The main purpose of the event was to increase the awareness of academia and industry about the ERAMUS+ TimberEDU project and the development of pedagogical and professional competencies of higher education teachers in the field of sustainable timber construction, alongside the practical applications of these competencies for higher education students. 

Karin Lellep of TTK University of Applied Sciences, Estonia and the coordinator of the TimberEDU project, welcomed all attendees to the event and gave an overview of the project, highlighting the project website where outputs will be available.

The TimberEDU team presented the current status and practice for timber in higher education from Ireland, Lithuania, Estonia, Spain, Italy and Finland, with the intention to share perspectives to help develop a more harmonised delivery of higher education programmes across Europe.

The excellent guest speakers on the day included Annika Kadaja, the General Manager of the Estonian Woodhouse Association, who presented recent successes and innovations in timber housing in Estonia, and Des O’Toole, the Head of Marketing & Communications at Coillte Forest, who presented the results of a recent academic survey on higher education on timber construction in Ireland. 

The morning presentations were followed by a hybrid workshop, with two breakout sessions for round table discussions, the first session focused on professional and practical needs in higher education institutions considering direct support from industry, while the second session focused on academic needs, competencies and pedagogical approaches to address industry and workforce needs.

The workshop followed an adapted world café approach facilitated through Zoom and the use of online interactive Miro whiteboards. A broad range of topics were discussed during the workshop and included Life cycle assessment and sustainability, Timber frame construction, Mass timber and Engineering wood products, Timber in renovation, Connections and Detailing, Standards, codes & testing, Multiple criteria analysis of timber structures, Durability & material properties, Mid-rise timber buildings, Seismic design, Fire and Construction site management.

The responses collected during the workshop (more than 300) will support the design of new curricula and content through the TimberEDU project. A common theme across all topic discussions was the need for greater engagement between industry and academia to maintain expertise, particularly with the increasing use of timber in construction internationally.