Architects, engineers and developers will have until June 8 to apply for the Built by Nature Prize for Principles for Responsible Timber Construction, a new global prize that will showcase the best in timber construction at COP30 later this year.
Launched at the International Mass Timber Conference in Portland, Oregon, “the global prize recognises excellence in both new builds and renovations that demonstrate leadership in responsible timber design and the integration of other bio-based materials,” according to Harry Mills, Build by Nature’s newly appointed campaign manager.
“Winners will gain international recognition at Woodrise 2025, and UNFCCC COP30, where selected projects will be featured in a global documentary film launched in Belém, Brazil. Prize winners will also be honoured at a special event during the annual Built by Nature Summit.”
Mills will be one of the keynote presenters at WCTE 2025
Today, Wood Central spoke to Kelly Rischmiller, executive secretary of WCTE 2025, who said Mills – a Gottstein fellow – will join Karl Heinz Weiss, Philipp Dietsch, Jodie Bricout, Gerald Epp, Katharina Lehmann, Phillip Tondl, Guy Gardner, and Ralph Belperio as key presenters at next month’s conference.
“The program is now up to date on the WCTE 2025 website as of today,” Ms Rischmiller said: “In total, there are 738 technical presentations, with Mills being one of the nine keynote speakers. So far, we have 897 delegates, inclusive of 614 speakers.”
Last week, Wood Central reported that hundreds of timber engineers from all over the world will visit Brisbane for the June 22 to June 26 conference, including Gianluigi Traetta and Florian Hitthaler – from Rubner Holzbau Srl – who are both travelling from Brixen, Northern Italy.
Speaking to Wood Central in a soon-to-air podcast, Traetta and Hitthaler have worked to deliver some of the world’s most interesting timber engineering projects, including the Sydney Fish Markets. “Located just a short distance from the WCTE conference hall is Brisbane’s Upper House – a project that we worked with Theca Timber to bring to life,” they said. The 33-story high-rise towers over South Brisbane, South Bank, and West End and features three meandering mass timber pillars that mimic the buttress roots of the native Moreton Bay Fig Tree.
- For more information, click here for a story covering Wood Central’s podcast with Traetta and Hitthaler, including a discussion about vertical extensions – a potential solution for the Brisbane Olympics accommodation puzzle.
