 1952), the David S Ingalls Skating Rink (Eero Saarinen, New Haven, USA, 1958) and the Yoyogi National Stadium (Kenzo Tange, Tokyo, Japan, 1964), all using lightweight suspended steel cables or members as their structural roof system, utilising materials such as concrete, steel, and timber. Recently, glue-laminated (glulam) timber has gained traction as an eco-friendly option for large-scale roof structures. However, complex glulam geometries are often limited by expensive bespoke moulds. To overcome this challenge, researchers at BSL developed evolutionary algorithms to reduce moulds, lowering costs and improving accessibility. In the Project, parametric engineering software optimised the catenary beams’ number and spacing, while the design was further optimised for low-tech timber construction settings. Japanese Cedar wood, chosen for sustainability and strength, was the primary material used. Minimising construction costs while maintaining architectural integrity was a primary challenge. The algorithms allowed the pre-fabrication of all curved glulam elements using a single jig, accounting for 19% of the total timber works cost, highlighting the impact of reducing the number of jigs on a project’s budget. Strategically controlled parametric detailing simplified the connection between the roof floor and suspended beams, using steel connection details to facilitate easy fabrication and minimise the complexity of on-site installation. The on-site assembly of KATENARA’s main structure was completed within just three hours. “The KATENARA Pavilion confirms the validity of the concept and identifies opportunities for future improvements in the design and construction of similar structures. As the first built example of optimised suspended glulam roof structures for low-tech timber construction contexts, KATENARA lays the foundation for more inventive building designs, particularly in developing construction contexts where cost-effective and sustainable solutions are vital,” said Professor Kristof Crolla, Founding Director of BSL. “The Project showcases how advanced computational methods and evolutionary algorithms can transform architectural design and construction, enabling architects and engineers to create visually striking, structurally efficient, and environmentally sustainable buildings that push global construction boundaries.”

For nearly 50 years, Hawke’s Bay residents in New Zealand have been able to locate Pan Pac’s mill site by the billowing steam issuing from its boilers, pulpmill and kilns at Whirinaki. Source: Timberbiz The boiler steam comes from bark and sawdust byproducts of the pulp and lumber operations and woody offcuts that have been salvaged from forest operations and converted into biofuel. This energy provides all of the energy required for the pulp and lumber drying and around 12% of the mill’s electricity needs. However, almost a year ago, Cyclone Gabrielle flooded the site and put the whole site out of action. Pan Pac suffered NZ$300 million in damage to its business and forests from the cyclone, and the company and its staff have been working tirelessly to repair and rebuild ever since. Seeing the steam rising again from the Boiler 1 stack is a welcome sign that full operation is on the horizon, says Tony Clifford, Managing Director, Pan Pac Forest Products. “Our Lumber operations began partial operations last week and our pulp mill will be operational in March,” Mr Clifford said. “We can’t wait to get back to business; it’s been a long road back to recovery, but we are grateful to all our staff, contractors, customers, suppliers and our shareholder for sticking with us throughout this process.”

A Kilsyth-based timber processor in Victoria has been fined $20,000 without conviction after an inspection by EPA Victoria found thousands of cubic metres of illegally stored industrial waste on the site. Source: Star Mail Lilydale Planet Safe Timber Pty Ltd, trading as CCA Pine, entered a plea of guilty in Ringwood Magistrates Court, in response to EPA charges of accepting industrial waste without a licence. EPA officers inspected the company’s Liverpool Road premises in December 2021 and found thousands of cubic metres of construction and demolition waste. They took samples of material from one of the stockpiles, and lab tests revealed it contained three different types of asbestos. The largest of the stockpiles was U-shaped and measured approximately 80 metres along its base, and the other stockpiles were approximately 10 and 20 metres long. EPA issued the company with an Environmental Action Notice (EAN), requiring it to remove the industrial waste to a properly licensed facility for safe disposal. Follow up inspections showed the waste was being removed and had all been cleared by April 2022. The Ringwood Magistrates Court heard that more than 8,000m3 of waste was removed, and that the cost of the clean-up was more than $1.6 million.

There were just 51,570 loans issued in 2023 for the construction or purchase of a new home, less than half the number of loans issued just two years earlier in 2021. Source: Timberbiz The ABS released the Lending to Households and Businesses data for December 2023 on Friday, which provides statistics on housing finance commitments. “The ABS has been collecting data on lending for new homes since 2002, and today’s data shows the lowest number of these loans being issued on record,” HIA Senior Economist Tom Devitt said “The steepest RBA rate hiking cycle in a generation has compounded the elevated costs of home building, seeing potential home buyers squeezed out of the market and fewer new homes commencing construction.” This lack of new work meant the pipeline of new housing supply approaching completion was now shrinking rapidly. “At this rate, Australia will not commence enough housing to meet National Cabinet’s target, falling well short of the 1.2 million new homes they want to see built in the next five years,” Mr Devitt said. The latest ABS data reinforced the need for immediate action by Governments to improve planning regimes, reform taxes on housing, release more shovel ready land, reduce red tape, and address skilled worker shortages. “These are some of the key measures needed to increase the construction of new homes and support the industry to build more of these much-needed homes,” Mr Devitt said. “At a time of record population growth and acute shortages of rental accommodation, a dwindling supply of new homes threatens to worsen Australia’s housing crisis. In original terms, the total number of loans issued for the construction or purchase of new homes in 2023 declined in all jurisdictions compared to the previous year, led by the Australian Capital Territory (-51.4%) and followed by the Northern Territory (-33.5%), Tasmania (-31.0%), New South Wales (-30.9%), South Australia (-27.1%), Victoria (-26.2%), Queensland (-21.8%) and Western Australia (-15.6%).