AWARD-winning Brisbane eco-architect Mark Thomson and Responsible Wood Director has been appointed to the international judging panel at the World Architecture Festival in Amsterdam, the world’s largest global gathering of the architectural elite.
The festival, dedicated to celebrating, sharing and inspiring outstanding architecture, is the only architecture event where keynote talks from the industry’s most influential figures sit alongside live judging presentations from more than 500 award finalists.
The festival from November 28 to 30 in the Netherlands’ capital attracts more than 2000 of the world’s most senior architects and clients and includes an international product exhibition.
The event this year introduces for the first time a Best Use of Certified Timber Prize awarded for completed buildings and supported by the Program for Endorsement for Forest Certification.
Mark Thomson, a director of Responsible Wood, founded Eco Effective Solutions in 2010 and has undertaken architectural refurbishment projects and environmental consulting over a wide range of built project types.
He has a national reputation for championing sustainable design and development as a practising architect, commercial interior designer and environmental consultant. He is the immediate past president of the Australian Green Development Forum, a faculty member of the Green Building Council of Australia and was formerly the corporate sustainability principal for the Schiavello Group of companies, Australia’s largest commercial furniture systems manufacturer and construction organisation.
In the certified timber contest, a special jury, including a PEFC representative, will identify entries that have used certified timber in an innovative, educational or artistic manner.
“Certified timber provides architects confidence that their specified timber has been sourced from sustainably-managed forests and best practice supply-chain organisations,” PEFC CEO and secretary-general Ben Gunneberg said.
Short-listed architects will be contacted to confirm that the timber specified and used in the project originates from certified sources demonstrating leadership in sustainable design. The winner will be announced at the gala festival dinner on November 30.
PEFC is an international non-profit, non-governmental organisation dedicated to enabling and promoting sustainable forest management through independent third-party certification. With more than 300 million ha of certified forests in 39 countries, it is the world’s largest forest certification system.
The governing body in Australia for PEFC, Responsible Wood, maintains standards for Sustainable Forest Management (AS 4708), and Chain of Custody for Forest Products (AS 4707).
Timber from PEFC-certified forests is now a key element in many building projects from structural applications including timber frames, engineered wood including glulam, CLT, LVL and structural insulated panels, to components such as engineered floor cassettes, trusses, staircases, windows and door sets, plywood, MDF, skirting, OSB, decking and cladding.
Project entries for the festival must be submitted by Friday, April 20, to secure an early-bird discount.
Contact the organisers at +44 (0)20 3953 2540 or email [email protected]
Sponsorship options are available from James Priest on +44 (0)20 3953 2923 or email [email protected]
Entry details are at www.worldarchitecturefestival.com
