Launch of the INTERNATIONAL WOODRISE ALLIANCE - For low-carbon construction and the harmonious development of urban and rural territories

MONTREAL, Sept. 14, 2017 /CNW Telbec/ - On September 14, in Bordeaux, France, representatives at WOODRISE 2017, the 1^st world congress dedicated to midrise and tall wood buildings, will make a formal call to take one step closer toward carbon neutrality by strengthening the share of wood used in building construction.

Alain Juppé, former French Prime Minister and president of Bordeaux Métropole, will make a special appeal to representatives from governments, federated states, NGOs, and companies; elected officials from rural and urban areas; architects; foresters; promoters; scientists; and everyday citizens to create a community committed to promoting wood as a solution to reduce the environmental impact of construction, store carbon, and develop an ecosystem based on short and traceable paths between harvest sites, eco-friendly processing, and innovative use of wood in urban tall construction projects. This economic relationship between rural production and eco-friendly urban construction will help respond to the environmental challenge highlighted during COP21 in Paris.

Alongside Alain Juppé, some 20 officials will sign the Bordeaux Alliance, including Mr. Stéphane Dion, Ambassador to Germany and special envoy to the European Union and Europe. The immediate support from Brazilians, Canadians, Finns, Japanese, Walloons, and Swiss to this Alliance will confirm its international scope.

The work of the WOODRISE International Alliance will focus on three areas:

• Encourage international synergy;
• Identify good practices in terms of wood usage, from the forest to recycling buildings;
• Evaluate quantitative and qualitative evolution in wood usage of construction worldwide.

Two major activities will occur during WOODRISE 2017:

• Dissemination of the WOODRISE Paper: a compendium of international best practices in economic, industrial, urban, and architectural development encouraging wood as a material, from the forest to the city, with a commitment to sustainability and biodiversity;
• Signature of a memorandum of understanding between six national research centres:
• Brazil: Instituto de Pesquisas Tecnólogicas do Estado de São Paulo S.A., associated with the government of the state of São Paulo's Department of Economic Development, Science, Technology, and Innovation (EDSTID-SP).
  Additional information: www.ipt.br
• Canada: FPInnovations, a not-for-profit world leader that specializes in the creation of scientific solutions in support of the Canadian forest sector's global competitiveness and responds to the priority needs of its industry members and government partners. It is ideally positioned to perform research, innovate, and deliver state-of-the-art solutions for every area of the sector's value chain, from forest operations to consumer and industrial products. FPInnovations' staff numbers more than 430. Its R&D laboratories are located in Québec, Montréal and Vancouver, and it has technology transfer offices across Canada.
  Additional information: www.fpinnovations.ca
• Finland: VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland Ltd, a limited liability, not-for-profit corporation constituted publicly and established by the law, operating under the Finnish Department of Employment and the Economy. Its activities focus on three areas: high knowledge intensity products and services, intelligent industry and energy systems, and solutions for natural resources and environment. VTT benefits from its wide, multi-technical knowledge base to consolidate Finland's and Europe's industrial competitiveness.
  Additional information: www.vttresearch.com
• France:
• Institut Technologique FCBA, whose mission consists of promoting innovation and technical progress, and participating in the increase of productivity and quality in the industry, by adopting an integrated approach and implementing synergies in the industry.
  Additional information: www.fcba.fr
• Centre Scientifique et Technique du Bâtiment ? CSTB, a public organization dedicated to building innovation which focuses on four key activities: research and expertise, evaluation, certification and knowledge dissemination, organized in response to the issues on energy transition in the construction industry.
  Through those activities, it supports the construction stakeholders in innovations in building quality and safety.
  Additional information: www.cstb.fr
• Switzerland: Lignum, Economie Suisse du Bois, an umbrella organization for the Swiss wood and forest economies. It includes all major associations and organizations in the industry, research and training institutes, public corporations and many architects and engineers.
  Additional information: www.lignum.ch

SOURCE FPInnovations