Brisbane will host the World Conference on Timber Engineering in June next year, only the second time it has been held in the southern hemisphere since its inception in 1998. Source: Timberbiz
The conference attracts between 800 and 1200 participants worldwide with WCTE 2025 International Scientific Committee representing 22 countries. Many participants will be presenting in a specific session related to the conference theme and their expertise.
The first World Conference on Timber Engineering was held in 1998 in Montreux, Switzerland however, the forerunner of WCTE dates back to May 1984 with the Pacific Timber Engineering Conference (PTEC) in Auckland, New Zealand.
In 1998 the world’s timber engineering society decided to coordinate the former world events and to introduce a biennial rhythm with consecutive conferences in Europe, America, Asia and the Pacific. This rhythm was altered in 2020 due to Covid, and since 2021 the conference has been held every odd year.
WCTE is a world leading scientific dissemination forum for presenting and discussing the latest technical and architectural developments and innovations in timber engineering and construction.
The scope covers research, education, and practice topics from all over the world. The conference has attracted wide international representation and attendance, bringing together researchers, engineers, architects, consultants, contractors, project managers, suppliers, and manufacturers from across the globe.
The host of WCTE 2025, The University of Queensland (UQ), is a leader in timber engineering and administers the Australian Research Council Research Hub to Advance Timber for Australia’s Future Built Environment (ARC Advance Timber Hub).
This 5-year Research Hub (commenced in 2023) is committed to the future development of sustainable timber buildings and the emerging opportunities and innovations that are needed in manufacture, supply, design, and construction.
The Hub’s large research team from 12 Australian Universities and five international universities/research institutes, in collaboration with 28 industry partners, aims to enable an advanced manufacturing transformation of Australia’s timber and construction industries, developing a roadmap to change that unlocks substantial industry and social value.
The ARC Advance Timber Hub also collaborates with other research centres across Australia to enhance the collective research in timber engineering in Australia and the Pacific. The centres include:
- Queensland Government – Department of Agriculture & Fisheries – Forest Product Innovation Centre
- Centre for Sustainable Architecture with Wood – University of Tasmania
- National Centre for Timber Durability and Design Life – University of the Sunshine Coast – QLD
And it has established links with academic and industry research collaborators from past research centres which include:
- ARC Centre for Advanced Manufacturing of Prefab Housing (2016 – 2022) – University of Melbourne
- ARC Research Hub to Transform Future Tall Timber Buildings (2016 – 2022) – The University of Queensland.
The WCTE 2025 Conference Committee is inviting authors to submit two-page abstracts/mini papers by 30 June 2024.
Submissions are sought for both oral and poster presentations, which must address the principal conference theme ‘Advancing Timber for the Future Built Environment’.
The WCTE 2025 technical program will have a focus on research carried out by the timber design and construction community due to the rise in engineering and architectural firms, developers, and investors, now emphasising timber engineering as a preferred solution for many projects.
For more information, go to https://www.wcte2025.org
