Late this April, the University of Eastern Finland and Teollisuusneuvos Heikki Väänänen’s Fund will organise the 4th Karelia Symposium under the theme Building with Wood: faster, higher, lighter.
The symposium will be opened by Member of the European Parliament Henna Virkkunen, and the keynote lectures will focus on reducing the environmental impact of urban construction, challenges and opportunities of wood as a construction material, and utilisation of innovative hybrid structures and digitalisation in light-weight building construction. Nearly 100 participants from more than ten different countries have registered for the symposium.
“This 4th Karelia Symposium continues the University of Eastern Finland’s tradition of openly sharing information about its wood science research. Thanks to the current bioeconomy discourse, the significance of expertise relating to wood has experienced a renaissance, and there is a demand for the field’s experts. We expect this symposium to provide new insight into high-quality and healthy construction, as well as reduced opposition between different construction materials,” says Professor of Wood Materials Science Henrik Heräjärvi.
“Noteworthy examples of this year’s programme include speeches by Petri Heino, a promoter of timber construction with the Ministry of the Environment, and by Jussi Mattila, CEO of the Association of Concrete Industry in Finland. They both will be taking a step outside their comfort zone, as Heino will focus on the weaknesses of wood construction, and Mattila on its possibilities. I imagine these speeches will give fruitful ideas for collaboration.”
“Our aim is to paint a realistic picture of timber construction: not to sweep problems under the carpet, while also trying to find solutions. The programme also includes a panel discussion chaired by Kimmo Järvinen, Director of the Technology Industries of Finland. The objective of the panel is to focus on difficulties caused by the opposition between different construction materials, and to find solutions.”
The symposium will also feature presentations by the university’s doctoral and Master’s level students on their current research projects in the field of wood material science, and the day will end in the announcement of the 2018 wood science research grants of Teollisuusneuvos Heikki Väänänen’s Fund.
“The University of Eastern Finland has an excellent track record in wood science research. We intend to continue doing our best to provide companies with research-based knowledge that is relevant to their needs, and to further develop our own expertise to become a leader in this field,” Heräjärvi says.
For further information, please contact: Professor of Wood Materials Science Henrik Heräjärvi, tel. +358 50 465 8223, henrik.herajarvi(at)uef.fi
Karelia Symposium http://www.uef.fi/en/web/karelia-symposium
