Wooden Construction Fair 2009

At the turn of February and March, the fourth edition of the Wood Construction Salon, the largest Czech exhibition of wooden architecture and constructions using wood, will take place at the Prague Exhibition Centre in Letňany after a year. For all those interested in quality architecture, a rich program is prepared on more than 300 m², with modern wooden constructions as its common denominator.

Originally a private initiative aimed at promoting quality Czech architecture of wooden constructions, the Wood Construction Salon has evolved over the past three editions into a comprehensive showcase of modern wooden architecture, providing a wide range of information about this dynamically developing sector of construction.
It will be held at the Prague Exhibition Centre in Letňany as the main accompanying event of the Dřevostavby 2009 trade fair from February 26 to March 1, 2009. During the four days, the Salon will offer an exhibition presenting current realizations of wooden constructions completed in the Czech Republic (mostly from the past year 2008), lectures by domestic and foreign architects, documents, and professional literature. Visitors can thus get an overview of contemporary Czech wooden construction architecture and obtain a comparison with the top international creations.
Wooden constructions are presented at the Salon not just as a technological or material alternative, but as a representative lifestyle alternative.

The core of the Salon is a sector-specialized exhibition that presents architecturally, structurally, and spatially interesting wooden constructions realized in the Czech Republic. The selection of buildings for the exhibition is determined by the quality of the architecture as well as the timeliness of the realization. This year, however, the organizers have relaxed the strict condition of completion of the building in the past year 2008, and the scope of presented buildings has been expanded to include older realizations that had not been featured in previous years for various reasons. For visitors and potential clients, the exhibition thus represents a representative collection of contemporary Czech wooden architecture.

Details about specific wooden constructions can be found by visitors at lectures in the open auditorium, which is part of the Wood Construction Salon space. Those interested in their own wooden construction will certainly be attracted to lectures where an architect along with the building's investor will present their experiences with the realization of the wooden construction. A unique opportunity to gain complete information from both the author and the user of the wooden construction!
The confrontation of domestic creations with foreign ones will be conducted by architects from Finland, Norway, and Austria, who will present at the Salon on Friday and Saturday. Three perspectives on building with wood will be brought by Helmut Dietrich from Austria, Antti-Matti Siikala from Finland, and Norwegian architect Siv Helen Stangeland. At their lectures, you will be convinced of the wide possibilities of using wood in architecture not only for family houses but also for office buildings or cultural centers.

Further broadening of horizons will be offered by screenings of documents, multimedia presentations, or thematic literature in the bookshop. A brand new Yearbook of Wooden Constructions, which summarizes the exhibition and serves as a comprehensive guide to contemporary Czech wooden architecture, will also be available for purchase here.

The Dřevostavby trade fair is not the last stop of the Wood Construction Salon in 2009. Throughout the rest of the year, the exhibition will regularly present in other cities of the Czech Republic, and in the autumn, under the patronage of the Salon, the second edition of the Wooden Open House Days will take place, where interested parties have a unique opportunity to personally visit selected family houses and see original modern wooden constructions with their own eyes.

More information about the project can be found at www.salondrevostaveb.cz.