Wood Collective-Meitheal Adhmaid

INNOVATION FORUM - COLLABORATION IN WOOD EVENT 2010

Vision
Our environment and economy can benefit considerably if we integrate develop and refine existing ideas, research and strategic policy on the way forestry, a key natural resource, could be developed here. We must strategically and cohesively plan to manage & develop what resources we do have and use them in a way that is both economically and environmentally sustainable.

‘Inspired by our ongoing collaborative works with wood, we seek to offer and facilitate a forum for sources of inspiration and invention, to draw attention to wood as a building material with a goal to develop the perception, usage and visibility of the material in new and innovative ways.’

Mission Statement- Towards a New Collective.

We are actively developing a forum for innovation and planning further projects leading up to and informing a ‘Collaboration in Wood’ event to be held in Ireland in the Spring of 2010. The vision and goals are to encourage experimentation with the material among national and international experts in conjunction with other disciplines to develop unique designs and structures. The scope calls for a collaborative approach and participants will be drawn from the realms of research, design, construction, the visual arts & sciences. In parallel we seek to construct experimental works at sites in Ireland in the coming year to bring our vision into the public domain and generate momentum for the event.

Strategic Goals & Project Development
We are in active discussion with key strata of the Forestry & Timber sector and associated stakeholders to refine and develop our vision, strategic goals and pre-implementation projects.

Eugene Boyle architect, organiser and team member of Irish collaborative projects in Norway in 2006 and 2008 has proposed a series of campus based ‘incubation’ projects which will seed R&D prototypical works and inform integrated thinking, deliverable outputs across the material lifecycle chain and to stimulate debate around innovative use of timber, sustainable materials and construction methods.

One strand of our forum is to hold a ‘Collaboration in Wood’ event in Ireland in Spring of 2010. The scope and brief will explore structure and form-related attributes of wood, through design and construction of experimental works which will be demountable and re usable for different scales and contexts. The material proposed for the works is 2” x 2” timber, to be completed by 3 person teams within a defined site and a timescale. The teams design approach & skills must integrate a strong understanding of the materials nature, a conceptual and technologically responsive approach, an integrated grasp of design, the art of making and construction. The event will incorporate a social and educational program with opportunities for network building.

Expressions of Interest & Strategic Support
To date we have been in discussion with Government sectors supporting Enterprise, Industry and Education in Ireland, key facets of the forestry and timber sectors, in parallel to liaison with R&D institutions from the E.U. and the USA in developing the vision, goals & implementation strategy for the project. We now seek expressions of interest & support for our proposals from:

Forestry & Timber Life Cycle Chain
● Government Departments & Materials Procurement Policy
● Agriculture, Forestry & Land Management
● Timber Growers & Harvesters, Saw Millers, Manufacturing Industry

Academic Research & Design Faculties
● Fine Art, Sculpture & Design
● Landscape, Architecture & Engineering
● Materials Science, Engineering & Technology
● Interior Architecture & Design
● Sustainable Planning & Design

Industry & Professions
● Construction & Materials Procurement
● Professional Bodies & Practitioners in design of the built environment
● Furniture, Product & Industrial Design
● Built Environment & Schools of Construction Trades
● Arts & Craft Sectors

This is underpinned by a strategic goal to facilitate ‘a new collective’ in a spirit of harvesting ideas, to develop sustainable skills and deliverables, built on integrated education, research and development models and processes. We are now building towards 2010, with our strategic partners in Ireland, the EU and beyond. If you are interested in collaborating in the project or supporting the development & implementation of its goals you can monitor progress on our web site in the coming months and you may contact Eugene Boyle for further information.

Contact
We are now building towards 2010, with our strategic partners in Ireland, the EU and beyond. If you are interested in collaborating in the project or supporting the development & implementation of its vision and goals you can monitor progress on our web site in the coming months and you may contact Eugene Boyle for further information.

web: www.woodcollective.ie
email: info@woodcollective.ie

Irish Team Collaborators 2006 & 2008

● Eugene Boyle - Architect
Informed and inspired by undergraduate architecture thesis research in D.I.T. in the early 1990's into a 'Research & Development Facility for the Future of Irish Forestry' and associated liaison with centres of excellence in R&D, ongoing projects and collaborations have involved the following people,skills and disciplines at different times and contexts.

● Aidan Burke - Mathematics, Economics, Construction & Engineering
● Michael Lyons - Artist
● Brian O' Loughlin - Sculptor of Bog Oak
● Oliver Mc Cormack - Construction & Alternative Medicine

Media Coverage
Check out 'Norwegian Wood' article in Spring 2009 edition of Irish Landscape Institute Magazine (page16) on Irish contributions and reflections on Bergen International Wood Festivals 2006 & 2008.
We would like to acknowledge that the article was edited from a previous piece by Kevin Mac Dermott, freelance writer based in Dublin. This article appeared in Electric Mail Magazine in December 2008. We will be including the full text of the original article into the website as it evolves in due course. Thank you Kevin!

Link: http://www.irishlandscapeinstitute.com/mainpages/landscapeireland.html


We would like to acknowledge the assistance of COFORD - The Council for Forest Research and Development in Ireland who supported our participation in Bergen International Wood Festivals in 2006 & 2008