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The Wood Innovation Group
Welcome to the TWIG Newsletter! We're working to help shape the future of the value-added wood products industry. Our events and programming provide a dynamic platform for professionals to connect, learn, and share innovative ideas. Our newsletter is dedicated to those interested in using creativity and design to transform wood into finished products while blending tradition with cutting-edge technology.
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Your voice matters. If you have events, projects, or ideas to share, reach out to us at info@twigbca.ca
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Wood-First-Wednesday
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Strange Fellows , 1345 Clark Dr, Vancouver
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The Vancouver group meets as usual, exploring local craft breweries in the city More Info+
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Looking ahead to our fall season
It's already August! Where has the time gone? I hope you all have enjoyed your summer getaways and made time for family and friends while exploring the beautiful nature of BC and beyond. Although September is not a new year, it marks a new season for us at TWIG as we step back into the office, attend our first semester at university, and send our kids back to school.
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This newsletter is not about updates but a teaser for what’s to come from September through the start of 2025. We've been spending time coordinating with partners, reflecting on our wins from the last year, and working towards bringing you a refined version of our TWIG event series taking place in Vancouver, Victoria, and Squamish. We've met so many new people at our events this year, and are always curious to learn about the work they are doing in the industry and how they are participating in the future of the value-added wood industry in BC.
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When we started TWIG over a decade ago, mass timber and prefab were not much of a topic of discussion, and now they are at the forefront of many conversations related to wood and innovation. We're grateful for all of you who have been with us, who read our newsletter, and who attend our events. We look forward to the year ahead and co-creating the future of BC's value-added industry.
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With forest-felt regards,
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Patrick Christie and The TWIG team
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Vancouver Island Wood Network
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VIWN partners with WorkShop by MGA
We are excited to announce our recent partnership with MGA's WorkShop in Victoria to bring a recurring event series to the Victoria woodworking and wood-based architecture, engineering, and design community. WorkShop has graciously welcomed TWIG into their space every month to host speaker series-style events. Presenters will share topics of interest, research, project case studies, and insights related to the process of transforming wood into finished products for the end user.
Beyond the events at WorkShop we are looking to plan some shop tours and collaborate on special events, such as Design Victoria in the Spring time. If you're in Victoria, we would love to see you at our events. If you have something you want to share with the community, please reach out as we are organizing speakers for the months ahead.
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Created by MGA, WorkShop is a not-for-profit that celebrates the unique design of the Pacific West Coast. You can shop here, connect with the designers, apply to showcase your own work, and come along to a whole bunch of events and socials.
Founded in Vancouver in 2012, MGA is an architecture and design studio creating innovative projects that push the boundaries of sustainability, technology, and construction to benefit communities and environments around the world.
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Prefabricated Building Tour and Conference to Austria & Germany
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Save the date - December 1 - December 7, 2024
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CAWP, in partnership with BCIT, is organizing a technical tour for general contractors, home builders, land developers, building manufacturers, public sector officials and policymakers. A group of 15-20 industry participants, accompanied by ‘tour guides’ from CAWP and BCIT, will visit state-of-the-art production facilities of innovative manufacturers of prefabricated homes, building systems, and building components.
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Last year the CAWP toured through Sweden to check out leading prefabricated home manufacturers, coinciding with the 12th annual Holzbau (Wood Building) Forum in Växjö, Sweden.
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More details, costs and registration information coming soon! Email Jason Chiu for more info.
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DFMA Workshop 3
Yes indeed. The DFMA workshop is back again running for its third year at the Centre for Advanced Wood Processing. Design for Manufacturing and Assembly (DFMA) focuses on simplifying manufacturing and assembly processes. This 3-day hands-on workshop, led by UBC CAWP and SALA faculty, features a lecture/design/build format. Participants will learn from industry leaders in design, engineering, fabrication, and installation, and will use CAD and CAM software to design and manufacture components. The workshop culminates in the assembly of a mass-timber structure, showcasing the efficiencies gained through DfMA.
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The workshop is almost 100% planned and details for registration, attendance and workshop topics will be released next month so stay tuned.
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A Call for Visionary Partners
Last year, our pilot Shape program successfully accelerated innovative ideas, turning them into reality and showcasing them at IDS Vancouver. Building on this success, we are launching the Shape & Structure programs for 2024/2025. These programs aim to harness the collective genius of our community to create impactful solutions for the wood products industry.
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Shape & Structure Programs
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Two parallel programs, each with its distinct focus but working together towards a common goal of innovation and sustainability in the wood industry.
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The Shape Program is designed to transform dimensional offcuts from construction sites, film and TV set builds, wood reclamation from old homes, and sawmill offcuts into value-added products like objects and furniture. Inspired by initiatives like Chop Value, Shape focuses on additional processing, gluing, and assembly to create market-ready products.
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The Structure Program targets larger offcuts from the mass timber and heavy timber industries. This program aims to repurpose these byproducts into usable products for architectural and building applications, addressing the growing need for sustainable solutions in the mass timber industry and supporting prefabricated building projects.
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We invite you to join us as a partner in this innovative journey. Your support can come in various forms:
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- Material Partnership: Provide wood byproducts and share your story.
- Mentorship: Offer your experience and guidance to emerging wood professionals.
- Educator: Teach specific expertise related to wood products manufacturing.
- Program Sponsor: Contribute financially or in kind to support the program’s success.
- Other Partnerships: Propose unique collaboration ideas to advance the wood industry.
Be part of this transformative initiative and help shape the future of wood innovation.
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Learn more and get involved - Full PDF
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Timber Innovation Series
Timber Tech Connect will return in late September/early October with events focused on highlighting the innovative technologies and projects pushing the needle forward in timber building in BC. We will head back to our home base at Concept Lab—a research and development space located inside the Fast + Epp HQ, focused on advancing structural design, discovering new ways to build, and propelling architectural imagination.
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We are on the lookout for exciting projects to present as case studies and for presenters who want to share their experience with mass timber, prefab, and modular offsite construction. Perhaps you have a project that you are open to having people tour, as the physical experience of being inside a space goes a lot further than a slideshow of pictures.
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Reach out to us if you know of anyone, have a project to share, or a space to tour. We would love to have you contribute to this dynamic event, helping to advance the knowledge, understanding and awareness of BC-based professionals, developers, students and researchers - info@twigbc.ca
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Join Us in Our Exciting Mission
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We are on a mission to build a BC-wide network of wood professionals through localized events and programs. Currently operating in Vancouver, Squamish, and Victoria, we aim to expand our TWIG network and establish new chapters across BC. Our diverse forest regions and the unique communities within them are integral to TWIG's dynamic nature, and we want our network to reflect the unique characteristics of BC.
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We extend a warm invitation for you to join our organizational team. Whether you bring expertise in board governance and organizational leadership or offer services beneficial to non-profits, your time and energy would be invaluable to TWIG's progress and the future of the value-added wood products industry.
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If this resonates with you and you are passionate about our mission, we would love to hear from you. Please reach out and connect with us at info@twigbc.ca, and we can schedule a call to explore what might be possible.
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Got an idea?
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Do you have a concept, product, or prototype that you want to realize? TWIG can work with you to make this happen with financial support through The Wood First Program. Carried out through the Center for Advanced Wood Processing (CAWP) and its team of technical staff, we are able to provide an array of support on various wood-based projects.
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