The annual Wood Days woodworking, architecture and design event will be held in Cēsis for the third time this year from April 28 to May 4. The event’s main goal is to boost growth in all fields related to wood architecture and craftsmanship and to foster a high level of quality and professionalism in these areas.
Aside from demonstrating examples of modern wood architecture, specialists will pass on their practical and theoretical knowledge to promote high-quality craftsmanship and technological evolution in construction work. In accordance with this year’s motto of Learning by Doing, experts will also help upcoming architects, designers and wood craftspeople to realize their best ideas and to showcase them to a wider audience.
The event will begin with a special workshop on Sunday, April 28 at the Cēsis Technology and Design High School. The workshop is meant for woodwork, design and architecture students, as well as enthusiasts who have unique ideas or prototypes but are struggling with the development process. Participants will have the chance to work on their ideas and prototypes and develop them into ready products with the help of professional machines, tools, mentors, volunteer workers and materials provided by sponsors and supporters. Professional videos will be filmed during the workshop, and all of the workshop’s products will be showcased during the Wood Days international conference. The workshop will take 10-15 product ideas and prototypes, and develop these into finished products that can be passed on to their first lucky users.
The Wood Days scientific conference for architecture and construction will take place on Thursday, May 2 at the Vidzeme Concert Hall in Cēsis (Vidzemes koncertzāle “Cēsis”), with the participation of experts from Latvia and several other countries, including foreign specialists from the University of Technology and Natural Sciences in Norway, Aalto University Wood Programme and Umeå University, as well as representatives from renowned architects’ bureaus in Norway, UK, Finland and Austria.
Lectures about technical solutions for wooden houses will be delivered by Siga of Switzerland and Rothoblaas of Italy. Aside from large-scale public wooden buildings and private wooden homes, attention will also be devoted to practical examples of Learning by Doing and do-it-yourself construction with recycled wood materials. Simultaneous translation in both Latvian and English will be ensured.
On Saturday, May 4, and Sunday, May 5, the Heritage of Cesis (“Cēsu Mantojums”) association will host a wooden building restoration workshop, which will be lead by three restorers: Jānis Tolpežņikovs, Ieva Zilberte, and Edgars Raitums. Following a seminar on the theoretical aspects of this work, participants will be able to try their hand at practical restoration work with traditional tools, paints, and other materials.
The 3rd International Wood Architecture, Craftsmanship, Manufacturing and Design Days in Cesis (or Wood Days) are being organized in collaboration with the Latvian State Forests (“Latvijas Valsts Meži”) JSC, the Cēsis Municipality, the Green House (“Zaļās Mājas”) association and the Cēsis Technology and Design High School. The events are being held with the support of the Latvian Wood Construction Cluster, Siga (Switzerland) and Rothoblaas (Italy). The main organizers of the Wood Days in Cēsis are the Skola6 creative workspace, the Faculty of Architecture of the Riga Technical University, and the Vecpiebalga Association of Landscape and Cultural Environment Protection. We encourage other businesses, manufacturers, craftspeople, organisations and enthusiasts to join our list of supporters.
More about the Wood Days in Cēsis: www.kokadienas.lv
