RAA In Detail – American Hardwoods: Specifying with Confidence – AHEC
Presented by Roderick Wiles, AHEC Director: Africa, Middle East, India & Oceania

Wednesday 6th December 1pm – 2pm

This one hour masterclass offers 1 CPD point, performance criteria addressed are 35, 31 and 33 from the AACA National Standard of Competency for Architects 2021.

Brighton House by Auhaus Architecture photo by Derek Swalwell

AHEC

The American Hardwood Export Council (AHEC) is an international trade association for the U.S. hardwood industry, representing exporters among U.S. hardwood companies and all the major U.S. hardwood production trade associations. AHEC runs a worldwide program to promote American hardwoods in over 50 export markets concentrating on providing architects, specifiers, designers, and end-users with technical information on the range of species, products and sources of supply. In addition, AHEC also produces a full range of technical publications.

American hardwood forest (supplied)

Roderick Wiles, AHEC Director: Africa, Middle East, India & Oceania

Roderick Wiles has worked for AHEC since 1999, when he started to assist the European Director in the London office. He is now based in Dubai, UAE, from where he is responsible for directing AHEC's programmes in Africa, the Middle East, India and Australia/New Zealand. While assisting in the running of AHEC’ s programmes in Western Europe, he was responsible for expanding AHEC’ s programmes to Central and Eastern Europe, the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) and then in to India, Australia, New Zealand and South Africa. Over the years of working for AHEC, Roderick has built up a wealth of knowledge on the global market for wood products and has developed a specialist skill in the international promotion of hardwood products.

Selected images from Kurunpu Kunpu | Strong Spirit collaboration between Tanya SInger, Errol Evans & Trent Jansen photo by Fiona Susanto

American Hardwoods: Specifying with Confidence

The aim of this presentation is to give architects and designers an understanding of where American hardwoods come from, what they are, what their environmental credentials and impact are and how to use them and specify them realistically.

After a brief introduction to the American Hardwood Export Council (AHEC) and its non-commercial role in improving understanding of American hardwoods worldwide, the presentation is split into three distinct parts, as follows:

Part one focuses on provenance, legality and sustainability, looking at hardwood resource management in the United States and its practice today. It covers the size and spread of the resource and its ownership and how this determines harvesting and production. It provides an overview of the American Hardwood Environmental Profile (AHEP) and how this looks at proof of legality, sustainability and the low environmental impact of kiln-dried hardwood lumber and veneer through cradle-to-gate Life Cycle Assessment (LCA).

Part two provides a brief overview of production, looking at sawmilling and kiln-drying and then focuses on the key American hardwood species in terms of commercial availability, their physical attributes and their potential for applications, demonstrated through real life projects from around the world.

Part three covers two recent developments in timber technology, which can be applied to U.S. hardwoods – namely thermal modification (TMT) and cross-laminated timber (CLT). It looks at the species and processes involved in these technologies and how the material can be applied in construction, along with some of its benefits.

In essence, this presentation is designed to provide the listener with enough of a degree of knowledge and confidence in order to make an informed choice when specifying American hardwoods.

Members can access a free recording of this event here.

Oak Redefined stand at Denfair 2019 by Adam Markowitz and Marcus Piper (photo supplied by Denfair)