Timber Talks are free to attend and will take place inside three separate bespoke timber theatres created especially for Timber Expo by UKSIPS, Frame Wise and Deeside Timberframe with James Jones & Sons. With over 5,000 people expected to visit the show, the seminars are set to be hugely popular and operate on a "first come, first sat down" policy.

In Theatre 1, the seminar programme will kick off at 9am on day one of the exhibition with James Latham director Chris Sutton speaking on the EU Timber Regulation, which comes into force in March next year. He will be followed by the Timber Trade Federation’s sustainability manager, Anand Punja, who will expand on the new regulation and the federation’s Responsible Purchasing Policy.

Meanwhile in Theatre 2, a session on the London 2012 Olympics is expected to draw the crowds. Noah Bold from the Olympic Delivery Authority (ODA) and Alasdair McGregor from BM TRADA Certification will explore the ground-breaking timber procurement and supply policy introduced by the ODA, its legacy and the FSC and PEFC Project Certification of the entire Olympic Park.

Green Deal opportunities
Another topical issue is the Green Deal – the government’s largest-ever retrofit and refurbishment programme which provides new business and market development opportunities for the timber sector. Chris Ashworth from Competitive Advantage and Marcus Lewis from Baily Garner will give an update on the scheme, its relevance to timber and the drive for energy-efficient buildings.

The Wood Awards never fail to attract entries from some of the most glamorous, eye-catching and well-designed buildings in the UK alongside some of the country’s cutting-edge furniture design. In sessions spread throughout the Timber Talks programme, architects and designers from practices including Duggan Morris Architects, Hopkins Architects and Wilkinson Eyre, will deliver case studies on some of the shortlisted entries.

The runners-up and winner of the inaugural TTJ Timber Innovation Award will be the subject of a seminar on day one. The winning entry will be announced at the TTJ Awards ceremony at The Savoy in London on September 14 and Timber Talks will enable the shortlist to be explored in greater detail. The new Awards category, sponsored by TRADA and Timber Expo, has been created to recognise companies which help push the boundaries in the use of timber and wood products.

Engineered timber, from cross-laminated panels to glulam, is rarely out of the news today and one of the UK’s leading exponents, B&K Structures, will explain its benefits with the help of a case study on the award-winning Brockholes Wetland Centre.

Fire safety focus
Several sessions will address timber frame and fire safety, with topics including passive fire protection, fire retardant treatments and regulations, a wealth of knowledge and advice from the UK Timber Frame Association, plus how to use remote camera technology to reduce arson. There will also be a special session from Neil Gibbins from the Hampshire Fire & Rescue Service.

Building information modelling (BIM) is becoming increasingly widely used. Learn more on the best approach for the construction industry from Drew Wiggett at RIBA Enterprises and Nick Allen at Metz Architects.

Modified timber has long been a talking point amongst architects and specifiers and the world of external applications has opened up with the use of modified MDF and polymerised timber. Several sessions across both days will give an overview of the different technologies available, with speakers including Peter Kaczmar from TRADA Technology, Justin Peckham from Accsys Technologies and Peter Clifton from Coillte Panel Products.

Timber’s ability to achieve airtight, energy-efficient residential and commercial buildings through Fabric First will be explored by Charles Stewart at SIPS Industries and Bryan Woodley of Val-U-Therm. And on the same theme of energy-efficient buildings, Jonathan Hines, of architectural practice Architype, will explain how to achieve Passivhaus standards with timber frame.

This year those attending Timber Talks seminars will receive a TRADA Certificate of Attendance which will qualify for professional development points. Seminar attendees will be able to download these from the Timber Expo website using their badge details after the event.